I want to point some things out to you in scripture concerning John the Baptist and the transition from the Old to the New Covenant. I believe many people have looked at what happened to John the Baptist after he baptized Jesus, in the wrong light. It says this about John the Baptist in Luke 1: 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (NASB)
God obviously had His hand on John the Baptist from the very start. It says this in Luke 1: 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.(NASB) Jesus was packing so much Glory that while He was in Mary’s belly He got people whacked in the Holy Ghost! John leaped in his mother’s womb when he came into contact with the King of Kings because we get overtaken with joy when we come into our destiny and being in the presence of Jesus is our destiny. Destiny is not a place it’s the person of Jesus Christ. I’m not suggesting that we don’t have specific purposes and callings, I’m just saying that we work from our destiny and not towards it.
The account of John baptizing Jesus is in Luke 3, John 3, Mark 1, and Matthew 3. Let’s look at the Matthew 3 account. Matthew 3: 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (NJKV)
John knew what Jesus was coming to do. Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (ESV) I want to suggest to you that John missed coming into following Jesus on his own account and instead of baptizing Jesus and becoming His follower into the New, John stayed in condemnation and in the old by his own choice.
In Luke 7: 18 John’s disciples come to Jesus to ask, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” John sent his disciples because John had been put in jail. Luke 3: 19 But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, 20 Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison. (NASB) John had been put in jail for condemning, the old covenant is 'the ministry that brought condemnation', 2 Corinthians 3:9. John knew what his ministry was, ‘prepare the way of the Lord’. Ok, so he fulfills his calling and Jesus has John baptize Him “to fulfill all righteousness”.
I think John missed it after he baptized Jesus and that John’s statement in John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease,” was John missing the fact that after he baptized Jesus that he was to hop into the ministry of reconciliation and drop the ministry of condemnation. I have heard this verse preached as John talking about the old versus the new covenant. I think it may be a bit, but I think it is more true the John was declaring this over himself. I think John was prophesying over himself here and it came to pass.
God’s will for John the Baptist was to prepare the way for the Lord, and then baptize the very King of Kings. But I don’t believe that God’s will was for John the Baptist to fizzle off into depression, jail, unbelief, and a beheading after fulfilling the latter. I think John missed the new because he was so consumed with the old. The bible does not contain God, it reveals God. And if you think that all the bible is a record of everyone doing everything exactly the way God wanted it done, reread it. Much of the Word is God showing us how He intervened, and where He intervened, amidst people’s actions.
Look in Luke 7:18 John sent his disciples…. First off John shouldn’t have had anymore disciples, they all should have shifted to the King of Kings after John baptized Him. Secondly, following Jesus doesn’t make our unbelief grow, it makes our faith grow. John baptized Jesus and grew in unbelief because he stayed in the old and didn’t start following Jesus after preparing the way for the Lord. John spent his life preparing the way for the Lord and then John knew the second he saw the Christ that it was Him and he obeyed Jesus and baptized Him. Then John should have come into the new, instead he staying in his old covenant mindset and he condemned King Herod and ended up in jail and not even believing that he had baptized the Christ in the first place.
19 And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 20 When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” (NJKV) John knew who he baptized and then watched the heavens open and the Spirit fall on Jesus. John couldn’t fathom how good God was and is. John didn’t drop the old and come into the new, so he is now in jail and not even sure if Jesus really is the Christ.
Luke7: 21 And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. 22 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. 23 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (NKJV) I love how Jesus lets us decide, instead of making the decision for us. Jesus didn’t directly answer the question, He left it up to John to make a choice after showing John’s disciples who He was.
24 When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ (NKJV) Jesus is reminding them of the reason that they went out to see John in the first place, to be prepared to follow Him.
28 "I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (NASB) It is important to understand what is really going on in this verse. John the Baptist is not in the ministry of reconciliation because he chose not to be, God’s will was for him to be. He was not because he didn’t drop his ministry and come into the ministry of the King. I’m not suggesting John is not in heaven or anything even like that. It’s important to get this. If we think that it was God’s will for John the Baptist to “prepare the way for the Lord”, then baptize the King of Glory, and then stay in the ministry of condemnation and get thrown in jail and beheaded we are seeing God's heart wrong. I have to believe that God wanted John to “prepare the way for the Lord”, then baptize the King, and then come into the goodness of the King while here on earth.
29 And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. 31 And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance, We mourned to you, And you did not weep.’ 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 But wisdom is justified by all her children.” (NKJV)
John’s ministry was amazingly glorious. He was filled with the Holy Spirit before birth and he had the amazing privilege to prepare the way for the most important person to ever walk the earth. But the goodness of God is better than John could fathom. God wanted John to prepare the way for the King of Kings and then step into His ministry and taste of heaven on earth. Jesus - ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance, We mourned to you, And you did not weep.’ Jesus presents us with every opportunity to step into more goodness, but He doesn’t force us to step into it. Jesus paid for us to have full access to all of heaven, but not everyone chooses to lay hold of it. And this has nothing to do with earning anything. We don't earn in the Kingdom, we learn in the Kingdom. It's all free! This is all about learning and believing that He really is as good as He says that He is.
He always has more for you, bigger and better. An ever increasing glory to glory journey of tasting His goodness and grace has been freely given to all of us. It is so simple that most don’t taste it because they think they don’t deserve it, well you don’t deserve it, but God already single handedly paid for it and it is His good pleasure to give it to you. It is your choice whether or not you want to receive it. His love for us is far beyond what our minds can grasp.
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