Blog:"none greater than John the Baptist"

An industrial stream in lower central Pennsylvania: the site of Michael's baptism, October 10, 2021.

His name in Hebrew is "Yohanan," which means "God is grace":

A man named John was sent from God. (Jn 1:6)

I like to call him "the Baptizer." Interestingly, in some Orthodox churches, he is known as "John the Forerunner," which speaks to his Biblical role. However, "God is grace" speaks most clearly to his Biblical purpose, which we pray on Easter Sunday Mass,

Father, you give us grace through sacramental signs,

which tell us of the wonders of your unseen power.

In Baptism we use your gift of water,

which you have made a rich symbol

of the grace you give us in this sacrament.

Most western believers think of John only in terms of the Baptism of Christ, but if we listen to Jesus himself, there's a lot more to John than than that to which we usually attest about him.

One historical approach we can employ here is to apply a counter-factual, in this case, removal of John from the moment in order to test alternative outcomes. Obviously, God does what God does. Nevertheless, by thinking over John's absence, we can better grasp his importance and why Jesus said of him in Matthew 11:

"Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

The Gospel continues with Jesus' explanation for why John was so great:

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.

All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come.

Whoever has ears ought to hear.

To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’

The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

Let's start with "the kingdom of heaven suffers violence" -- woh. Why in the context of the Baptizer? Perhaps Jesus is telling us that the Baptizer's insertion provoked a counter-attack from the other side? It would seem so -- and we might consider the "violence" in what seems passive, belief.

As we see in those last two verses, 18 & 19: John came "neither eating nor drinking" and the Son of Man comes "eating and drinking," for which both are condemned ("they said"). "They" didn't dance when the flute was played, and "they" didn't mourn when the dirge was sung -- missed signals, and "they" still don't get why John didn't eat or drink and the Son of Man does. The footnote to the USSCB NASB translation on verse 16 says that the meaning of this parable is "is much disputed."

I don't find it difficult, especially in the context of "this generation" -- which includes us, not just those of Jesus' day. We're all confused and misdirected and Christ is misinterpreted, ignored, and the wrong dances are danced, the wrong dirges or mourned or not mourned at all. Ears weren't then and aren't now listening.

But wait -- I think that's the point: the Baptizer, or the Forerunner, came to announce the Kingdom to those who might be willing to hear him. Isn't that what baptism itself is for -- to open our hearts, our minds, and our souls to Christ? John, then, didn't just baptize the Jews, he baptized us, should we be willing to listen, with the joyous announcement, prefiguring baptism by the Holy Spirit.

John baptized a lot of people -- and everyone knew of him, all the way to the court of Herod, the chief priests, and into the histories of the late first century Jewish historian, Josephus. Take away the Baptizer, Jesus has no context, no introduction, no "forerunner." But why would that be necessary for God?

Firstly, whatever the larger purpose, the Lord planned out the role of the Forerunner from his miraculous conception in the barren Elizabeth. In Luke 1:26,

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

The sixth month was that of John's conception, which Luke uses to measure the Archangel's announcement to Mary. And, of course, John "leaped in the womb" as Mary's walked in to his mother Elizabeth's house (Lk 1:41). From the beginning, then, John announces the arrival of the Christ, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy (Mk 1:2),

“Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way.

Jesus later teaches Peter, James and John that John the Baptist was the second coming of Elijah, so we have a very clear role for the Forerunner. Next would be his role as the Baptizer -- which goes hand-in-hand with his role as Forerunner:

John [the] Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey.

And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.

I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit.”

Baptism under John was a kind of self-repentance; whereas the Messiah could actually forgive sins. Still, John and his followers, including at least some of the Apostles, believed that the Messiah would rain fire upon the enemies of Israel, as did Elijah to the priests of Jezebel. Of course they didn't understand, but such is the process of revelation, through which God gives us hints and glimpses of truths we are unprepared to comprehend. When Jesus explained (Mt 11:12),

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.

they may have heard fire and brimstone rather than God's wrath over sin. Indeed, from Herod's prison, John sent his disciples to ask if Jesus was truly "the one" (Mt 11:3), Jesus replies Mt 11:4-5),

“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.

Not what they were thinking, while yet a fulfillment of prophecy, such as from Isa 29:18:

On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a scroll; And out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.

Thereby John, we may infer, was there to push along salvation from our enemies within us all, and not those beyond us, as the Jews all hoped.

Notice how John's role is consistent with God's "Plan of Salvation" through which that plan is revealed (thus "Revelation") incrementally. God wants us to operate through our own agency, which is why he uses prophets and intercessions. He selected his people through Abraham, he gave them the Law through Moses, and sent prophets to correction and guidance. Rather than just appearing as a man, he came to us through a woman, Mary. And rather than just announcing himself, he brought attention to his arrival through the Baptizer.

John's work was completed following his Baptism of Jesus (see Mt 3:13, Mk 1:9 and Lk 3:21) and his own martyrdom, so he disappears from the Gospel stories -- yet, Jesus upholds him as "none greater" among men, likely because John is the last of the Old Testament prophets and thereby the one who announces the Messiah in person. The Old Testament revelation thereby ends with John, which is why he says (Jn 3:30),

"He must increase; I must decrease.”

On considering that passage from John 3, we need to consider one last aspect of John and his mission, the best man at the wedding of Christ and his bride, the Church (Jn 3:29):

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete

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Note: there yet exists a cult of John the Baptism. These are known as "Mandaeans," a gnostic sect that believes John the Baptist was the final prophet from God.

month, day, 2024 by Michael

St. Joseph, pray for us!

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