“JOHN THE BAPTIST – THE PROPHET WHO KNEW JESUS BEST”

Season: Prophets
Episode 8: “John the Baptist – The Prophet Who Knew Jesus Best”
Today’s Bible Bite: Matthew 3

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NMHOLPWeTM (God’s Story: John the Baptist)
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming!” (Matthew 3:3)

For hundreds of years the prophets had been telling people God’s messages. One of the messages was a promise that God was going to send someone to rescue them; the rescuer was known as the Messiah. Jesus was the Messiah! But one of the prophets, Isaiah, also told people that God would send a special prophet before the Messiah came to prepare the people for his arrival. That was John!

John was…how to say this nicely…a little different. He lived in the wilderness for a time; he ate bugs and honey; he wore itchy clothing made from camel hair and had a belt of leather. John didn’t care. He knew that he had a job from God. He needed to let people know that the Messiah was about to come any day and they needed to get right with God. Many people didn’t like his message because he didn’t worry about tradition; he told them exactly what God told him to say. That annoyed people. John didn’t care.

But one day something happened that John really did care about. As he was baptizing people, Jesus came and asked John to baptize him. This was a big deal and John didn’t feel he was good enough, but Jesus told him it was exactly what God wanted him to do. And so John baptized Jesus, the Messiah, the long promised rescuer…and God was pleased.

Think about it...
• John the Baptist was given a job even before he was born. Which of the prophets told people about John?
• John ate bugs and honey, wore camel hair clothing and a leather belt, and lived in the wilderness. How would you like to live like that?
• John told people that they needed to say they were sorry to God and be baptized. Why was this important?
• John obeyed God, but when Jesus came to be baptized John hesitated. Why did John not want to baptize Jesus?
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Prayer: Thank you, God, that John obeyed you and cared more about what you wanted than what others thought. Help me to always do what you want me to, no matter what other people think.