A voice cries in the wilderness:
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley will be filled in,
every mountain and hill be laid low,
winding ways will be straightened
and rough roads made smooth.
And all mankind shall see the salvation of God.
(Isaiah 40: 1-5)
John was a biblical prophet who prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus Christ and became one of Jesus’ disciples. John did so by preaching to the people about the importance of repenting from their sins so they could grow closer to God when the Messiah, the world’s savior, came in the form of Jesus Christ.
John lived during the 1st century in the ancient Roman Empire, in the part that is now Israel. Archangel Gabriel announced his upcoming birth to John’s parents, Zechariah, a high priest, and Elizabeth, a cousin of the Virgin Mary. Gabriel said of John’s God-given mission: “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. … he will go on before the Lord … to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Since Zechariah and Elizabeth had experienced a long period of infertility, John’s birth would be a miracle — one that Zechariah did not believe at first. Zechariah’s disbelieving response to Gabriel’s message cost him his voice for a while; Gabriel took away Zechariah’s ability to speak until after John was born and Zechariah expressed true faith.
John grew up to become a strong man who spent lots of time in the wilderness praying without unnecessary distractions. The Bible describes him as someone of great wisdom, but with a rough appearance: He wore crude clothes made of camel skins and ate wild food like locusts and raw honey. The Gospel of Mark says that John’s work in the wilderness fulfilled a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament that says “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness” will usher in the Messiah’s ministry work and announce, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.”
The key way that John prepared people for Jesus Christ’s work on Earth was by “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). Many people came to the wilderness to hear John preach, confess their sins, and be baptized in water as a sign of their new purity and renewed relationships with God. John said about Jesus, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you withwater; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Before Jesus began his public ministry, he asked John to baptize him in the Jordan River. Matthew 3:16‑17 records miracles that happened at that event: “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'”
John’s outspokenness about the importance of living with faith and integrity cost him his life. He died as a martyr in 31 AD. Matthew Chapter 6 says that Herodias, the wife of King Herod, “had a grudge” (verse 19) against John because he told Herod that she shouldn’t have divorced her first husband to marry him. When Herodias convinced Herod’s daughter to ask Herod to give her John’s head on a platter at a royal banquet — after Herod had promised publicly to give his daughter anything she wanted, not knowing what she would ask — Herod decided to grant her request by sending soldiers to behead John, even though he was “deeply grieved” (verse 26) by the plan.
John’s example of uncompromising holiness has inspired many people ever since.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!