Born June 24th John the Baptist was the son of Zechariah, a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Elizabeth, a kinswoman of Mary who would often visit her. As Zechariah was ministering in the Temple, an angel, Gabriel, brought him news that Elizabeth would bear a son who "will be great in the sight of the Lord" (Luke 1:15) and would be inspired and "filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother's womb." Elizabeth, being far advanced in age, was considered to be barren, so Zechariah doubted and thus, lost the power of speech until John’s birth.
During Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Mary came for an unexpected visit (Luke 1:39). Gabriel had visited Mary in Nazareth and informed that she, too, would conceive a son, even though she had not yet "had relations with a man." (Luke 1:34). Asked how such a thing could happen, he informed Mary of Elizabeth's own miraculous pregnancy. Mary immediately left Nazareth for the hill country in response. The visit had a powerful effect on Elizabeth, as the “infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." (Luke 1:41-45)
Soon Elizabeth gave birth to a son and on the eight day, as was the custom, all her neighbors and relatives came to witness the circumcision of the child. Elizabeth named him John, but her relatives protested as no other relative shared that name. So they turned to Zechariah to ask what he wished the child to be called and his father wrote on a tablet “John is his name” (Luke 1:63). Immediately after Zechariah, to the amazement of all present, became filled with the Holy Spirit and his speech returned as he prophesized:
“And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death's shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace." (Luke 1: 76-79)
He lived as a hermit in the desert of Judea until he was about 27 years old. He was said to have worn a leather belt and a tunic of camel hair, and lived off locusts and wild honey, while preaching a message of repentance to the people of Jerusalem. When he was thirty, he began to preach on the banks of the Jordan against the evils of the times and called men to penance and baptism, saying:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2) “I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire”. (Matthew 3:11)
He attracted large crowds, and when Christ, his cousin, came to him, John recognized Him as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying,
"I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" (Matthew 3:14)
When Christ left to preach in Galilee, John continued preaching in the Jordan valley. Fearful of his great power with the people, Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Perea and Galilee, had him arrested and imprisoned at Machaerus Fortress on the Dead Sea. When John denounced Herod’s adulterous and incestuous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half brother Philip; John was beheaded at the request of Salome, daughter of Herodias, who asked for his head at the instigation of her mother.
John inspired many of his followers to follow Christ when he designated Him "the Lamb of God," among them Andrew and John, who came to know Christ through John's preaching. John is presented in the New Testament as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the precursor of the Messiah. His feast day is June 24th and the feast for his beheading is August 29th.
During Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Mary came for an unexpected visit (Luke 1:39). Gabriel had visited Mary in Nazareth and informed that she, too, would conceive a son, even though she had not yet "had relations with a man." (Luke 1:34). Asked how such a thing could happen, he informed Mary of Elizabeth's own miraculous pregnancy. Mary immediately left Nazareth for the hill country in response. The visit had a powerful effect on Elizabeth, as the “infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." (Luke 1:41-45)
Soon Elizabeth gave birth to a son and on the eight day, as was the custom, all her neighbors and relatives came to witness the circumcision of the child. Elizabeth named him John, but her relatives protested as no other relative shared that name. So they turned to Zechariah to ask what he wished the child to be called and his father wrote on a tablet “John is his name” (Luke 1:63). Immediately after Zechariah, to the amazement of all present, became filled with the Holy Spirit and his speech returned as he prophesized:
“And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death's shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace." (Luke 1: 76-79)
He lived as a hermit in the desert of Judea until he was about 27 years old. He was said to have worn a leather belt and a tunic of camel hair, and lived off locusts and wild honey, while preaching a message of repentance to the people of Jerusalem. When he was thirty, he began to preach on the banks of the Jordan against the evils of the times and called men to penance and baptism, saying:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2) “I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire”. (Matthew 3:11)
He attracted large crowds, and when Christ, his cousin, came to him, John recognized Him as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying,
"I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" (Matthew 3:14)
When Christ left to preach in Galilee, John continued preaching in the Jordan valley. Fearful of his great power with the people, Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Perea and Galilee, had him arrested and imprisoned at Machaerus Fortress on the Dead Sea. When John denounced Herod’s adulterous and incestuous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half brother Philip; John was beheaded at the request of Salome, daughter of Herodias, who asked for his head at the instigation of her mother.
John inspired many of his followers to follow Christ when he designated Him "the Lamb of God," among them Andrew and John, who came to know Christ through John's preaching. John is presented in the New Testament as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the precursor of the Messiah. His feast day is June 24th and the feast for his beheading is August 29th.
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