Matthew 11:1-19 & Luke 7:18-35 John the Baptist

In reading about John the Baptist certain questions were posed which I wanted to discuss in my blog today. These questions were first, what did the disciples of John the Baptist ask Jesus? They asked him, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” Here John was looking for validation, trapped in prison he may have felt like his work perhaps was a failure. He also may have wanted to test the faith of those he taught. After reading through this, I thought about what 3 things I might have told to John when I saw him. I would have told him that Jesus was indeed the Savior. I would have told him that the things he showed us were the proofs from the scriptures as prophesied by hold prophets. And, I would have given my own testimony to John, seeing his suffering and worry in prison and wanting John to feel like his work was not wasted.

After reading the institute manual on John's motives for sending the disciples, I almost want to change my prior comments. Still, I think it must have been hard for John to decrease in prison, knowing his Master was out teaching others. John wanted his disciples to be converted to Jesus and not linger with him, knowing that he himself was not the redeemer, but simply a precursor.

In reading more about John the Baptist, it seems more and more that there was powerful testimony concerning John. Of John, the Savior said that none born of women was greater than John. Joseph Smith stated a few main points that establish John's greatness. First, no one has ever had the honor of a mission to prepare men for the coming of Jesus, than John. Second, no one was given the honor of baptizing the Savior. The last point I find very interesting: that John was the only legal administrator to the keys of the kingdom at that time, and so wrested the glory and honor from the Jews. They had only John to receive the saving ordinances, and so he alone held the right until his death. This constitutes an amazing set of events that one man fulfilled. Thinking about it that way, who could ever compare to the mission given to John?

In John 3:30 a simple statement is made here that is both profound and said: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John understood that once his threefold mission was accomplished, his time on earth would dwindle. That, like Joseph Smith who came after him, John would one day know that his primary mission was complete, and his license on life would expire, and the world would likely come after him then with a vengeance. Both John and Joseph died in a prison, and both were slain for the jealousy of men, and out of fear. After thinking about this and considering myself, I can say I too could see life the way John did; living for the Savior, accepting that we each have a mission and may not be able to do more than accomplish it after giving what we had.