Prophet Mentioned in the Bible by name

John the Baptist

[It has now been about thirty years since the previous verse.]
At that time (in those days), John the Baptist [openly] appeared and preached in the desert [desolate wilderness] of Judea.

John wore clothes (a cloak) made of camel hair and had a leather belt around his waist. [He was reminiscent of the prophet Elijah, see 2 Kings 1:8. Later in the Gospel of Matthew, these two prophets are clearly linked, see Matt. 11:14.] His food was locusts and wild honey [common food in the wilderness, see Lev. 11:22].

Then Jesus came from Galilee [down] to John [the Baptist] to be baptized by him in [the river] Jordan.

But John tried to prevent him, protesting, "I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?"

When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, he returned to Galilee. [He went to his hometown of Nazareth, see Luke 4:14–31.]

Now when John [the Baptist], who was in prison [probably in the fortress of Machaerus on the eastern side of the Dead Sea], heard about all the deeds that the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ) had done [the healings described in chapters 8-9], he sent a message through his disciples

Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:

[The people who heard John's question (see verses 2-3) may have begun to question John's ministry and everything he preached (see Matt. 3). This may have prompted Jesus to now confirm John's prophetic ministry and speak well of him.]
As they were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the people about John: "What kind of spectacle did you expect to see in the desert? A reed swaying in the wind?

I tell you the truth, among all those born of women [Job 14:1], no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven (the kingdom of the heavens) is greater than he. [A new era with the age of the church is about to dawn. In God's kingdom, the least has now been given greater privileges than the great forerunner John the Baptist.]

For all the prophets and the teaching [the Books of Moses – the Torah] have prophesied (spoken inspired by God) up to John,

John came,
and he neither eats nor drinks [with others], and people say,
'He is possessed.'

He said to his servants, "It is John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead, and that is why such powers are at work in him."In the expression "at the same time," the Gk. word chronos, which refers to sequential time, is not used; instead, kairos is used, which focuses more on the content of the event itself than on the exact time it occurs. The Gospel of Matthew is more of a thematic compilation than a chronological narrative. The theme here is that just as those in Nazareth had a false image of who Jesus was in the previous chapter, Matt. 13:54–58, Herod also had a false image of Jesus. The next paragraph explains the background to why he believed Jesus was John the Baptist.

Herod [Antipas] had John arrested, bound in chains, and put in prison for the sake of Herodias, who was married to his brother Philip.

The reason was that John [the Baptist] had repeatedly said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."
[Herodias was Herod Antipas's unlawful wife. She was a granddaughter of Herod the Great. As a young woman, she was married to her uncle Herod Philip in Rome. He should not be confused with the tetrarch Philip who ruled north of Galilee, see Luke 3:1. Herodias and her first husband Philip had a daughter, Salome. During a visit to Rome, Herod Antipas became enamored with Herodias. She divorced, moved from Rome, and married Herod Antipas. He also divorced his wife, the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia, which created political unrest in the area, leading to open war in 36 AD. John the Baptist had condemned their actions, as they violated the teachings of the Books of Moses, see Lev. 18:16.]

Then, at her mother's urging, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter right here and now."

and he sent [soldiers] and had John beheaded in prison.

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

But if we say, 'From men,' we will have the people against us (we must fear the people), for all men consider John to be a prophet."

For John came and showed you the way to righteousness, but you did not believe him. The tax collectors and prostitutes believed him, and you saw it, but even then you did not repent and believe him."

John came (appeared), he [was the messenger spoken of by the prophets] who baptized in the desert and preached the baptism of repentance [which was an outward baptism of purification in water as a sign of repentance of the heart] for the forgiveness of sins.

John was clothed in camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist [which brings to mind earlier prophets such as Elijah, see 2 Kings 1:8]. He lived on locusts and wild honey.
[John the Baptist's lifestyle stood in stark contrast to many of the religious leaders who lived in luxury. Locusts and wild honey were common food in the desert.]

Now, at that time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the [river] Jordan by John.

Now, after John had been imprisoned [in the fortress of Machaerus on the eastern side of the Dead Sea by the Roman governor Herod Antipas, who was responsible for Galilee and Perea], Jesus came to Galilee and preached the gospel (the good news) of the kingdom of God.

John's disciples and the Pharisees fasted. [Orthodox Jude fasted two days a week, Monday and Thursday.] Therefore, they asked Jesus, "Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but not your disciples?"

King Herod [Antipas] heard about Jesus, for his name had become widely known.
[The rumor of Jesus' activities, and now also of the twelve who preached and performed miracles in Jesus' name, had reached Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee and Perea and lived in Tiberias, which he had built in 20 AD. Herod Antipas was not formally a king but a prince or "tetrarch," which originally designated a prince over a quarter of a kingdom. Mark, writing for the Roman world, probably in Rom, uses the word king, which is the more informal title for the rulers of the eastern part of the Roman Empire.]
They said [his officials put forward the general opinion]: “It is John the Baptist who has risen from the dead, that is why these powers are at work in him [causing people to be healed and signs to occur].”

When Herod heard this, he said, "It is John, whom I had beheaded, who has risen from the dead."

For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Herod had married her.

The reason was that John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
[Herodias was the unlawful wife of Herod Antipas. She was a granddaughter of Herod the Great. As a young woman, she was married off to her uncle Herod Philip in Rom. He should not be confused with the tetrarch Philip who ruled north of Galilee, see Luke 3:1. Herodias and her first husband Philip had a daughter, Salome. During a visit to Rom, Herod Antipas became enamored with Herodias. She divorced, moved from Rom, and married Herod Antipas. He also divorced his wife, the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia, which created political unrest in the area, leading to open war in 36 AD. John the Baptist had condemned their actions, as they violated the commandment in Lev. 18:16.]

because Herod respected (feared) John. He knew that John was a righteous and holy man and protected him [from Herodias]. When he heard John [speak], he was often amazed (puzzled), but [nevertheless] listened to him gladly [when he was visiting the fortress of Machaerus, where John was probably imprisoned].

[The men were in one banquet hall and the women in another.] Then she went out and asked her mother, "What shall I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the Baptist."

She immediately rushed back to the king and asked him, "I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter right now."

They replied, "John the Baptist; but others say [the great prophet] Elijah [who was expected to return in the last days, see Mal. 4:5], and others one of the prophets."

But if we say, 'From men,' ..." They did not dare to answer because of the people, for they all held that John was a prophet.

They [the Pharisees] said to him, "John's disciples fast often and say prayers (regular prayers for specific needs), and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but your disciples eat and drink."
[This probably refers to the feast that Jesus and the disciples attended at the home of the newly saved Matthew, see verse 29. However, Jesus' disciples could not be accused of not praying, and no mention is made of it.]

All of this [what Jesus did in general, but especially these two miracles mentioned in verses 1-17] was reported to John [the Baptist, who was now imprisoned, see Matt. 11:2] by his disciples.

The men went to Jesus and said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask if you are the one who is to come, or should we wait for someone else."

So he answered, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed (healed), the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news preached to them [Isa. 61:1].

While John [the Baptist's] messengers were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the people about John:
"What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the wind?

I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John, yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." [A new era with the age of the church is about to dawn. In the kingdom of God, the least now has greater privileges than the great forerunner John the Baptist.]

[The following two verses may be a comment by Luke, or a continuation of Jesus' speech. It depends on what "heard him" refers to. Regardless, it is clear that Jesus affirms John the Baptist, and that the dividing line between those who accepted the message and those who did not still remains.]
When all the people, even the tax collectors, heard him [Jesus praising John the Baptist or John the Baptist preaching in the desert], they gave God the glory (they agreed that God's way was right), because they had been baptized by John [the baptism of repentance].

John has come without eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, 'He is possessed.'

[The rumor of Jesus' activities, and now also of the twelve apostles who preached and performed miracles in Jesus' name, had reached Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee and Perea and lived in Tiberias, which he had built in 20 AD. Herod Antipas was a prince or "tetrarch," which originally meant a prince over a quarter of a kingdom.]
When Herod [Antipas] the tetrarch heard about Jesus, he did not know what to believe. Some said that John [the Baptist] had risen from the dead,

They replied, "John the Baptist. Others say [the great prophet] Elijah [who was expected to return in the last days, see Mal. 4:5], and others that one of the old prophets has risen."

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. When he had finished his prayer, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
[Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, see Luke 9:51. He has just visited Martha and Mary in Bethany and is either still there or somewhere else near Jerusalem. It was not unusual for different Jewish groups to have their own prayers. In Judaism, there is the amidah, a daily prayer with eighteen blessings, and it seems that John the Baptist had also taught his disciples a written prayer.]

[Jesus continues to speak to the Pharisees, who were experts in the teachings of Moses and the prophetic writings:]
"The teaching [the books of Moses, the Torah – Gk. nomos] and the prophets [proclaimed and prophesied about the Messiah]
until John [the Baptist].
[Nomos is a broad word meaning doctrine, norm, law, and can refer to the entire teaching of the Bible or just the Books of Moses. This first part of the sentence lacks a verb in Greek, so translators fill in that nomos and the prophets "proclaimed," "had their time," "applied," "prophesied about the Messiah," etc. Since the next verse (verse 17) says that nomos will not pass away, the meaning cannot be that the first covenant and Moses' teaching have become invalid. However, a shift has taken place with John the Baptist beginning to preach the gospel, which is the good news. It is likely that the verb "proclaimed" – which is used later in the sentence about the gospel – also refers to the first part. In the parallel passage, the verb "prophesied" is used, see Matt. 11:13. The Scriptures prophesied about the Messiah: where and when he would be born, that he would be born of a virgin, and how he would die, see Mic. 5:2; Dan. 9:25; Isa. 7:14; Isa. 53.]
Since then, the good news (the gospel) has been proclaimed,
and everyone is trying to seize it (take it by force; push their way in).
[The word can be interpreted negatively as trying to seize by force, or positively as eagerly pushing one's way in. The meaning seems to be that when John began to preach that "the kingdom of God has come near," an eager longing arose among the people to seize it, but not everyone did so in the right way, i.e., through a change of heart and faith in Jesus. Many resorted to wrong methods, so that Jesus even had to hide that he was the Messiah and forbid his disciples and others to tell about him. The word "by force" (used in the parallel passage in Matt. 11:12) is the same word used in John 6:15 when they tried to force Jesus to become king.]

But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they all hold that John was a prophet."

There came a man,
sent from God (as a representative, ambassador),
whose name was John.

John [the Baptist] testifies (openly presents the facts, tells) about him,
and cries out with a loud voice, saying,
"It was of him that I said, 'He who comes after me is above me (has higher rank),
because he existed before me.

[The Gospel of John begins literally in Greek with the words "In the beginning." Later in the chapter, the phrase "the next day" is used three times, culminating in "the third day," see John 1:29, 35, 43; 2:1. John seems to make a conscious allusion to the creation story in Genesis and uses it as a template, see Gen. 1. Here in verse 19, the first day begins, which is logical since verse 29 explicitly states that "the next day" begins there.
The headings in this passage follow the days that form a "first week." It culminates with the wedding at Cana, which in this case could correspond to the wedding of Adam and Eve! According to rabbinic tradition, Adam's sleep, when God creates Eve, marks the passing of a night, see Gen. 1:19–24. The rabbis further reason that it is therefore only on the seventh day that he meets his bride, and she becomes his wife! In Gen. 2:24 there is a clear reference to marriage and wedding.]
Here is what John replied when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

John answered their question and said, "I baptize [only] in water, but among you stands one whom you do not know.

All this happened in Bethany, on the other [eastern] side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
[Bethany means "house of bondage," "house of sorrow," and "house of oppression." John mentions two places called Bethany in his Gospel. Six days before the last Passover, Jesus comes to Bethany, just east of Jerusalem, which was the home village of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, see John 12:1. Both the beginning and the end of "Holy Week" mention a Bethany. Jesus begins his ministry in Bethany, at the lowest point on earth, from below as the Lamb of God. He ends his ministry in the second Bethany just outside Jerusalem, where he fulfills the Jewish hope of leaving the house of bondage, see Ex. 12.]

The next day he [John the Baptist] sees Jesus coming toward him and says, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away (lifts up; carries away) the sin of the world!

John testified further, saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending from heaven (the sky) like a dove, and remaining (staying) upon him [never leaving him].

The next day John [the Baptist] was there again with two of his disciples (followers, apprentices). [Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, see verse 40, and John, the author of the Gospel.]

One of the two who had heard what John [the Baptist] said and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

John [the Baptist] also baptized in Ainon, near Salim [halfway between Galilee and the Dead Sea], because there was plenty of water there. People kept coming there to be baptized.

John had not yet been thrown into prison. [Matt. 14:3–4; Mark 1:14; Luke 3:19–20]

Now (therefore) a discussion arose between John's disciples and a jew about ceremonial cleansing.

They came to John and said, "Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan and to whom you bore witness, he is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him."

John [the Baptist] answered, "A man can receive nothing unless it is given him from heaven.

When the Lord [Jesus] found out (became aware) that the Pharisees had heard [received the news] that he was winning and baptizing more disciples than John [the Baptist] –

You sent people [with questions] to John [the Baptist], and he testified to (about) the truth.

[The works testify:] But I have received a greater (stronger, better) testimony than John, for the works that the Father has given me to complete, the ones I am now doing, are a testimony (proof) that the Father has sent me.

He went back across the Jordan to the place where John [the Baptist] had first baptized, and stayed there. [In Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River, see John 1:27.]

Many people came to him and said, "John did no signs (miracles), but everything John said about this man was true."

For John baptized (immersed, Gk. baptizo) with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with (immersed in; completely enveloped by) the Holy Spirit.

from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us, one of them must be a witness with us to his resurrection

You yourselves know (have seen with your own eyes) what has happened throughout Judea. It began in Galilee after the baptism of [repentance] preached by John [the Baptist].

Then I remembered what the Lord had said [before he ascended to heaven, see Acts 1:5]: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Before he came, John [the Baptist] had already preached the baptism of repentance (baptism into a changed way of thinking) to all the people of Israel.

When John was nearing the end of his race [like a runner approaching the finish line in a short sprint], he said, 'I am not the one you think I am [I am not the Messiah]. But behold, after me comes one whom I am not even worthy to untie the sandals of.' [Luke 3:16]