Everybody knows who John the Baptist is. At least, people often think they do. But if I asked you to tell me about him, what would you say?
Baptiser
Well, he’s the guy that baptised Jesus! It’s in the name.
But what does that mean? What is “baptism”, and why did Jesus need it? John was “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). Did Jesus need to repent for his sins? And if not, what did John do to him?
Not the Messiah
In John’s Gospel, who is the first person to be mentioned by name? It’s a baptiser called John, although in this text he is not called “the baptiser” and his baptism of Jesus is not explicitly narrated. We are told emphatically, “He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light” (John 1:8), and later he denies that he is the Messiah (John 1:20).
The Fourth Gospel’s preoccupation with denying John’s messiahship might tell us something interesting about the late first/early second century: there were people who believed John was the Messiah.
Not Jesus
Jesus’ parallels with John may not be obvious in memory, but we can find clues in the New Testament that the two figures were once seen as in many ways analogous to each other.
In Mark 8:27-8, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” Their first response? “Some say John the Baptist”. When Herod Antipas first hears about Jesus, he says to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” (Matthew 14:2)
If a man of such extraordinary calibre as Jesus, famed for his sensational and disruptive teaching and miracle-working, was thought to resemble John the Baptist in the minds of his contemporaries, just who was this mysterious forerunner to the Christ?
The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived
Who is the greatest man ever born of a woman? Christians may say Jesus, but he did not say this of himself. Instead, in Matthew 11:11 he says, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
In all his greatness, we also know that John was an important spiritual teacher. Two of Jesus’ disciples were originally followers of John the Baptist, and many historians think Jesus himself had previously been one too.
In Matthew 21, Jesus is approached by the chief priests and the elders, who ask him by what authority he teaches.
“Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?
“They discussed it among themselves and said, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” he will ask, “Then why didn’t you believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’
So they answered Jesus, ‘We don’t know.’” (Matthew 21:24-7)
Even today there exists a religious community — the Mandaeans — a gnostic monotheistic sect (probably from the Aramaic “manna”, “knowledge”) who trace their lineage back to John the Baptist’s original following, and revere him as their most important and final prophet.
In the Gospels, John is hesitant to baptise Jesus, thinking himself unworthy. In the Mandaean literature, John is also hesitant to baptise Jesus, but here it is because he knows that Jesus is trouble; the Mandaeans reject Jesus as a false prophet.
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In today’s episode I am joined by James McGrath to unpack the biography and importance of John the Baptist. He is the author of two books on John: John of History, Baptist of Faith: The Quest for the Historical Baptizer, and Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist.
Timestamps:
00:00 Why Write About John the Baptist?
08:15 The Gnostic Followers of John the Baptist: Mandaeans
16:38 Why Was John Known as 'The Baptist’?
21:59 Was Jesus a Follower of John the Baptist?
23:51 Jesus Calls John “The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived”
28:23 The Execution of John the Baptist
33:22 Why Was John Imprisoned?
39:04 How Jesus Went From John’s Disciple to God Himself
49:30 The Mandaean’s Alternative Account of the Baptism of Jesus
1:00:54 What is Baptism, Anyway?
1:05:57 The Birth Narratives of John & Jesus
1:13:45 Should This Cause Doubt for Christians?
1:19:07 Other Topics and Outro
