This piece is a short research paper submitted for a New Testament course, Synoptic Gospels, taught by Dr. Jonathan Lo at Ambrose Seminary.

We were asked to use ten academic sources. Due to footnote formatting limitations on this platform, citations are noted in brackets, and a bibliography is included at the end.

While I enjoy writing more personal and reflective pieces for this blog, I trust this will bring insight into a powerful biblical relationship!

Throughout the Bible, many significant relationships usher in the next stage of God’s plan to redeem the world.

John the Baptist and Jesus epitomize a dynamic biblical relationship, leaving a historical and eternal mark.

John’s life and ministry are an opening act to Jesus’s.

Clark H. Pinnock affirms, “[John’s] prophetic passion and burning zeal set the stage for the emergence of Jesus Christ” (768).

The four Gospels consider John the starting point of the gospel message (Bird 32).

Furthermore, Paul W. Hollenbach considers how each Gospel takes on a unique position, noting “Matthew [uses] John the Baptist traditions with distinctive aims and purposes,” whereas “Mark tells us very little about John” (Hollenbach 889)

In Luke and Acts, “John the Baptist is the transitional figure” between two eras, law and grace (Hollenbach 892).

Lastly, in the Gospel of John, it is clear that “since Jesus is the light [John 1:8], he ranks before John and must increase in stature, while John must decrease” (Hollenback 892).

While John is mentioned many times throughout the four Gospels and the book of Acts, Flavius Josephus only discusses him once (Hollenbach 887).

In Josephus’ Jewish Antiquities, the only other historical document to discuss John, there is differing information from the Gospels surrounding his death (Bird 62-63).

Pinnock observes that “[Josphesus’] account brings out the political side to John’s ministry as Herod saw it, whereas the Gospels emphasize the moral and religious side” (Pinnock 765).

Reviewing and reflecting on these sources highlights a sacred relationship between John and Jesus, revealed in timing, mission, and passion.

Timing

Ordained events surrounding John and Jesus began long before angelic appearances or in-utero greetings.

Two prophecies speak to John’s time and mission in history.

First, Isaiah 40:3 (all biblical quotes are in NRSV) paints a powerful picture, “A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”

Next, Malachi 3:1 speaks of a messenger who will “prepare the way before me.”

Jesus’s words in Matthew 11:7-15, Mark 1:1-4, and Luke 7:24-30 affirm these prophecies, as does the fulfilment of John 1:29-30 when John the Baptist introduces Jesus saying, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”

Along with the confirmation of fulfilled prophecies are angelic appearances.

In the Gospel of Luke, Gabriel foreshadows John and Jesus’s births with a visit to Zechariah, John’s father, prophesying that “with the spirit and power of Elijah,” he will “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:13-17).

Later, Mary, Jesus’s mother, also experiences foretelling when the angel Gabriel assures her, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus” (Luke 1:26-33).

The Gospels are used to obtain information about John’s origins, as Josephus's writing does not provide this background (Hollenbach 893).

Thus, in Luke 1:39-45, Elizabeth, an older relative of Mary, experienced a leaping of John in her womb and a filling of the Holy Spirit upon Mary’s arrival for a visit with Jesus six months younger in utero.

From this moment onwards, there is a sense that “both [John the Baptist and Jesus] are destined to play their role in the divine plan of salvation” (Brown 45).

Pinnock describes these appointed times of spiritual connection: “The whole narrative has a strong OT flavoring: the aged and childless couple, the angelic visits, the announcement of a child, the revealing of his name” (Pinnock 761).

The naming ceremony in Luke 1:59-66 concludes with great anticipation of who John will become, followed by Zechariah’s Holy Spirit-empowered prophecy.

Cummins observes nuance, saying, “The sequence, length and certain details of the respective accounts clearly signal that John will play a formative though supporting role in the unfolding, Jesus-centered divine drama” (438).

God guided John and Jesus’s connection.

A closer look into the timing of John and Jesus' purposeful relationship raises the question of competition.

While there are differing opinions, Luke 1:8-13 and archeological research align John with “priestly stock” (Murphy-O’Connor 366).

If he was coming from a line of “radicalized rural priests,” it is suspected that “at some point, John left his family and took up a prophetic desert existence” Hollenbach 892).

He certainly walked with a prophet's posture, as Pinnock observes: "Everything about him recalled the prophet Elijah—his mantle, his living in the wilderness, his message—and people flocked to hear him” (762).

Matthew 3:4 vividly depicts this wild man, “Now John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.”

Joel Marcus argues that John thought of himself more as an Elijah figure and Jesus as an Elisha figure living out a “double portion” with his “superior miracle-working power” (88).

Such thinking could lead to a rivalry-type relationship (Marcus 89); however, “John decided not to treat Jesus as a rival but to give him reign and acknowledge his gifts, putting him on par with himself and appointing him as his emissary to places removed from his sphere of activity” (Marcus 97).

Pinnock also counters the idea of rivalry, saying:

The Gospels are plain in the conviction that Jesus had been under John’s ministry in the beginning and that he identified Jesus to be the One whose way he was called to prepare. Competition and rivalry are not the words to use in this context. (767)

With Jesus from David's anticipated Jewish royal line (Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38), Frances J. Moloney recognizes the significance of two portions in the Gospel of John where Jesus’s mother and then John affirm him (John 2:5, 3:29-30), stating, “two Jews, the mother of Jesus and John the Baptist, are presented as models of faith…[who] unconditionally accept the word of Jesus” (110).

John’s words make it clear he is not in competition when he says, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

Moloney notes, “The verbs [increase and decrease] were applied to an image of the waxing and waning of the sun. On the basis of this image the Fathers [Patristics] claimed that John pointed to a turning point where the old gives way to the new” (110).

This powerful image shows that each man’s call was unique and complementary rather than competitive.

Mission

While many parallels exist, John and Jesus’s missions were unique to their position, with John as subordinate.

Scripture does not tell of John’s travels like it does Jesus’s; however, we can assume his ministry was also one that involved a lot of movement (Hollenbach 893).

Significance in the wilderness space where John worked is reminiscent of Elijah in 1 Kings 19:4, the Israelite's journey to the promised land, and a space where God revealed himself and perhaps would again (Pinnock 762).

As Jesus travelled from Galilee to Jerusalem, he “encountered John” in a remote location, the Jordan River (Murphy O-Connor 361).

At this intersection, John and Jesus affirm each other’s roles.

In Luke 7:28, Jesus gives a decisive vote of approval: “I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John, yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Pinnock 761).

Pinnock speaks to this potentially confusing passage, saying, “[John’s] great importance lies in the fact that he bridged the old era and the new and was the link between the two” (761).

He goes on to explain this further:

Although Jesus stated, “he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than [John]” (11:11), he did not intend to depreciate the greatness of John, who was foremost among the revered OT worthies, but rather to exalt the superb opportunities open to one who will partake of the messianic promises in Christ himself (cf. Matt. 13:17). (762)

This concept is an invitation to the observer or hearer, acknowledging each person, however seemingly powerless or insignificant, has a part to play in making way for Jesus!

Joan E. Taylor affirms this position by commenting, “It does not relativize John; it dramatically promotes the small, humble, and lowly” (Taylor 303-304).

Even though there is a remarkable rise of Jesus’s influence over time, Jerome Murphy-O’Connor suggests that the early stages of his ministry were “but an extension of the ministry of the Baptist” (Murphy -O’Connor 366).

Later, Jesus creates a conundrum for the leaders in the pericope of Matt 21:23-27, Mark 11:27-33, and Luke 20:1-8 when they challenge John’s authority, which shows his support for John and points to both of their sources of authority (Bird 68).

There is no question that Jesus has a more significant role, and Jeannine K. Brown recognizes this saying, “Luke’s comparison of John and Jesus offers a positive portrait of John and shows the unity of purpose they share, while also highlighting Jesus as greater than John” (46).

She notes the many parallels in their stories, such as their birth announcements, songs and hymns, birth accounts, and their growing-up years (Brown 46).

Despite so many similarities, the mission of John and Jesus requires different postures.

John and Jesus’s unique missions emerge at Jesus’s baptism.

As seen through the Gospels, John’s mission is to prepare the hearts and minds of people to expect someone who “will baptize you with the holy spirit and fire” (Matt. 3:11, Luke 3:16, John 1:27).

When John announces Jesus’ authority in the lineage of the anticipated Messiah, saying, “'Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'" (John 1:29), Jesus responds unusually to this welcome by asking to be baptized (Matt. 3:13-15), followed by a triune experience in the Jordan River.

The dove, representing the Holy Spirit, descends, along with God’s voice, heard from heaven, saying, “‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased'" (Matt. 3:16-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22).

Jesus asking for John to baptize him makes way for the greatest affirmation of all from his heavenly father (Brown 49)!

This baptism story supported early Christians in affirming Jesus’s authority, receiving the Holy Spirit, and dealing with the conflict between different sects (Nickle 17-18).

In speaking of this famous baptism, Marcus says, “The whole purpose of this activity is to reveal Jesus to Israel” (Marcus 81).

Jeanine K. Brown agrees with this revelation and the men's roles, saying that “In John as prophet (Luke 1:76) and Jesus as savior (Luke 2:11), God is fulfilling covenant promises made to Israel (Luke 1:54, 72)” (37).

Interestingly, Paul W. Hollenbach comments, “It is doubtful that John preached about the one to come except to the repentant individuals who came for baptism,” which the Gospel accounts support (893).

Even so, stories spread, and this baptism story embarrassed the early Christians as it represented the forgiveness of sins, something they were confident Jesus did not need (Nickle 175).

Taylor’s reflection on Jesus’s baptism suggests that “he wished to humble himself by participating with the sinful in this important ritual” (Taylor 262).

While John emphasized baptism as a cleansing of sin, it is ultimately the blood of Jesus that provides atonement (Marcus 87).

The “lamb of God” description John used in John 1:36 depicts this idea of a sacrificial act and “introduces Jesus as the preeminent Passover lamb” (Brown 129).

Jesus certainly was not atoning for his sin; he was taking the next step in his mission on earth.

Cummins reflects on the baptism as well, saying:

The account attests to their respective roles within the unfolding divine drama: God’s covenant faithfulness (righteousness) finds focused expression in John’s baptism, which is the divine anointing and initiation of Jesus’s ministry of redemption and restoration. (438)

Both men lived passionately even as the final chapter in their lives differentiated their missions.

Passion

John and Jesus’s journeys led to brutal deaths, one a beheading, the other the crux of all passion.

Before their deaths, they had similar experiences of religious and political leaders questioning, challenging and rejecting them.

Similar to Jesus’s emotional state in the garden of Gethsemane when he references the first line of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” John expresses doubt near the end of his life (Bird 79).

This question of John’s solidarity (Nickle 175) comes from his request in prison in Matthew 11:2- 6, relaying a question to Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

Bird concludes that despite this, “John is principally remembered for confirming God’s appointment of Jesus for his redemptive task” (79).

This level of honesty and humanity does not discount John's work but connects the reader to their wrestle with doubt.

Sadly, John and Jesus’ honouring relationship, evident throughout the Gospels, was cut short.

According to Matthew 14:1-13, Herod had John beheaded, following arrest and imprisonment, as per Herodias’ daughter’s request, and the disciples took his body and buried it before telling Jesus the terrible news.

Hollenbach, reporting from Josephus’ account, reveals a difference, saying, “Herod killed John preemptively because he became suspicious of and alarmed by the size and enthusiasm of John’s following,” which has a similar flavour to the political unrest leading up to the arrest and brutal crucifixion of Jesus (888).

The Gospels attribute personal and political factors to John’s death (Matt. 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, Luke 9:7-9).

It is sobering to note that “the kingdom comes at considerable cost” for each person involved in God’s redemption plan (Cummins 441).

Following the devastating news, Jesus experienced deep sorrow and returned to Galilee in grief, willing to face danger to continue the mission (Murphy-O’Connor 371).

Jesus goes on “exceeding [John the Baptist’s] in his claims concerning the kingdom of God, which raise further questions concerning his identity” (Moloney 108).

Identity is something Jesus reveals throughout the Gospels.

A significant moment is in Matthew 16:13-20 when Jesus asks the disciples who they think he is, and he affirms Peter’s conclusion, casting great vision.

Yet the cost of proving Jesus’s identity is seen repeatedly in the lives of biblical martyrs, especially Jesus’ disciples, including Peter, whose crucifixion is not mentioned in the New Testament but foreshadowed in John 21:18-19.

Like many martyrs of the faith, and as the final prophet of the Old Testament, John is a direct link to Jesus, entering into suffering (Bird 79).

John and Jesus's story travels through time with a propelling mission and passion, from two mother’s wombs to dusty roads and riversides, all while making way for heaven's approval.

Throughout the Gospels, they lived their mission with a zeal one can only hope to emulate, opening the doorway for “the lamb of God,” who would “take away the sins of the world” (John 1:29-34).

John’s passion awakened followers, ending in a tragic beheading, while Jesus's passion saved the world, atoning for sin!

More than relatives or prophets, John and Jesus paid the price and paved the way for God’s redeeming plan to continue.

Their focused lives exemplify what it means to be an “apprentice of Jesus,” making way for more of Jesus by “practicing the way” (Comer).

If you made it this far, we would love to hear your thoughts and reflections in the comments below or on social media!

Bibliography

Bird, Michael F. “John the Baptist.” In Jesus Among Friends and Enemies: A Historical and Literary Introduction to Jesus in the Gospels, edited by Chris Keith and --Larry W. Hurtado, 61-79.

Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011.

Brown, Jeannine K. The Gospels as Stories: A Narrative Approach to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020.

Comer, John Mark. Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like Him. Do as He Did. Colorado Springs: WaterBrook, 2024.

Cummins, S.A. “John the Baptist.” In Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, 2nd ed, edited by Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown, Nicholas Perrin, 436-444. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,

2013.

Hollenbach, Paul W. “John the Baptist.” In Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 3, 887-899, edited by David Noel Freedman. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Marcus, Joel. John the Baptist in History and Theology. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, 2018.

Moloney, Francis J. The Gospel of John. Sacra Pagina: Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1998.

Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome. “John the Baptist and Jesus: History and Hypothesis.” NTS 36, (1990): 359-374.

Nickle, Keith F. The Synoptic Gospels: An Introduction. Revised and expanded edition. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2001.

Pinnock, Clark H., “John the Baptist.” In Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, edited by Merrill C. Tenney and Moisés Silva, 3: 761-768. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009.

Taylor, Joan E. The Immerser: John the Baptist within Second Temple Judaism. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1997.

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