THE GOSPEL: John & John Teach The Truth!

In the beginning was the Word [God said..., Genesis 1], and the Word was with God [Let Us... Genesis 1:26], and the Word was [Lord] God [Genesis 2:4].  He was in the beginning with God [Genesis 1:26].  All things were made through Him [Genesis 2], and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life [Genesis 2:7], and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5)

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:6-13)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:14-18)

In Christ's Childhoold: The "Missing Years", we learned about Christ's birth being proclaimed by God in prophecy, then to Mary and Joseph by the angel Gabriel, His early childhood years, and now we go into the beginning of His ministry.  The Apostle John explains just how special Christ Jesus is.  He's not just a man or a prophet (John 7:40), but He is the Word of God in the flesh, Lord God from the beginning of creation, the Only Begotten Son of God! In THE GOSPEL: John the Baptiser, we also learn that God sends this other John to start preparing the people to receive this new covenant, this new form of forgiveness, For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.  (Luke 3:1-3, 3:1-20) Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him  and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:5-10) Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said: “I am

‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ [Isaiah 40:3]

as the prophet Isaiah said.” Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water [unto repentance], but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” (John 1:5-27, Matthew 3:11-12) We must remember that the Jewish religious leaders were steeped in Jewish tradition and centuries of trying to live by the "letter of the law".  For John to come teaching that just because they are descendants of Abraham doesn't make them right with God, but that they all would have to be baptized with the Holy Spirit by Christ Jesus, what?

John went on to explain to the people how they needed to repent not just from their sins, but also repent from treating eachother unfairly: So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.” (Luke 3:10-14) Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12) In other words, "treat others the way you want to be treated"!

Not everyone received and accepted this teaching from John, especially not the Jewish religious leaders, nor the Jewish captors, the Roman leaders: But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him [John] concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison. (Luke 3:19-20)  Not everyone will believe the Word of God, not even people who may have been exposed to it all their lives, like the Phaisees and Sadducees; but even if we appear to the world as being in the wilderness and appearing crazy like John, clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey, we are still to be brave and bold just like John and tell others the Truth, the gospel of Christ Jesus, Who is the salvation of God. (Luke 3:6) As God said to Ezekiel, “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words,... You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” (Ezekiel 2:6-7) Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8)