While the whole multitude were praying outside at the Hour of the Incense, Zechariah received the rare privilege of offering the incense inside the Temple in Jerusalem, as an act that symbolized the prayers of God's people about the hope that God would bring salvation to them. While performing this duty, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of the incense, announcing that his prayers were going to be answered.
Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel and fear fell upon him. He was terrified. The angel foretold him that Elizabeth would have a son, to be named John, who would be great in the sight of the Lord as the forerunner of Jesus Christ. Zechariah's lack of faith made him doubt about the angel's prophecy, and because of it the angel Gabriel rendered him unable to speak until the baby's birth.
Zechariah and his barren wife whom were well advanced in years, had led lives devoted to the commandments, statutes and ordinances of God, and had their home in the hill-country South of Jerusalem.
According to the Gospel of Luke, the birth of John took place 6 months before the birth of Jesus and by giving a child to Zechariah and Elizabeth the final stages of redemption would be set in motion. Soon after the child was born, at the time of his circumcision, Zechariah was suddenly released from the lack of speak, and under the power of the Spirit, gave praise to God for bringing salvation to his people.
John is presented as a preacher of repentance reflecting a separation from the sinful ways in which the nation was wrapped and forming a new Israel. John spoke harshly to those leaders whose behavior was reprehensible and who thought they had nothing to fear simply because they were descendants of Abraham. Yet even to them John preached repentance and the promise of forgiveness and restoration.
John himself understood and made clear that his preaching of the baptism of repentance were meant to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord: "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."Matthew3.
Jesus submitted himself to John's baptism, as the one called to bear the sufferings of His people, at which time a voice from heaven and the descent of the holy Spirit made clear that Jesus was the One for whom the way was being prepared.
John the Baptist's role in announcing the coming of the Messiah is emphasized especially by the Gospel of John (1:19-43). When John the Baptist was questioned whether he himself was the Messiah, he strongly denied it and instead pointed people to Jesus, whom he described as "the Lamb of God," who takes away the sin of the World." Later in the same Gospel he is reported to have said regarding Jesus, "He must become greater; I must become less. John 3. The public appearing of the Lord, for whom he had prepared the way, marked the concluding stage of John the Baptist's ministry.
Quite soon after Jesus was baptized, John was put in prison because he had rebuked Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee and Perea. (Matt.4;Mark1;Luke3). Some time later, news of Jesus' growing ministry reached John, who proceeded to send 2 of his own disciples to Jesus with this question:"Are You the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else!"(Matt11;Luke7). John may have expected the Messiah to take up the axe already laid at the root of the tree and bring Judgment on the wicked. Since Jesus was doing nothing of the sort, John may have needed some reassurance or at least some clarification of the Messiah's role.
Jesus' response was in effect to point out how the Messianic works prophesied in Isaiah 61 were now being fulfilled. Jesus took the opportunity to speak about the significance of John the Baptist.
Jesus indicated that John was not a delicate or easily intimidated man, nor was he someone interested in courting the good graces of powerful people. On the contrary, John was a prophet and his ministry had greater significance than that of the other prophets, for he was the Elijah promised in Malachi 3.
It was in this context that Jesus made the remarkable comment: "Among those born on women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." The point is that John who had announced the coming of the Kingdom, did not experienced it because he belonged to an earlier agreement. On the other hand, those who receive the good news of the Messiah, and thus participate by Faith in the blessings He brings, belong to a new different agreement that belongs to a different age.
Jesus' Words have an eschatological meaning, that is, they refer to the end-time fulfillment of the Old Testament promises in the person of the Messiah. Jesus said:"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John."(Matt 11). Since that time, the Good News of the Kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
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