BIBLE WOMEN : ELIZABETH - John's extraordinary birth    FORTRESS MACHAERUS - where John met his death

JOHN the BAPTIST

   PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD.....

  PEOPLE IN THE STORY

  FAMOUS QUOTES

  BIBLE REFERENCE

  INTERESTING SITES

  ACTIVITIES/QUESTIONS

JOHN'S EARLY LIFE
John was born somewhere in Judea to Zechariah, a priest of the order of Abijah, and his wife Elizabeth, a kinswoman of Mary the mother of Jesus. He came of priestly stock. His early years - how early we don't know -  were spent in the Judean desert, where monastic communities such as the Essenes and individual hermits often educated the young.

By about 27AD John was becoming well-known as a prophet, active in the region of the lower Jordan Valley. He dressed as a hermit, in an austere camel's hair garment, and ate a hermit's sparse diet - locusts and wild honey. He was probably a Nazarite, dedicated from birth to God's service - this would explain his diet. 

JOHN 'PREPARES THE WAY' OF THE LORD
He believed he had a mission from God to call all ranks and stations of Jewish society, telling them that God's judgment on a sinful world was about to happen. People should prepare by thinking about the wrong they had done, and repenting. They should be baptized, and show by their actions that they were truly sorry for the sins they had committed. 

John practised a rite of baptism that entailed immersion in running water - an overall cleansing that prepared the baptised person the coming world judgment. The thinking behind this may or may not have been linked with the Jewish people's passage through the Red Sea, when they crossed from slavery into freedom.  Baptism in water, experienced now, may have been linked with the coming baptism by the Holy Spirit in a river of fire - many people at that time believed that a world cataclysm was imminent.

John may have been influenced by the beliefs of the Essene community, but there were important differences in his teachings. He did not try to set up an organized community; he did not stress Mosaic Law; and his message was directed to a wider group, to the poor and sinners. 

JOHN AND JESUS MEET
Jesus briefly joined John and was baptised by him - he quoted Malachi 3:1 to show that John was the last and greatest of the prophets, preparing for the coming of God's Kingdom - "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you" (Luke 7:27). Many of John's disciples would later become followers of Jesus.

'There is a sexually suggestive story in the gospels naming Herodias as the instigator of this plot, and her daughter Salome as  the seductive dancer who goaded Herod into killing John - but in fact the scene was probably planned and rehearsed beforehand by all three.'
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JOHN MAKES AN ENEMY OF HEROD ANTIPAS
John preached fiery words to increasingly large crowds of people. He was critical of the social order, and he eventually ran foul of Herod Antipas, ruler of the area where he preached. With his ability to influence large numbers of people, and his open hostility towards Herod, John represented a real political threat. 

Herod tried to maneuver - Jesus referred to Herod as 'the fox', and it was a shrewd description. Herod tried hard to flatter and placate John by inviting him to speak before him and voice his complaints and suggestions. He wanted to keep John on side as much as he could. 

John made enemies at court in the process, but Herod was loathe to do anything about it - he was by nature a procrastinator, or else politically astute enough to avoid confrontation if he could. 

JOHN ATTACKS HERODIAS
Eventually, however, John went too far. The gospels say he criticized the marriage between Herod and Herodias, the divorced wife of Herod's half-brother.  To marry Herodias, Herod had divorced his first wife, the daughter of the king of the neighboring kingdom of Nabatea, an action that was bound to cause offense if not outright war between the two kingdoms. There was a danger that, with John prodding them, Herod's subjects might join the Nabateans in a war/rebellion to avenge the dishonor this second marriage had caused. Herod could not afford to let this happen.

The quickest way to get rid of the problem was to cut off its head, and this is what Herod did. There is a sexually suggestive story in the gospels naming Herodias as the instigator of this plot, and her daughter Salome as  the seductive dancer who goaded Herod into killing John - but in fact the scene had probably been planned and rehearsed beforehand by all three.

JOHN IS BEHEADED
However it happened, John was executed by beheading. He had been imprisoned in the fortress of Machaerus (see bottom of page for link to images of this lonely, frightening place) and when the message from Herod came, the gaoler used a sword to cut off his head. John's followers were distraught; what they had feared all along had now happened. Herod allowed them to recover John's body and bury it.

Herod's effort to suppress criticism of his marriage failed. A few years later Aretas IV of Nabatea, father of Herod's discarded first wife, went to war against Herod and soundly beat him. Perhaps the Jewish historian Josephus was right when he said that Herod's defeat was divine vengeance for his execution of John.

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BIBLE REFERENCE
Luke 1; 3; 7:18ff
Matthew 3; 11; 14:1-12
Mark 1; 6

PEOPLE IN THE STORY
John, prophet and baptiser in 1st century Palestine, seen by Christians as precursor of Jesus of Nazareth
Zechariah and Elizabeth, his parents
Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee (Jesus of Nazareth) and Perea (John); executed John

FAMOUS QUOTES
'And a voice came from heaven "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."' (Mark 1:11)
'I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals.' (Luke 3:16)
'She went out and asked her mother "What shall I ask for?" "The head of John the baptizer", she replied.' (Mark 6:24)

 INTERESTING WEBSITES - stories, pictures, information

THE ISOLATED, FORBIDDING FORTRESS WHERE JOHN WAS IMPRISONED
BIBLE ARCHITECTURE: MACHAERUS

A SHORT VERSION OF THE STORY OF JOHN'S MOTHER ELIZABETH
BIBLE PEOPLE: ELIZABETH

ZECHARIAH WAS A PRIEST IN THE EXTRAORDINARY TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM
BIBLE ARCHITECTURE: JERUSALEM

THE JUDEAN DESERT, THE JORDAN VALLEY
BIBLE LANDS

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ACTIVITIES AND FOCUS QUESTIONS

In depth study of one person's story
Choose one of the people whose stories are told on this site and develop a PowerPoint presentation about them.
The presentation must be at least 10 slides long and should include 
 *  a supporting image/picture/painting of each person 
 *  a map of Israel showing the cities and areas where the story took place.  
You may call up other websites to support your ideas.

In your presentation (approximately 10 minutes), answer the following questions:

1. What are the main events of the person's life? Tell the story.

2. What were their main qualities? What made them stand out from the crowd?

3. What obstacles did they face? Did they overcome them, or go with the flow? Explain.

4. How did they use their abilities to do God’s work?  

5. Which part of their story appeals to you most? Why?

You must include three short quotations from the gospel texts to illustrate the points you are making. 

Stained glass window
Read the gospel accounts of John's life (Luke 1; 3; 7:18ff, Matthew 3; 11; 14:1-12, Mark 1; 6), then draw up an outline of the main events recorded about his life. What sort of person was he? How do you visualize him?
Look at some paintings and artworks about him. How have artists depicted him? Do you agree with these images? What would you add or leave out? 
Now create a layout for a stained glass window celebrating John's life and achievements. Write a short rationale explaining any symbols you have used in the picture.  

Preparing the way
John was the 'voice crying in the wilderness', the one who went before Jesus, preparing the way.  Thinking about John reminds the reader that all of us owe a great deal to the people who went before us, who built and worked and worried so that we would have what we have. 
Talk to an older person about their life: what have been their achievements? what have they helped create or set up? what have they done that they are proud of? how have they helped create God's kingdom on earth?

Focus Questions
1. What are the most interesting moments in John's story? 
2. In the story, who speaks and who listens? Who acts? Who gets what they want? If you were in the story, which person would you want to be friends with? Which person would you want to avoid?
3. What is God's interaction with the main characters? What does this tell you about the narrator's image of God? Do you agree with this image?
4. What is happening on either side of the story, in the chapters before and after it? Does this help you understand what is happening?
5. The narrator/editor has chosen to tell some things and leave other things out. What has been left out of the story that you would like to know?
6. Are the characteristics and actions of the people in the story still present in the world? How is the story relevant to modern life, especially your own? 

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Bible Stories: People of the New Testament - Bible Study Resource: John the Baptist