The Role of John the Baptist in God\'s Plan

 John the Baptist was to play at least three roles during his lifetime, all of which served God's plan of salvation.

1. A joy to his parents
2. A life long Nazerite
3. The Foreunner of the Messiah as the promised Elijah

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1. “But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John” (Luke 1:13).  The most often overlooked is the great joy he brought to his parents. For to be childless was a great reproach among the Jewish people and the people often barrenness to sin, even though the couple had no egregious sin (Luke 1:6) (Elwell, 805). Thus, they would look upon him everyday and remember that “the Lord is Gracious,” the literal meaning of the name John (Howell, 6). When John grew up, they would take greater joy when they saw God exalt John to a place of prominence. 
   
   
2. “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.” (Luke 1:14-15). John's second role was that of a lifelong Nazirite (forbidden from alcohol, Numbers 6:1-4), his outward separation from cultural norms symbolizing his consecration as a prophet of God. Fulfilling his prophetic role would require the Holy Spirit, so he was to be filled even from birth to support his prophetic ministry of unusual power (Howell, 6). It was John's role as a prophet that ultimately led to his role as a martyr for upholding the law, even among corrupt leaders (Matthew 14:1-12).
   
   
3. “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared" (Luke 1:16-17). John's final and most important role came about by his lifestyle, preaching pattern, and prophetic content, which matched that of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. Preaching about the coming Lord, he called the Israelites to “prepare the way” for the Messiah through by returning to their former obedience to God's covenant (Howell, 6). In this way he fulfilled the role of Elijah as predicted in Malachi 3:1 and 4:5 (Elwell, 806).
   

• Howell Jr., Don N.. The Passion of the Servant. Eugene: Wipf & Stock - Resource Publications. 2009.
• Elwell, Walter. A.. Evangelical Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House. 1989.