JOHN THE BAPTIST: A FAITH THAT CHALLENGES OTHERS

Did you know that the word doctor means teacher in classical Latin.  It references one so thoroughly versed in a subject matter that they are capable of causing others to know the subject matter as well.   When you go to a doctor you expect them to know more about a given condition than you do, and to be able to assist with the improvement of that condition.  Can you imagine a doctor that intentionally DOESN’T help?  To introduce this lesson to you let’s first look at a rabbit trail.

Life has always been a risky business.  Humans have long sought those who knew the appropriate measures to take for a given circumstance, and have long considered healing to be a profession.  Archaeology has illuminated medical practices dating back as long as 12,000 years ago, and evidence from 5000 years ago demonstrates that in the ancient Egyptian civilization had three tiers of providers – state-sponsored physicians; religion-sponsored scorpion charmers; and popular-sponsored folk healers. Some 3800 years ago in Babylonia, the Code of Hammurabi established patient fees and punishment for negligent treatment. Then the Greeks and Romans  recognized a distinction based on education which determined who served the masses and who served the elite.  

Here comes a rabbit trail:  there are various types of doctorates, which can be broadly categorized into two main groups: academic and professional.

Academic doctorates are generally research-focused degrees that prepare individuals for careers in academia or research such as the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which involves original research and writing a dissertation. 

Professional doctorates focus on applying advanced knowledge in professional settings and include the MD, DO, DC, DDS, DDM, DVM, DPM, and ND. 

Clinical Doctorates are degrees are designed to enhance clinical skills and practice.  /these include Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Other Relevant Doctorates include Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) and Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) and this list is not exhaustive.

Even in the legal fields there is the Juris Doctor (J.D. or D.Jur.), Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D. or J.S.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Law, Doctor of Laws (LL.D. or D.L.), Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.).  And then there is the Doctor of Education (EdD), Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), and others.

Now that I have bored you with an overview of what a doctor is, what would be the case if any, or all, of these doctors determined that when you inquired of them for help: "Oh, I know the solution to your problem.  I can teach you all about it," but then neglected to offer that teaching to you.  "Oh, you are being sued? I know just what do about that.  Bye-bye.  See ya later."  What use would such a "doctor" be?  

Unfortunately Christ-followers sometimes act as such.  They know the cure, but are unwilling to share it. "Wow!  We have discovered a way to live with God forever and have all our needs met, but I'll just keep it to myself."

Today we look at someone who DIDN'T keep his learning to himself.  He was Jesus' cousin and he worked actively to highlight Jesus' mission.  John the Baptist illustrates that faith stands unwaveringly on truth.  Lets look at Matthew 3:1-12 and get introduced to John and what he tells us.

Matthew 3:1-6

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” 3 For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight! 4 Now John had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

John the Baptist was Jesus’s cousin and his role was to prepare people for the coming of Jesus by calling them to repentance and to the preparation of the heart. The word repent means to change your mind—or your purpose in life. Repentance is broader than mentally choosing a new idea or changing one’s opinion of something because repentance includes not only a change in one’s thinking but a change in one’s overall direction in life. John called individuals to change the course of their lives in the same way that the entire world was about to change with the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One, the King selected by God.

John was pointing to an overlap in the times and ages. Much as we saw last week that there was a noticeable transition between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, John’s ministry can be seen as the transition  of the age of the Old Testament to the age of the Messiah who was coming to fulfill the promises of the Old Testament.  

So what was the "age of the Old Testament" about?  The Old Testament is a collection of writings that primarily narrates the history of the Israelites, their relationship with God, and their understanding of divine law and prophecy.  It spans a vast period, from the creation of the world up to the transition of the world to a messianic age in which we now live, and which at a future point will culminate in God’s Anointed one ruling during a fully realized messianic age.

The Old Testament begins with God and outlines the creation of the world.  It outlines the early history of humankind, including the error of Humanity, the destruction of humanity, and the dispersal of humanity (the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, and the Tower of Babel).

It continues with the stories of Abraham and his family and the rise of the Israelites.  A central narrative of the Old Testament is the story of the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt. Under God’s messenger, Moses They are led into an covenantal relationship with God at Mount Sinai. It then chronicles the history of the Israelites as they settle in the promised land, establish a kingdom, and experience periods of both prosperity and exile. It also details how this family made provisions for gentiles to effectively join the people of God through adhering to God's guidance and standards of justice.

The Old Testament also includes the writings of prophets who speak on behalf of God, delivering messages of judgment, hope, and redemption, helping to keep humanity on a stable relationship with God. Books like Proverbs, Psalms, and Job offer wisdom, guidance, and reflections on life, faith, and suffering helping to mature and grow humanity.

The Old Testament also contains prophecies about a Messiah who will restore God's kingdom and bring about a new age of peace and justice as more humans choose to become citizens of his kingdom.   More than just "a savior of humanity" this Anointed one of God leads the way to restoring humanity into a relationship with God that helps to steer and direct their daily actions.

Thus the Old Testament follows humanity from the creation of the world, through its destruction by flood, and into the pre-Stone Age and Stone Age (an prehistoric period characterized by the use of stone tools).  This Stone Age period lasted from the earliest known humanoid remains dated approximately 3.3 million years ago to about 5,000 years ago. Early humans during this time were primarily hunter-gatherers, living in caves or simple shelters, and using fire for warmth and cooking.  

Somewhere around 10,000 BCE to 8000 BCE the Middle Stone Age saw advancements in toolmaking and the development of more sophisticated hunting and fishing techniques, and by 8000 BCE the Neolithic period witnessed the rise of agriculture, domestication of animals, and the development of settled communities.  People began cultivating crops, raising livestock,

and creating pottery, marking a significant shift from nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles. As the Stone Age drew to a close, metal working begin to develop and the discovery and use of copper and bronze led to the beginning of the Bronze Age. 

Most of the stories of the patriarchs and very early Israelites are associated with the Bronze Age Period of humanity while the establishment of the Israelite kingdom with its prophets are

associated with the Iron Age period of humanity.  

Then came the Archaic period of Greece which is generally considered to have lasted from the beginning of the 8th century BC until the beginning of the 5th century BC when, about 600 BC the Classical Era in the Western historical framework is recognized. This era, spanning roughly from 600 BC to 600 CE, is characterized by the rise of influential civilizations, the development of major religions and philosophies, and the expansion of trade

networks across different regions. The Babylonian exile in this 6th century BCE marks a significant turning point in Israelite history, followed by their eventual return to the land. 

By quoting Isaiah, Matthew taught us that John was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy with John acted as the forerunner of the Messiah—preparing the way for the Lord to come to His people. Isaiah was given insight into the coming of a new age of humanity, one where God’s light would direct humanity’s daily actions, spiritual, and moral growth. 

John’s dress and lifestyle, including his diet, were connected to other people who lived in the desert, and is similar to the dress and lifestyle of Elijah. Both Elijah and John acted as forerunners to men whose ministry eclipsed their own.

  

The baptism John performed was preparatory for Jesus’s ministry, but it did not yet offer the complete image. John was in the starting blocks but a complete understanding of God’s plan required something more.

Following Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, Christian baptism picks up where John’s baptisms started.  Where John's baptism causes humanity to recognize their short comings in preparation for the coming of God's Anointed and to make a change in attitude, Jesus's baptism takes the believer from the past, to the present and into the future by calling for a change in lifestyle.

Matthew 3:7-10

7 When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. 9 And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

The word wrath, while associated with anger, is actually derived from ancient words indicating a wringing action and is derived from an ancient word root indicating to turn, to bend.  While John called for people to turn their hearts to God, he saw that the political leadership was investigating his teaching.  Never one to “pull his punches,” John boldly preached God’s truth.

Some Jewish religious leaders who came to hear John believed they were excluded from his warnings because, unlike a number of the gentiles in the region where Jesus and John initiated their ministries, the elite felt themselves to be “purebreds” with Abraham as their father. They weren’t there to respectfully listen to John but to confront him and show themselves superior to him. John didn’t sugarcoat his words to them.

While there's no definitive proof, many scholars believe John the Baptist was likely influenced by the Essenes, a Jewish sect known for their asceticism and focus on ritual purity.  Some even speculate he may have been a member or had some early training within the Essene community.  In the first century CE, Judaism was characterized by several distinct sects, each with their own interpretations of Jewish law and tradition. The major sects included the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes.  Additionally, groups like the Zealots,  Herodians, and Nazarenes also existed, each with their own unique focus and beliefs. 

Here's a brief overview of the sects [and, perhaps, an analogy to our era]:

• Nazerites: Nazarites were individuals in ancient Israel who took a vow to dedicate themselves to God for a specific period, marked by abstaining from wine and strong drink, avoiding contact with dead bodies, and refraining from cutting their hair.  This voluntary dedication, detailed in Numbers 6:2-21, symbolized a separation from the world and a commitment to holiness. The Nazarite vow was a personal choice, a special vow, to separate oneself to God for a specific period of time.  [the faithful]

• Pharisees:   Known for their strict adherence to both the written law (Torah) and oral traditions, they believed in resurrection and the afterlife. They were influential in synagogues and popular among the common people. [the legal politicians]

• Sadducees:  Primarily composed of wealthy and priestly classes, they emphasized the written law and rejected the concept of resurrection or an afterlife.  They held significant influence in the Temple.  [the elite celebrities/politicians] 

• Essenes: A communal sect emphasizing ritual purity.  They believed in a cosmic struggle between good and evil and anticipated the imminent arrival of the end times, possibly with a Messiah.  Because of all of the politicization surrounding the priestly community and the corruption of the line of the High Priesthood, the Essenes rejected the Jerusalem temple as defiled and developed their own forms of worship and rituals. Some Essene groups practiced celibacy, while others permitted marriage under strict conditions.  They anticipated the arrival of two or possibly three messiahs: a royal messiah from the line of David and a priestly messiah from the line of Aaron. [the religious]

• Nazarenes: In Acts, the term "Nazarenes" initially designated followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Over time, it came to refer to a specific sect of Jewish Christians who continued to follow the Torah. [Messianic Jews] 

• Zealots: A nationalist group who advocated for Jewish independence and the overthrow of Roman rule, sometimes employing violence. [protestors/terrorists]

• Herodians:  A political faction that supported the Herodian dynasty and their cooperation with Rome. [the politically expedient]

Both John and the Essenes emphasized ritual immersion in water as a form of purification, immersing themselves in the spirit of God. The Essenes also had a strong emphasis on the coming Messiah, which aligns with John's message.  The Essenes held the purity of the institution of the High Priesthood seriously.  They had a strong reverence for the Anointed of God. Some scholars suggest John may have been raised in the Essene community at Qumran or received training there before starting his own ministry. But John was a public figure, preaching to all who would listen, while the Essenes were more secluded and focused on their own community. The Essenes had strict dietary laws and believed the Messiah would emerge from their own community, whereas John's diet and message were more inclusive.  Additionally, John identified Jesus as the Messiah.

 

While John the Baptist shared some characteristics with the Essenes, particularly in his early life, his ministry and message ultimately diverged from theirs, leading many scholars to believe he was influenced by them but not a member of their community. 

John’s call to repentance was a call to action: stop living WITHOUT God and instead seek to live with God.  Jesus took it a step further.  Not only stop living WITHOUT God, turn around and face God, and choose to live so closely to God that you are one of God's family.

Pharisees and Sadducee's were often depicted in the New Testament as being equal in their opposition to Jesus and His kingdom. Sadducees only believed in the written Word of God and did not accept the oral traditions as authoritative. In fact, they only believed that the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, were authoritative. Meanwhile, Pharisees believed the entire Old Testament to be the Word of God and also emphasized the oral tradition that had developed to interpret the Torah. Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead and taught that the soul, the immaterial part of a person, did not survive physical death.

The fatherhood of Abraham was important to the Jewish people because they incorrectly thought that their physical heritage was what put them in right standing with God. Matthew recorded John the Baptist’s teaching that no one should rely on their physical heritage. Instead, God’s grace comes to all who believe on His Son no matter what their physical heritage is. The most important dividing line is not between Jews and Gentiles but between those who have trusted in Jesus as Messiah and those who do not.  

Basically these groups held the attitude of we were BORN Jewish, we don't need to do or be anything else.   It is also similar to the attitude of I am a Christian, I'm saved, I don't need to do or be anything but be saved. But we all need to remember that we are all born as descendants of Noah, and ultimately Adam and Eve, and we all need to QUIT looking to humanity for wholeness and instead look to God for instruction, guidance, and, ultimately, our salvation from every calamity.

It was always God’s intention that His people be a people of faith, not merely a people from a certain ethnic or national heritage. This reality becomes more and more clear as the storyline of the Bible unfolds. By the time the final book of the Bible is revealed to the apostle John, it has become abundantly clear that God calls people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation to come and worship the risen and enthroned Christ. 

 

In the next verses, we see that the message of faith is never about us but solely about Jesus.

Matthew 3:11-12

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.”

The Greek word baptize means to dip or to immerse. A more direct translation would have been, “I immerse you into the water for repentance.” Repentance always comes before the physical act of baptism. Water baptism flows out of repentance and is a public profession of faith and an outward symbol of an inner reality. 

As a result of Adam & Eve's sampling of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good AND Evil and our physical descent from these humans, we inherited a pathway of life that leads to death – to the destruction of our physical AND spiritual selves.  Water baptism is an indication that one has made a conscious decision to try to follow the path that leads to the fruit of the Knowledge of Good while we shun the knowledge of Evil.  It is not a highway, and sometimes it is a difficult road to follow, but it is a decision to TRY that is the repentance that God is looking for.  God's assistance will follow along to guide us in ways to become ever more successful at it.

John’s water baptism served as a life marker for those who underwent it. John’s use of water in this phrase contrasts with the baptism that Jesus would bring—a baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire. Christian baptism is distinct from, yet a continuation of, the baptism of John. The baptism of John was preparatory for Christian baptism.  John immersed the repentant in water to symbolically cleanse and wash away past transgressions.  The baptism of Jesus' is one of fire, one like a transforming forging of stone ore into metal, burning away the impurities and leaving a stronger metallic substance in its wake.  In a sense we are transforming from an Iron Age and to a Spiritual Age.  But prior to fire, Jesus's baptism is INTO the Holy Spirit.  You will be immersed into the Spirit of God, who will teach and guide you as you are baptized in the fire of removing the impurities from your life.  It is into a lifestyle that is perhaps difficult, but always rewarding.

John understood his role as one of preparation. He was preparing the way to highlight the Messiah who would ultimately transform the entire world.  John understood that he was passing the baton to Jesus who instead of just pointing the path to righteousness could actually bring those he baptizes INTO the presence of the Holy Spirit and cause growth in their life that burns away the impurities of material existence as the rewards of spiritual existence grow.

John was humble and consistently sought to direct praise to the One who deserved it—Jesus the Messiah. The reference to removing sandals is dramatic. Think about the context of first-century Israel. Roads were dusty and dirty. In an "unpaved world" full of rock and dirt, a human’s sandals and feet would have been as dusty and dirty, as the earth they trod upon.  Removing someone else's sandals was a job reserved for the lowest of servants. By saying he was not even worthy of this task, John was taking a position of supreme humility.

By referring to the baptism Jesus would bring as coming with the Holy Spirit and fire, John was signaling that Jesus’s baptism would be both more powerful and morecleansing. Being baptized with the Holy Spirit is an indication of God’s personal and powerful involvement in conversion. Those who are baptized in the baptism of Jesus are converted through the powerful work of the Holy Spirit who gives them new hearts and new lives.

 

Being baptized with the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Holy Spirit are two different things. Having been baptized with the Holy Spirit at conversion, believers must be filled with Him throughout their lives.  Like a tablet immersed into water, as the “bad air” leaks out and bubbles away we are filled with the purifying water of the Holy Spirit and eventually are fully incorporated into Spirit itself.  

John used the word fire as a reference to the purifying work of fire rather than its destructive work.  As fire was used to first create copper from rock, then bronze, then iron and steel, fire purifies the rock away from the metal allowing for the effective and efficient use of the more durable substance.

A winnowing shovel is not a tool that most of us are familiar with today. It was used by farmers to separate wheat or other grain from the chaff. Chaff is the leftover shells of the grain that are separated from the grain in the sifting process. 

John share his faith with even those who opposed him.  He pointed out that, like the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age, the population of Earth was undergoing a transition from Material Age to Spiritual Age.  He even pointed out that we will become immersed in the Holy Spirit and eventually become one with the Holy Spirit, God.  It is a mystifying and difficult to comprehend transition, but it is happening, nevertheless.