Today, August 29th, marks the anniversary of St. John the Baptist’s death. He truly is a remarkable saint, and was actually related to Jesus Himself!
St John is the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. As result of miraculous and divine intervention Elizabeth, barren for her whole life, was able to conceive John. John was to be a well known and very holy man, bringing many people to God and preparing them for coming of Jesus.
St. John at the Visitation
The amazing thing about John is that his proclaiming of the coming of Jesus happened before he even left his mother’s womb. John’s mother Elizabeth would receive a visit from the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the moment that Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice, John leapt with joy in his mother’s womb, as John felt the presence of Christ growing within Mary’s womb. Thus showing the importance and unique bond he had with Our Savior, even as Christ and John were both in their mother’s wombs, John leapt with joy. John was made for this, he was made for Jesus.
St. John’s Mission
John’s ministry would begin when he heard the voice of God in the wilderness. After hearing God’s word, he went to the surrounding region of Jordan, proclaiming baptism for the repentance of sins, and preparing his people. He told them of the coming messiah. It’s also noted that he wore clothing made from camel hair and a leather belt. He preached on charity, telling those who wanted to repent, “Whoever has two coats, let him give to those who do not have. And whoever has food, let him act similarly.”(Luke 3:11)
Through his preaching, he fulfilled the word of the prophet Isaiah, in which he was,
“The voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths.” (Mark 1:3)
The Baptism of Jesus Christ
Jesus came to John to be baptized, which astonished him. John himself had stated to his followers, who he had baptized, that he was not worthy to even loosen the sandals of Christ. Yet here He was, the one John was preparing his people for, had asked John to baptize Him. John was amazed at this and stated that Christ should be the one baptizing him, however Jesus wanted to be baptized by John. John agreed to baptize Jesus and was graced to witness the other two persons of the Trinity, as the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and a voice from Heaven stated “This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:14-17) . Let’s think about this for a moment. The Bible doesn’t show what John’s reaction was to this, but it must have been a spectacular experience. To be able to witness all three persons of the Holy Trinity at once is such a wonderful honor.
After this, Jesus goes into the desert and John continues in his preaching of truth.
St. John is put to death
John’s tenacity for the truth and speaking up for what is right put him at odds with King Herod. Herod had married his brother Phillip’s wife, Herodias, unlawfully. Herod had married her while his brother was still alive, the marriage between Herodias and Phillip never ended. John spoke out against this, stating “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (Mark 6:18). Herod was angry that someone would dare to defy him, and had John arrested. He was too scared to have him killed however, he knew that John was holy and righteous, and was loved by his many disciples. John had continued to speak to Herod, and seemed to make progress in converting Herod’s heart because John’s words had started to please him. John remained in prison until a banquet was thrown by Herod. Herodias’s own daughter danced for the banquet, pleasing Herod, and Herod declared she could have anything she pleases. Herodias had already plotted with her daughter to have John the Baptist’s head on a platter. Though Herod did not want to do this, he was obliged to because of his oath, and St. John the Baptist was beheaded in his prison cell.
What can we learn about St. John’s life and death?
John’s life was full of humility, truth, charity, and unshakeable faith. He had such humility, that when people wanted to raise him up to be a messiah, he told them he would not be fit to loosen the sandals of the real messiah. And when Jesus asked him to baptize Him, John at first protested at the idea, stating the roles should be reversed. And his life of living in the wilderness, wearing camel hair, eating honey and locusts, and then baptizing and declaring the Lord’s arrival, are all acts of great humility. We need to seek humility, which allows us to speak more about the Lord, and to show others the glory that God has.
His desire to speak the truth and speak out against injustice had caused his martyrdom. He could have easily overlooked Herod’s gross injustice. He could have rescinded his statements when he was in prison. He did not, however, because he was a man so righteous that it would be impossible to ignore something so wrong. He spoke for and saught the truth until his death. We need to fight for truth and speak against injustice.
His charity was evident in his ministry. He baptized as many people as he could, made them repent, called them to higher standards, all to prepare them for Christ. His words of giving what you don’t need to others speaks about what is important in this life. We need to give what we can to others. We do not need more things, we need more giving. John’s charity was so strong he spoke against a powerful and corrupt king, all to try to save him from his evil ways. We need to pray for more charity and practice more charity in our lives.
John had never strayed from his mission as the Herald the Messiah. The voice that spoke to him in the wilderness was God, and John would never doubt Him. He never knew when the Messiah would come, but he knew he had to keep telling people and keep preparing them. He knew who Jesus was because of his faith. He kept speaking the truth because of his faith. We need to become strong in our faith, it is so crucial and important that we do, and John is an example of the great things one man could accomplish through a strong faith in God. Such incredible strength and courage, all from his strong love for God.