The Work of John the Baptist.—I

Notes

Why did John the Baptist say to the Pharisees that he was not Elijah? John 1:21. Where did John get his message?

What connection is there between the message of comfort concerning the return from the Babylonish captivity and the preparation of the way for the coming of the Messiah?

What made it easy for the religious teachers of that time to reject the message of John the Baptist?

What was one marked feature of the work of John the Baptist? John 10:41.

What lesson is taught in the fact that John the Baptist was a temperance reformer?

What assurance did John have that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah for whom he was preparing the way? Read John 1:29-34.

What definite time prophecy led to the general expectation of the Messiah in John's day?

"John was to go forth as Jehovah's messenger, to bring men the light of God. He must give a new direction to their thoughts. He must impress them with the holiness of God's requirements, and their need of His perfect righteousness. Such a messenger must be holy. He must be a temple for the indwelling Spirit of God. In order to fulfil his mission he must have a sound physical constitution, and mental and spiritual strength. Therefore it would be necessary for him to control the appetites and passions. He must be able so to control all his powers that he could stand among men as unmoved by surrounding circumstances as the rocks and mountains of the wilderness.

"In the time of John the Baptist, greed for riches, and the love of luxury and display, had become wide-spread. Sensuous pleasures, feasting, and drinking were causing physical disease and degeneracy, benumbing the spiritual perceptions, and lessening the sensibility to sin. John was to stand as a reformer. By his abstemious life and plain dress he was to rebuke the excesses of his time. Hence the directions given to the parents of John, —a lesson of temperance by an angel from the throne of heaven."—"Desire of Ages," Chapter X.

"Isaiah's rapt portrayals of the Messiah's glory were his [John's] study by day and by night,—the Branch from the root of Jesse; a King to reign in righteousness, judging 'with equity for the meek of the earth,' 'a covert from the tempest, . . . the shadow of a great rock in a weary land;' Israel no longer to be termed 'Forsaken,' nor her land 'Desolate,' but to be called of the Lord, 'My delight,' and her land 'Beulah.'

The heart of the lonely exile was filled with the glorious vision."—Id.

"John proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, and called the people to repentance. As a symbol of cleansing from sin, he baptized them in the waters of the Jordan. Thus by a significant object-lesson he declared that those who claimed to be the chosen people of God were defiled by sin, and that without purification of heart and life they could have no part in the Messiah's kingdom."—Id.

"In the time of John the Baptist, Christ was about to appear as the Revealer of the character of God. His very presence would make manifest to men their sin. Only as they were willing to be purged from sin could they enter into fellowship with Him. Only the pure in heart could abide in His presence."—Id.