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John the Baptist was a prophet who foretold and baptized Jesus. According to prophecies, he was the last Old Testament prophet who prepared the way for Jesus. His birth was miraculously announced by the angel Gabriel to his parents Zechariah and Elizabeth. John lived in the desert and preached repentance, baptizing people in the Jordan River. He baptized Jesus even though Jesus had no sin. Later, John was imprisoned and beheaded by Herod Antipas due to Herodias' plotting, after John spoke against Herod's marriage.
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SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST, THE FORERUNNER OF CHRIST AND THE LAST PROPHET.pptx
John the Baptist was a prophet who foretold and baptized Jesus. According to prophecies, he was the last Old Testament prophet who prepared the way for Jesus. His birth was miraculously announced by the angel Gabriel to his parents Zechariah and Elizabeth. John lived in the desert and preached repentance, baptizing people in the Jordan River. He baptized Jesus even though Jesus had no sin. Later, John was imprisoned and beheaded by Herod Antipas due to Herodias' plotting, after John spoke against Herod's marriage.
John the Baptist was a prophet who foretold and baptized Jesus. According to prophecies, he was the last Old Testament prophet who prepared the way for Jesus. His birth was miraculously announced by the angel Gabriel to his parents Zechariah and Elizabeth. John lived in the desert and preached repentance, baptizing people in the Jordan River. He baptized Jesus even though Jesus had no sin. Later, John was imprisoned and beheaded by Herod Antipas due to Herodias' plotting, after John spoke against Herod's marriage.
AND THE LAST PROPHET JOHN THE BAPTIST’S MISSION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT In the Old Testament, Isaiah prophesied the coming of John the Baptist as the Precursor or the Forerunner of the Promised Messiah. He prophesied that John is the “voice of the one who is crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD, make His paths straight.” (Is 40:3-5). The Prophet Malachi also prophesied John’s coming in the Spirit of Elijah, the Great Prophet when he said that “Elijah will come back and must come first before the Messiah and restore all things” (Mal 4:5-6). THE PARENTS OF JOHN AND THE ANNUNCIATION OF HIS BIRTH AND HIS MISSION In the Fulfilment of God’s Saving Plan to mankind and the Prophecy of the Prophets, Saint John the Baptist was born. Saint John’s Nativity is clearly shown to us in the Gospel of Saint Luke ( Lk 1:57-66, 80). John’s parents are Elizabeth, from the House of Aaron and Zechariah, a priest of the division of Abijah (Lk 1:5). Saint John’s parents were too old to have a Son. In the Jewish Culture and Tradition, if you are barren and you do not have a Son then you are cursed and considered as a sinner or an impenitent. The Two are righteous before the eyes of the Lord and are observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly (Lk 1:6). And that time came that the group of Abijah will serve before the Lord and according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen to offer the incense in the Temple and suddenly while he is burning the incense in the time of the incense offering in the Temple, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the right of the altar of incense but he was afraid. In Jewish Tradition, if you have seen an angel, you will die. But the Angel told him not to be afraid for his prayers are answered (Lk 1:13a). The angel also told him to name the child “John”. In Hebrew , the name “John” is “Yohanan”. It means“gift from God” because John is the answer to the prayers of His parents. The Angel of the Lord, who is Gabriel also told him that Elizabeth must not drink wine For the child she is going to bear is holy (Lk 1:15bc). The angel also told him the Mission of John – to turn many of the sons of Israel to the LORD, their God (Lk 1:16), in the Spirit of Elijah (Lk 1:17), a prophecy written by Prophet Malachi (Mal 4:5-6 ). The Angel Gabriel also told him that he Will become mute and speechless until Elizabeth gave birth to their Son (Lk 1:20a), which is their joy and their gladness and many will rejoice in his birth (Lk 1:14), because he doubted the message of the Angel (Lk 1:18). And the people were waiting for Zechariah (Lk 1:21)but they realized that Zechariah saw a vision because he is just gesturing and remained mute (Lk 1:22). And after the days of ministry, he went home (Lk 1:23) and when he came, Elizabeth conceived and she went seclusion for 5 months and he thank God for having them a son because “He taken away the shame from them”(Lk 1:24-25). THE NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST The account of the Nativity of John the Baptist is written in the Gospel of Saint Luke (Lk 1:57-66,80). When the time arrived for Elizabeth to give birth to her son, The neighbours and relatives of the parents of the newborn baby will come to their house to rejoice with them like the Birth of John (Lk 1:58). They believed that if a barren woman bear a son, the LORD has shown them His mercy and have heard their prayers (Lk 1:58). It shows us a beautiful and a rich Jewish Tradition and Culture at that time. It anticipates the joy of the birth of the awaited Messiah because the LORD has sent his forerunner to prepare the way of His Son. THE CIRCUMCISION AND NAMING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST And at the eight day, they came to circumcise the child and to name Him Zechariah after his father’s name (Lk 1:59). In Jewish Tradition, when the Day of the Circumcision for a baby came, at that day, they also name the baby and they name it after its forefathers’ or his father’s name. But, at that time, Elizabeth replied “No, for He will be called John ” and they asked Zechariah what is the name of child and he asked for a tablet so that he can write and he wrote “ His name is John” to obey what the Angel told him to name His Son and suddenly his mouth was opened and his tongue was freed and he praised God (Lk 1:59-66). Today, his prayer is always prayed in thr Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours and this prayer is called Benedictus (Lk 1:67-79). HIS MINISTRY AND PREACHING IN THE DESERT In the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, we can see the Prophecy of Isaiah (Mk 1:1-3) and the Life of John the Baptist in the Judean Desert (Mk 1:4-8). It shows that John baptizes through the water (Mk 1:8) and is preaching a baptism of repentance and forgiveness (Mk 1:4) and many people went out to him to confess their sins and to be baptized by him in the Jordan River (Mk 1:5). In the beginning also of Mark’s Gospel, it reveals us the desert life and the kind of life the prophets in the Palestine have which is shown in the Life of John the Baptist (Mk 1:6). In the Book of Acts, we find sermons about Jesus which mention His Baptism by John as the beginning of His public ministry (see Acts 10:37; 11:16; 13:24). We also find accounts (see Acts 18:24; 19:3) of devout men in Greece who had received the baptism of John, and who gladly received the full message of the Gospel of Christ when it was told them. THE BAPTISM OF JESUS IN THE JORDAN RIVER In the New Testament, there are two accounts on the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (Mt 3:13-17),(Lk 3:21-22). It tells us that John refused to baptize Jesus when he said: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”but Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented (Mt 3:14-15). Then John baptized Jesus to fulfill the Holy Will of the Father and so, John become a big part of God’s Saving Plan to mankind. JOHN THE BAPTIST’S CAPTIVITY AND MARTYRDOM John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. Herod Antipas was a son of Herod the Great, who had been king of Judea and the surrounding regions during the time of Jesus' birth. After Herod the Great's death, his kingdom broke up into smaller territories over which his sons ruled. Herod Antipas received Galilee, and it was He who ordered John's arrest. It was the plotting of Herod's wife Herodias, however, that led John' execution. According to the Jewish historian Josephus (who wrote after 70 Ad), John the Baptist was a Jewish preacher in the time of Pontius Pilate (Ad 26- 36). He called the people to repentance and to a renewal of their covenant relation with God. He was imprisoned and eventually put to death by Herod Antipas (son of Herod the Great, who was king when Jesus was born) for denouncing Herod's marriage to Herodias, the wife of his still-living brother Philip. In order to marry Herodias, Herod divorced his first wife, the daughter of King Aretas of Damascus, who subsequently made war on Herod, a war which, Josephus tells us, was regarded by devout Jews as a punishment for Herod's murder of the prophet John. While the gospel of John makes only a passing reference to the imprisonment of John the Baptist (John 3:24), the other Gospels all tell us that Herod had John imprisoned on account of John having rebuked him over his sin, particularly over Herod's taking his brother's wife. Luke's account is the briefest, simply stating: "But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him about Herodias, his brother’s wife, and about all the evil things Herod had done, added this to everything else—he locked John up in prison"(Luke 3:19-20). Matthew's account (Matt. 14:1-12) and Mark's (Mark 6:17-29) give us considerably more detail, explaining that Herod's wife Herodias wanted John put to death, but could not do so on her own (Mark 6:19). Herod personally desired to execute him as well (Matt. 14:5), but ultimately protected him. He was afraid to harm John, knowing that John was a righteous man (Mark 14:20) and also fearing what the crowd would do because they regarded John as a prophet (Matt. 14:5). Beyond the petty, personal offense of Herod and his wife at the rebuke of their sins, Herod's fear of the crowd may also have been a part what motivated him to arrest John in the first place. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus also records the arrest of John the Baptist. Josephus explains that Herod was gravely concerned at the growing crowds gathering to hear John. They seemed willing to do anything John said. He feared that John could start a sudden rebellion with a mere command to the crowd. Josephus claims that this fear was why he had John arrested. If we trust Josephus' account, it would seem that the same fear of the crowds that prevented Herod from immediately executing John are also a part of why he arrested John in the first place. A free John may lead a rebellion, but a murdered John might incite one. Herod was in a bind. This paranoia may also be what made John's willingness to rebuke his sin openly such a big deal. Beyond personal offense, Herod may have feared John's rebukes were the early signs of sedition or at least would lead there eventually since he had no intention of repenting of the things for which John rebuked him. At any rate, Herod's fear and curiosity drove him to visit John regularly in prison to hear him (Mark 6:20). Herod's wife, however, awaited a strategic opportunity, which came on Herod's birthday (Mark 6:21). Herodias' daughter came in and danced for Herod and his officials at a banquet, which pleased him so greatly that he promised with an oath to grant her whatever she requested of him (Mark 6:21-22). At Herodias' prompting, her daughter asked for John's head on a platter (Matt. 14:8). Herod did not want to comply but, fearing the oath and the witnesses present, he consented to have John executed (Mark 6:26). Today, many churches and monasteries and even museums claimed that they have the relics of Saint John the Baptist. Others claimed that they bear the head of Saint John the Baptist. According to the Tradition, John the Baptist was beheaded in the Umayyad Mosque at the time of the Public ministry of Jesus.