‘There was a person, named John, sent from God: he came as a witness…’ (John 1:6-7)

Dear John: Janet Scott takes a reading from the gospels

All four gospels begin their accounts of the ministry of Jesus not with Jesus himself but with a radical desert preacher, John. John’s preaching of the need to repent of sin, and his practice of signifying cleansing by dipping in the river, drew large crowds. These crowds included Jesus, and gathered disciples. John’s impact was such that some wondered if he might be the Messiah (John 1:19-20). He was imprisoned for criticising Herod Antipas, whose cruelty allowed John to be executed (Mark 6:17-29). Jesus began his preaching after the arrest of John. The fourth gospel (John 1:35-42) says that Andrew, Peter’s brother, was a disciple of John before he followed Jesus, and this may help explain why the Galilean fishermen were so quick to respond to Jesus’ call (Mark 1:16-20).

The gospels present the significance of John in different ways. Mark gives him three roles (1:1-8). Firstly he is the forerunner, the one who prepares the way – not only in his preaching but in his death. Secondly, he is presented as a prophetic figure dressed like Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). Malachi 4:5 predicts that Elijah will come again before the ‘Day of the Lord’. By showing John this way, Mark is saying that the Kingdom is about to come. Thirdly, John predicts that another (whom we are expected to recognise as Jesus) is coming, who will baptise not with water but with the Spirit.

Matthew adds more of the teaching of John. Matthew is also sensitive to the idea that Jesus needed to be baptised, and puts in a conversation between John and Jesus. He gives an account of how John sends from prison to ask whether Jesus is the expected Messiah. This is followed by Jesus’ comments on John, which reinforce that he is Elijah.

When Luke tells the same story he omits the reference to John as Elijah. In chapter 3 he also misses out the description that makes the two similar. He is clearing the way to present Jesus as a prophet like Elijah (4:16-27). Luke gives more of the teaching of John, including practical advice to tax collectors and soldiers. But the most extraordinary thing that Luke does is to make John a relative of Jesus, and to intertwine the story of Jesus’ birth with the story of the miraculous birth of John (chapter 1). Mary’s song about the lifting up of the poor and lowly is balanced by Zechariah’s about salvation through the forgiveness of sins.

For the fourth gospel the importance of John is as a witness. The Greek word martyría (witness or testimony)and its associated verb appear seven times in the first thirty-four verses of the gospel. John bears witness to the Light, to the descent on to Jesus of the Holy Spirit, and to Jesus being the Son of God. It is John who twice describes Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36), and three times says that Jesus is greater than himself (John 1:15, 27, 30-31). In this gospel there is no account of John baptising Jesus. This raises the interesting question of whether this gospel corrects the Synoptics or complements them.

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