The Saviour’s ministry to mankind.

John the Baptist and his witness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Matt. 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-18; John 1:15-31)

The emergence of John the Baptist to preach about and bear testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ, is narrated correspondingly by all the Evangelists, in nearly the same detail. John is the only one that omits certain details described by the others, instead, underlining Christ’s Divinity.

Saint Evangelist Luke gives important information as to the time of John the Baptist’s emergence, together with the time of the emergence of Christ Himself. He writes that this occurred “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being the tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests” (Luke 3:1-2).

Beginning his narrative on John the Baptist’s emergence, Saint Luke wants to say that at the time, Palestine being part of the Roman Empire, was governed by a tetrarch (ruler of a fourth of a province) in the name of Emperor Tiberius, son and successor to Octavius Augustus, during whose time Christ was born. In Judea, Pontius Pilate governed instead of Archelaus; in Galilee — Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great who slew the innocent infants in Bethlehem; his other son, Philip, governed Iturea — a country that was situated east of Jordan, and Trachonitus, located north-east of Jordan; the fourth province, Abilene, that adjoined Galilee in the north-east, at the foothill of Antilebanon, was under the rule of Lycinius. The high priests at the time were Annas and Caiaphas: actually, the high priest was Caiaphas, and his father-in-law Annas, who, while being precluded by the civil authorities from holding any responsibilities, enjoyed the authority and respect from the people, and in reality, shared power with his son-in-law.

Upon the death of Augustus in the 767^th year from the establishment of Rome, Tiberius assumed the throne. However, as he had already become a co-ruler 2years earlier (in 765), his fifteenth year of rule began in 779, when in all probability, Christ turned 30 years of age. Apostle Luke later indicates at what age Jesus Christ was baptised by John and commenced His societal ministry.

Saint Luke narrates that “the word of God” came to John — in other words, a special calling or revelation from God that prompted him to serve. Saint Matthew calls the place where he commenced his ministry “the wilderness in Judea.” Situated on the western shores of Jordan and the Dead Sea, it carried this name because of its sparse population. After God’s calling, John started to appear in more populous areas of the region, like Bethabara on Jordan (John 1:28), or Aenon near Salim (John 3:23), closer to water, which was essential for baptism.

Evangelists Matthew(3:3), Mark (1:3) and Luke (3:4) refer to John the Baptist “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His path straight.” In exactly the same way, John the Baptist mentions himself in John’s Gospel (1:23). These words are taken from the Prophet Isaiah’s pronouncements, where he comforts Jerusalem by saying that the period of their humiliation is over, and that soon, the glory of the Lord will appear and “all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5).

This prophecy was realised when after a 70 year Babylonian bondage, the Persian King permitted 42,000 Jews to return to their homeland. This return is portrayed by the Prophet as a joyful exodus, commanded by God Himself and preceded by a messenger. This messenger proclaims that a path — along which the Lord and His people had to pass — be prepared straight and even: hollows to be filled, mounds and hills to be levelled etc. This prophecy, the Evangelists and John himself (John 1:23), explain in the form of a symbol (all Old Testament events had this type of meaning, foretelling of happenings to come in the New Testament): under God’s directive, the exodus of His people is interpreted as being the Messiah, while the messenger — His Forerunner, John. In a spiritual sense, the wilderness appears as the people of Israel, while the unevenness that had to be levelled because it was an impediment to the Messiah’s coming — this was mankind’s sins; that’s why the essence of the Forerunner’s sermon led to strictly, one call: “Repent!” This was Isaiah’s symbolic prophecy, while the last of the Old Testament Prophets, Malachi, pronounces correctly that the Forerunner who was preparing the way for the Messiah, was the “Messenger of the Lord.” Saint Mark begins his Gospel with the same citation (Mark 1:2). John the Baptist’s sermon on repentance was based on the approach of the Kingdom of Heaven, ie. Kingdom of the Messiah (Matt. 3:2). The phrase, Kingdom of God’s Word, must be understood as the liberation of Man from the authority of sin and the ascension of righteousness within his nature (Luke 17:21; Rom. 14:17). It also meant the unification of all peoples (that were worthy of this) into one living entity — the Church (Matt. 13:24-43, 47-49), and their eternal heavenly glory in the next life (Luke 23:42-43).

In preparing people for entry into this Kingdom, which was soon to be revealed with the coming of the Messiah, John summoned people to repent and those who did, he baptised with “a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Luke 3:3). This wasn’t a blessed Christian baptism, but only an immersion into water as a symbol that the person wished to be absolved of his sins, just as water cleansed his body of physical grime.

John the Baptist was a strict ascetic, who clothed himself in the roughest camel hide and ate locusts and honey of wild bees. He presented himself as a sharp antithesis of the then contemporary teachers of the Jewish people, and his sermons on the coming of the Messiah - Whose coming many were tensely anticipating — could not but attract general attention. Even the Jewish historian, Joseph Flavius, witnesses that “ the people, captivated by John’s teachings, flooded to him in great numbers.” The authority of this man over the Jews was so great that they were ready to do all his biddings, and even King Herod was afraid of this great teacher’s power. Even the Pharisees and Sadducees could not watch indifferently as masses of people came to John, and they themselves went to him in the wilderness, but hardly with genuine interest. Therefore, it is little wonder that he greets them with stern, reproaching words: “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matt. 3:7). The Pharisees skilfully covered their vices with the strict observance of purely outward instructions of the Law of Moses, while the Sadducees, succumbing to physical comforts, rejected that which went against their epicurean style of living: spiritual life and retribution beyond the grave. John accuses them of arrogance, of their assurance in their personal uprightness, and instils into them that their hope of being Abraham’s descendants, will bring them no benefit if they do not bear fruits worthy of repentance, because “every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matt. 3:10; Luke 3:9), because it is useless. Genuine children of Abraham are not those who have originated from him in flesh, but those that will live in the spirit of his faith and devotion to God.

“And do not think to say to yourselves, ‘we have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones” (Matt. 3:9; Luke 3:8).

According to Evangelist Luke, this stern utterance was aimed at the people. But this cannot be looked upon as a contradiction, inasmuch as a significant part of the populace was infected with the false teachings of the Pharisees. Confused by the grave warning, people began to ask: “What shall we do then?” (Luke 3:10). John answers that it is essential to perform deeds of love and benevolence, and to refrain from every type of evil. These would be “fruits worthy of repentance.”

At the time, there was a general expectation of the Messiah’s coming and moreover, when He did come, would baptise (John 1:25). So it is not surprising that many started to pose the question, is John Christ Himself? To this John replied that he baptises with water unto repentance (Matt. 3:11), ie. as a sign of repentance. But the One Who is coming after him is Mightier, Whom he, John, is not worthy to untie His sandals and carry them (Luke 3:16; Mark 1:7, 3:11), just as slaves do for their master. “He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16; Mark 1:8) — the Holy Spirit will be active in His baptism, searing every type of iniquity with fire. “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17) — just as the master cleans his thrashing floor of weeds and dirt, Christ will cleanse His people by collecting the wheat ie. gathering into His Church all those who have believed in Him, as though into a granary, and all those that have rejected Him, will be delivered to eternal suffering.