St. John the Baptist - 24 Jun 1962

Today is St. John the Baptist’s Day – June 24 th . In the Collect for today we pray to God that He may make us so to follow his doctrine and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his teaching. Let us consider briefly the incidents connected with his birth, his ministry and what we may learn from his life.

John was born in Judea a few months before Jesus. Even as a child there was something remarkable about him. The neighbours watched him as he passed and said: “What shall this child be?” There were strange stories about him. When his father Zecharias, a priest, was burning incense in the Temple the angel Gabriel appeared unto Him and announced the birth of a son. Zecharias could not believe it. So he was punished for his unbelief and had to remain dumb until the day of the baby’s circumcision. When his mouth was opened he burst into a Song of Praise – that is the canticle Benedictus which we sing at the morning service: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people.’

As a child he was brought up under strict discipline. Every one drank wine at every meal, even the children. But the Angel had said: “He shall drink no wine nor strong drink.” So John did not drink wine or strong drink. It was not easy to say ‘No’. But he learnt to give up things that looked nice for the sake of a principle. In that way he laid the foundation of a strong character.

After the death of his parents he made a strange choice. He gave up a comfortable life in his home with relatives around him and the pleasant life of a priest and went into the wilderness. For 20 years his home was a cave and his bed was a rock. His neighbours were wolves and vipers. His food was honey from the wild bees’ nests and locusts dried in the sun. Why did he choose this life? Because he felt that he could serve God better in that way. When he knew that God was calling him for that kind of life he did not hesitate to give up a comfortable life. This hard life of constant denial made his character very strong.

In his solitude in the wilderness he thought about the sinfulness of the people. The whole land was full of wickedness. Even the good people were not really good. He began to preach to the pilgrims crossing the wilderness to go to Jerusalem. What was his message? “Repent ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Repent. Change your way of life.” John was very practical in his preaching. He did not talk vaguely about sin in the abstract. He spoke to everyone about his special faults. 1) To the Tax Collectors, he said, “Never make the people pay more than what the law requires.” 2) To the soldiers he said, “Do violence to no man and be content with your wages.” 3) To others he said, “Overcome your selfishness. If you see a man without a coat and you have two, share with him. If you see a man go without dinner when you have food, share with him.” And he gave them a strong reason why they should repent. He said, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” God is going to set up His Kingdom in the world and no one who is wicked or dishonest can have a place in it. To help the people feel the seriousness of sin he invited all who truly repented to be baptised by him in the river Jordan. Baptism was an outward sign of the inner cleansing and the beginning of a new life. With the others Jesus too went to be baptised by John.

There are two incidents in his life which show what type of man he was.

John had a number of disciples. He was fond of them. When Jesus came John began to direct them to Jesus. “Behold the Lamb of God,” said John pointing to Jesus. Mischief makers tried to make him jealous by saying that Jesus was getting more disciples. He replied,, “I am very glad. My joy is therefore fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” There you see the beauty of unselfishness.

Herod Antipas married his brother’s wife. Everyone was shocked, but on one protested. John went up to Herod and told him firmly that it was not lawful to have his brother’s wife. As a result of this he was imprisoned and finally murdered. He gave up the free life of the wilderness and was prepared to be thrown into the dungeon as he felt that it was his mission to denounce sin. He gave up his liberty rather than be false to his principles.

Self-discipline, an austere life when that became necessary in order to obey God’s will, unselfishness, boldness in denouncing sin – these are some of the characteristics that are prominent in the life of John the Baptist. As we think of the life and ministry of John the Baptist, may we look into our own lives, and see how far we fall short of the standard set before us by him. John’s mission was to prepare the hearts and minds of the people for the coming of Christ. As Christians we too are called to the same task. When we were baptised as babies these solemn words were spoken over each of us: “We receive this child into the Congregation of Christ’s flock, and do sign him with the sign of the Cross, [in token] that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified and manfully to fight under his banner against sin, the world and the devil, and to continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant unto his life’s end.” (Repeat) You see what was expected of us when we were baptised. John fulfilled his mission. Are we true to our calling?