John the Baptist-Man of Purpose

 

Man of Purpose

Introducing, John the Baptist, no, that is not his denomination.  It is his calling.  Little is known about him but enough to draw a good picture.  Very straight forward and he said it like it was.  He came with a purpose and a duty, he stack with the plan and never complained.  They announced him  in the Scriptures as the voice in the wilderness.  Obviously, He was the forerunner of Christ.  He would clear the way for Jesus's ministry and proclaim his coming.  He was very much a chosen vessel.  Yet, I have heard very little about him, except in Scripture.  I have heard many sermons about other Bible personalities.  Also, I have seen a lot of books, but seldom about John the Baptist.  Yet, Jesus himself spoke highly of him (Matthew 11:11) and he seemed to refer to John as an example of humility.  Definitely not, the guy you would invite to a three piece suit banquet.  He would certainly have clashed with the décor.

Man By Design

John, the Baptist identified  himself with a specific scripture in the Old Testament, but also in the Gospel of John, (The other John) John 1:23- He replied in the words of Isaiah: "I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, Prepare a straight pathway for the Lord's coming!"  See also in Isaiah 40:3.

I have heard some things about John the Baptist and one thing was that they would never hire him in today's church as a Sunday school teacher probably because of the way he looked. and according to his résumé.

But, Jesus accepted him!

Man of Destiny

John the Baptist would have been an ideal radical leader in the Church, but unfortunately it would have stopped (verse 25) at "What right do you have to baptize?"  Because of his lack of training.  Imagine that, here is a man whom Jesus regarded as the greatest man in history (Matthew 11;11) yet they would probably reject him on the basis of his credential because he doesn't have a degree.

Bottom line: Ironically and in a twist of event, King Herod had him beheaded for telling the Truth and a vow that he had made. (Matthew 14:1-12)

 

 

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