20/11/2018 - BEFORE JOHN IS THROWN INTO PRISON

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For John had not yet been thrown into prison. John 3: 24

It is probable that John knew that his days on Earth were ending. Perhaps he knew even how he would glorify God in his death, but, whether he was aware of this fact or not, it did not matter to him, because he simply wanted to do the will of the One who made his barren mother get pregnant when her husband was already old. John the Baptist came to open the way for the coming of the Savior, and for this reason he thought it was important that Jesus would stand out and he would diminish. What a servant!

John was arrested because he declared that it was a sin that Herod had married his brother’s wife. This made Herodias, the sister-in-law who had become the wife of this king, hate John. When her daughter danced and pleased the monarch, Herodias directed the girl to ask for John’s head on a platter. The Bible recounts the king’s sadness at hearing the request of the young woman (Mark 6: 26), but, since he had committed his word, he ordered the execution.

While he was free, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth diligently preached repentance and baptized those who accepted his message. The trajectory of John the Baptist was beautiful to the heavenly eyes, but small in years, but his footsteps were directed by God. The life of this prophet had been consecrated to the Lord, who had healed his mother of barrenness. Thus, John was born. Since then, many have glorified the Most High with the same kind of death.

Still in prison, John the Baptist heard about Jesus’ deeds everywhere, and this caused him to send two of his disciples to ask the Master whether He was the One who was to come, or whether they should expect another. The Messiah told them to tell John what they had seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them (Luke 7: 22). The prophet was satisfied with such a report!

The Master’s response was all that John wanted to hear, because that was how the Father told him to accept the coming of the Lamb of God (John 1: 29). Upon hearing the answer, John realized that it had been worth living in the desert opening the way for the coming of Christ. This served as a consolation for the days of suffering he experienced. Then, as he was about to leave the world, he was glad to see that the work had been done as planned.

John’s ministry was linked to the revelation given to mankind until the coming of Jesus. After this servant had been beheaded by Herod’s executioner and departed to be with Him whom He had always served with love, the Son of God took over the work of God, despising the religious elite of Israel with their masters and sages, and choosing simple people. The Savior showed us the following: the Father does what He wants and when He wants, giving us the best.

John the Baptist was an exemplary teacher for his disciples, but Jesus overcame him, because among many things, in teaching the model prayer, Our Father, Christ summarized important points that we should keep in mind at the time of prayer in order to be answered. The apostle Paul stated that God does beyond the position that our faith leads us to pray and determine (Read Ephesians 3: 20).

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares