Recently, I have studied again the life of the man we know as John the Baptist.

John was the last prophet of the old dispensation and the forerunner of the new. Jesus called him the greatest of those born of women.

What an amazing statement for our lord to make about anyone! Yet, he is the least in the kingdom of God. (At some point, maybe soon, I will write about what Jesus meant by calling John the least in the kingdom of God).

In Matthew 11, we see the events surrounding John’s being placed in prison because he has preached the truth. Herod Antipas, who was living immorally, had him placed in prison because John dared call him out on his actions. Before the end of Jesus’ public ministry, Herod Antipas had John executed by beheading.

What a great man, and what a sad end to his life.

As John sat in prison not knowing his future, he sent word to Jesus. He wanted to know if Jesus was the one they had looked for. In other words, “Are you the Messiah?“

Jesus did not answer him directly but rather told John’s disciples to tell John what had happened. The blind are seeing, the lame are walking, the dead are being raised, and the poor are hearing good the good news.

All of these events had been foretold in the Law and the Prophets and revealed that Jesus was indeed the Christ for which the Jews had longed.

Jesus told his disciples exactly who John was. He fulfilled The prophecy of Malachi and Isaiah. Jesus said, “This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my Messenger before by face, who shall prepare thy way before thee’“ (Matthew 11:10).

The secret of John’s greatness was his obedience and faithfulness. He spoke plainly and faithfully the word which God had commanded him. He spoke the truth even unto death. He carried out God’s plan, and he prepared the way for the Messiah to come.

No wonder Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.” (Matthew 11:11).

May we emulate John and his obedience and faithfulness even unto death.

I’ll be writing all week about John the Baptist. If you would like to receive your own copy of these blogs, you can sign up for your free subscription in the box below or at WaylonBailey.com.