At his son John’s naming ceremony, Zechariah proclaimed these words: “And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways …” (Luke 1:76). A mighty prophet, indeed, John the baptizer fearlessly spoke truth to power – when the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the Jordan, John said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance” (Matthew 3:7-8). John told Herod the tetrarch, who had married his brother’s wife, “It is not lawful for you to have her” (Matthew 14:4), and for this, Herod arrested and imprisoned him, but Herod was afraid to kill John because the people considered him a prophet.
This baptizing prophet who lived in the wilderness, surviving on locusts and honey, had one mission – to prepare the people for the Messiah. The baptism John offered was one of repentance of sins, and the only power he claimed was the Spirit of God. “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). John’s entire life pointed the way to Christ, and he lived with complete trust and faith in God.
John the Baptist’s beheading was the consequence of a seductive dance, Herodias’ grudge, and Herod’s pride. When Jesus, who called John “a burning and shining lamp” (John 5:35), learned of the baptizer’s death, he “withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself” (Matthew 14:13). Saint John the Baptist, pray for us!
