Encore post: Four hundred years had passed since the last prophet had spoken. Now a new prophet had come. When he grew up, he dressed like the Prophet Elijah, ate the same foods that Elijah ate, preached where Elijah preached.
John the Baptist had all the credentials to be the Messiah. His Father was a priest, descended from Aaron. His mother was related to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and so descended from King David. An angel in God’s temple announced his birth, while his father was offering the prayers of the people to God. Both of his parents were very old, like Abraham and Sarah, and barren, like Hannah, mother of Samuel. Many people wondered if he was the Messiah. But he wasn’t. As the last prophet before him predicted, he came to prepare God’s people for the Messiah.
God named him “John (God’s gift),” in the same way He named Isaac and changed Jacob’s name to Israel. The angel announced that he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets. Yet from the very start, he and his parents understood that John was not the Messiah, but the one who would reveal him to the world and prepare the way for him.
When he baptized Jesus, John finally knew it was his cousin: Jesus. He pointed to Jesus and said: “Look! The Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world!” The Messiah had come, not as a conqueror, but as the final sacrifice for the sins of the world. Now His baptism gives us the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation.
Rev. Robert E. Smith
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, Indiana
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