Character Studies - ElectronicGospel

John the Immersera character study by Jeff S. SmithIntroductionThis strange man John, who dined on locusts and honey, is commonly called “the baptist.” This is notbecause he started the Baptist church. If that were so, then he started a church that predates the statementof Christ that the Lord would build his church. No, John is called the baptist, or more properly, theimmerser, because his mission was to teach people and immerse the penitent in water. John was theLord’s cousin, the one who was sent to prepare the Messiah’s way by turning the hearts of the people backto God and toward the potential for prophetic fulfillment in their lives. He was a very polarizing figure,popular with the common man, but deeply hated by the scribes and Pharisees and others who reveled insin. John the immerser was killed for his beliefs, killed for the cause of Christ.DiscussionI. Preparing the Messiah’s WayA. John’s Mission1. the prophecies of Isaiah and Malachi had predicted the Messiah’s coming would be precededby a forerunner (Malachi 3:1, 4:5-6)a. he would be a prophet in the tradition of Elijah, that man whose preaching was a blessingto God’s 7000, but offensive to the sinful hierarchy of Israelb. this new Elijah would come before the Messiah to convert the hearts of the people andmake them ready for the master2. prior to his birth, John’s parents were told that their son would be this new Elijah (Luke1:13-17)3. John always carried out this mission and recognized he was the Messiah’s forerunner (Mark1:1-8)B. Mission Accomplished1. we can pinpoint the exact time at which the forerunner’s work was completed2. it is at the time that Herod imprisoned John that the Lord recognized the preparation wasaccomplished and it was time for his own ministry to intensify (cf. John 4:12)3. “From that time, Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is athand’” (Matthew 4:17).4. now Christ increases as John decreases even toward deathII. John In Prison (Mark 6:14-29)A. The Herods1. there are several Herods who show up on the New Testament stage and this is not the first orthe last; Herod was a family name which meant “heroic” but was ill-fitting on most who wore it2. the Herodian family began with Antipas in 78 B.C. and was known for its lust for power andpolitical acumen3. the Herods ruled Palestine during the years before, during and after Jesus lived; they ruled atthe pleasure and by the authority of the Roman emperor who was the ultimate power over the regiona. Herod the Great is the representative who rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem before the birthof Christ and who felt so threatened by the messianic prophecies that he sought to kill every Jewish boyunder two years old in order to exterminate Jesusb. the Herods continued to rule in Palestine until Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D.4. the Herod who imprisoned John was Herod the Great’s son; Herod Antipas ruled as the tetrarchof Galilee from 4 B.C. until 39 A.D.a. the Bible calls him superstitious (cf. Matthew 14:1), cunning (cf. Luke 13:31) and whollyimmoral1. his first wife was the daughter of the king of Arabia, but he became dissatisfied withher when he fell in love with his own brother Philip’s wife, Herodias2. because the Herodians intermarried so often, Herodias was actually his own niece aswell!Character Studies! 81