John the Baptist
The prophet who preached repentance and baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.
At a glance
- Name
- John the Baptist
- Type
- Person
- Period
- New Testament
- Appears in
- Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
- First appearance
- Luke 1
- Known for
- Baptizing Jesus and preparing the way
Who is John the Baptist?
John the Baptist is a prophet who preaches in the wilderness of Judea, calling people to repent and be baptized. He wears clothing made of camel hair and lives simply, and crowds come out to him at the Jordan River.
John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan. He tells the people that he is not the Messiah, but one sent ahead to prepare the way, and points his own followers toward Jesus.
John is later imprisoned by Herod the tetrarch after confronting him, and is put to death in prison.
John the Baptist in the Bible
His birth is foretold
The angel Gabriel tells the priest Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son named John, who will go before the Lord to prepare a people for him.
Read Luke 1 →Preaching and baptizing in the wilderness
John preaches a message of repentance and baptizes people in the Jordan River, and baptizes Jesus.
Read Matthew 3 →John points to Jesus
John testifies about Jesus and identifies him to his own disciples.
Read John 1 →"He must increase; I must decrease"
When John's disciples raise a question about Jesus' growing following, John explains that his own role is to decrease as Jesus increases.
Read John 3 →People connected with John the Baptist
- baptizes Jesus John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River.
- birth announced by Gabriel Gabriel announces John's birth to his father Zechariah in Luke 1.
Not to be confused with
- John, son of Zebedee One of the twelve apostles and a different person from John the Baptist.
Key passages featuring John the Baptist
- The birth of John foretold to Zechariah
- John preaches and baptizes Jesus
- John testifies about Jesus
- John's testimony about Jesus' growing following
These are key passages, not a complete list of every appearance.