19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Who was John the Baptist? John’s story begins before he was ever born. The gospel according to Luke reports that his parents were good people and faithful followers of God. His father, Zechariah, was a priest and his mother, Elizabeth, was of a priestly pedigree. They would have been well respected in their community. But despite the honour they received as an esteemed couple, they felt shame because they were not able to have a child. Elizabeth was barren. In time, as they aged, the hope of impregnation diminished.
Their story, however, does not end there. It came about that an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah telling him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:13-17). Zechariah, disbelieving the angel’s message, was punished for his unbelief. Though Elizabeth became pregnant, Zechariah was a mute until the day the baby was born.
John the Baptist was born under extraordinary circumstances. It is no surprise that his life would be no less remarkable. The gospel according to Matthew reports that John regularly preached in the wilderness. His message was: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). In some contexts, messages on repentance are unappealing because they are too negative. Yet, he drew crowds (Matthew 3:5)! Plus, he did it wearing a “garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist” and eating “locusts and wild honey” (Matthew 3:4)!
Who was John the Baptist? When the delegation from Jerusalem asked him this question, his reply was a quotation from Isaiah 40:3, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’” If Isaiah was talking about John, then that has huge implications on who he was. The allusion is that John was sent from God, as prophesied by Isaiah. Essentially, John’s authority as a messenger comes from the top, the eternal head honcho. In other words, John was important because God gave him the task of “making straight the way of the Lord.”
Who was John the Baptist? When the second delegation (this time from the Pharisees) asked John about why he was baptizing people, his answer was revealing. At the time, baptisms were not administered by others5. They were self-administered. And even when these baptisms occurred, they happened only when a non-Jew was proselytized into Judaism. In light of this, it is no surprise that the Pharisaic delegation found John’s activities bizarre, if not heretical. John’s answer may not have satisfied the delegation, but it does tell us something about himself: “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” In other words, John was not the one. He may have had an extraordinary birth, an interesting vocation, and was the voice prophesied by Isaiah, but he wasn’t the Messiah.
The angel Gabriel once called John the Baptist “great before the Lord” (Luke 1:15). But his greatness was incomparable to Jesus. John was not even worthy enough to take off Jesus’ shoes. He displayed great humility in recognizing that. Indeed, true greatness is in great humility. In this, he sets an example for us all.
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