Who was John the Baptist?
John the Baptist was the prophet who prepared the way for Jesus, calling people to repentance and baptizing in the Jordan. Jesus called him the greatest born among women.
Born to elderly parents in fulfillment of prophecy, John lived in the wilderness and preached a baptism of repentance, drawing crowds with his blunt call to turn back to God.
When Jesus came to him, John baptized him and pointed to him as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” He summed up his role: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John was imprisoned and beheaded by Herod for confronting the king’s sin, faithful to the end as the forerunner of the Messiah.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.