Explain What Role Does John The Baptist Play In The Gospel Tradition

He is known as the tax collector who turned disciple who writes to Jewish believers to emphasize the legitimacy of Jesus as the long awaited Jewish Messiah. According to Hindson and Elmer Matthew provides some of Jesus most prominent sermons, parables, and miracles, plus a record of important messages. He provides an eyewitness account of such significant events as the transfiguration, the triumph entry, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. He explains the character and nature of the ministry of John the Baptist as the last of the prophets. Matthew originally crafted the Gospel for a group of Christians who were already familiar with the Old Testament. Both church tradition (external evidence) and the contents of the Gospel itself (internal evidence) suggest that this Gospel was originally written for Jewish Christians who were given the responsibility to share its message with the world (Hindson and Elmer pg. 350). Matthew also gives special attention to the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish leaders. He exposes the religious blindness of his fellow countrymen, and he demonstrates Jesus superior understanding of the person of God, the intent of the law, and the proper application of biblical

While numerous scholars say that John is the Gospel to the world (and Matthew to the Jews, Mark to the Romans, and Luke to the Greeks), a Jewish scholar such as Israel Abrahams might very well believe that the Gospel of John is the most Jewish Gospel of the four by the way it reflects Jewish traditions and symbolisms. According to David Wenham[i], there is more attention given to Jesus as the Messiah in the Gospel of John than in any of other Gospels. In John, from chapter one onwards people are directly talking about Jesus as Messiah, and then there is intense public debate about whether Jesus is Messiah or not in John 7:25-31, 41-44[ii], which indicates that John is quite mindful of Jewish issues.

John as we know today was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He was also the brother of James, who was also an apostle. John was the son of Zeebee and of Salome. His father was a fisherman while living in Bethsaida in Galilee on the border of the lake Gennesareth. John's mother was one of many women who gave to the maintenance of Jesus Christ. John's parents were very good people, they loved God and his son. It is said that john and his brother James were fishing when Jesus came and chose them. They were soon known as the fishers of men. The John of whom I am talking about is John the Evangelist.

The Gospel of John, the last of the four gospels in the Bible, is a radical departure from the simple style of the synoptic gospels. It is the only one that does not use parables as a way of showing how Jesus taught, and is the only account of several events, including the raising of Lazarus and Jesus turning water into wine. While essentially the gospel is written anonymously, many scholars believe that it was written by the apostle John sometime between the years 85 and 95 CE in Ephesus. The basic story is that of a testimonial of one of the Apostles and his version of Jesus' ministry. It begins by telling of the divine origins of the birth of Jesus, then goes on to prove that He is the Son of

John presents a very different Jesus compared to the synoptic gospels. It is clear that for John Jesus has many complex elements to his personality and without all of these the picture is not complete. The above quote by Käsemann suggests that in the gospel of John Jesus’ divinity is definite and his presence is felt on the entire world through his words and actions. This allows for the human Jesus but implies the divine Jesus is imperative.

So, we ask, “Who are the Mandaeans?” The Mandaeans are a small Gnostic religious group of people with beliefs that differ from those of the Muslims in Iraq and Iran. The religion has affinitive similarities with both Judaism and Christianity. The language affiliated with the Mandaeans is Aramaic which ties closely to that of Jesus of Nazareth. Many Mandaeans are found residing alone riverways in Iran and Iraq where baptizing is performed at birth, before marriage, after marriage and several times afterwards.

John the Baptist was an obedient follower of Christ and was known for his remarkable lifestyle. His main audience was unbelievers and new Christians, therefore, he had a huge responsibility to preach about repentance and the coming of the Savior. When it came to confrontation, John did not hold back from speaking truth into a person's life. He was fearless and and believed that standing for the truth was most important. People were attracted to the teachings of John, because he spoke the truth and that baptism was a symbol of their repentance. John was appointed by God to announce the arrival of Jesus Christ. In John 3:28, he says, "You yourselves know how plainly I told you, 'I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for Him.”

In Luke 1: 16,17 the angel of the Lord says that John will bring the Israelites back to their God, he will go before God in the spirit of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous. This will make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” So this shows what John work was. It was to get the people ready for the Lord. He did this by many ways like baptism. He even baptized Jesus. This is the work that John was called to do.

An overarching purpose of the four gospels was to give Christians an account of Christ and the everlasting life that has been offered through him. In giving readers a picture of Christ, the gospels are presenting a model to emulate in order to receive everlasting life. The power behind the synoptics would not stand without John and his ability to make a case for following Christ. The book of John is included within the four gospels because it is a record of Jesus’ teaching and life. While the book of John is similar to the other gospels in regards to it’s contents, the book is not included into the synoptic category.

Mark 1 begins with the account of “John the Baptist preparing the way for Christ” in Mark 1:1-4: John the Baptist’s mission on Earth was to prepare the way of the Messiah which he accomplished, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.” 3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight” (Mark 1:2-3). In addition, He preached and carried out baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Here are the three insights that I discovered when reading our textbook and the book of John. My first insight:

“The gospel gives away more to as who Jesus was as person and telling of his teachings in the ministry. John takes us behind Jesus’s ministry, where we get a glimpse of what it means to believe in Jesus as flesh of the eternal and living God, as the source of light and life, and for a believer to be a ‘Son of God.” (Sparknotes

This essay will show contrasts in views on the Gospel of John regarding authorship,dates, and the relationship between John's Gospel and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Some comparison of thought, concerning composition and life setting, will also be presented.

The first prophecy announced of John the Baptist is in the Old Testament in Isaiah chapter 40:3 “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” The prophet Isaiah is announcing how John the Baptist will come, and how he will announce the coming of Christ. The second prophecy that is announced in the Old Testament is in Malachi chapter 3:1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant whom you desire, will come, says the Lord Almighty.” John the Baptist was the messenger of God that proclaimed the coming of our Messiah.

John the Baptist is a significant and familiar character in the Bible. Even as significant and familiar as he is, very little is known about him. We are told that he was born to Zechariah, a temple priest, and his mother, Elizabeth, was a cousin to Mary, the mother of Jesus. From other bits and pieces within the Bible, we know he was an unusual character. He chose to live a rugged life in the mountainous area of Judea between the city of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. His clothes were made out of camel’s hair and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. Yum! Even though little is known of him, his coming was foretold over 700 years prior by the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah said, “A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for