John the Baptist: A Great Man John the Baptist, the son of Zachary and Elizabeth, was named “the Baptist,” because he taught a new rite of baptism by divine authority, a baptism of repentance, or because he baptized Jesus . He was a man of priestly descent, a prophet, a preacher, and also prepared the arrival of Jesus as the angel told Zachary that his son was to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (…showed first 75 words of 1021 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1021 total…for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ coming to the world through baptism and his preaching. Another asset he brought to the scene was willingness to be pure and fast to show how it is to be in “the Kingdom of God.” Though subordinate to Jesus, John still remains as a great social and theological figure as many of his ideas are still being incorporated today.