What Did John the Baptist Besides Baptise?

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 This question has been on my mind for years.  And as usual, it is a question that the scriptures themselves have raised.

Nowhere do we read of John doing anything but preach about "the one to come that is greater than he" Mark 1:7.  Baptising down in the Jordan river Mark 1:4-5. Arguing with King Herod Luke 3:19 , and that is about it?   There is absolutely  nothing  else at all  that explains to the readers of the gospels what John, "the greatest prophet" actaully did , nothing.

 Was John's sole message and function simply to "prepare the way" and cleans people of their sins? Or did have have other meaningful functions? 
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Surely John had more to do given his high status as  "the greatest prophet that ever lived"?  according to Jesus?
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@Stephen
Why? I think announcing that the Messiah was on his way and preparing the way for him is the greatest thing anyone at any time could do - anyone who is not the messiah anyway. 

But I also think this related to the OT dispensation.  Not to the New. 
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@Tradesecret
Why?

 Well for a start and as already mentioned, he was the greatest prophet ever born according to Jesus himself. What had he done  besides tell us a messiah was coming. They were always saying a messiah was coming . Indeed a Messiah was expected by most of the people if not the whole nation of Israel.   So this wasn't that "prophetic" in any sense of the word.  He baptised and washed away  peoples sins . But this alone raises many questions on its own. 

But lets stick to the thread. 

Did John for instance cure any lepers?  The bible doesn't say.  Did he walk on water? The bible doesn't say.  Did he feed a multitude with just a fish/s and a few loaves of bread?

 Or should we just assume that he did all the things that Jesus went on to do?


Again there is no indication that John did anything but claim what most people in Israel at the time were expecting, i.e it wasn't news.  And John actaully denied being a prophet never mind "the greatest prophet". 

 Do not turn this thread into a stupid and pointless argument. If you don't know, just say so and leave. 
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The primary purpose of prophecy is to cause people to an ethical response to what they are hearing.  John's preaching was to announce not just that the messiah was coming - but that he was imminent. Not just at some unknown time in the future - but that his coming was going to be the very next event on God's calendar.  And his job therefore was to prepare people for the messiah's coming.  

Hence he preached repentance. He washed people coming to him for their sins.  I don't recall any other episode in the OT where a prophet not only called people to repentance - but he then washed the entire lot of them.  I am sure you will find some for us.  It was priests who went about in the temple - performing the sacrifices on behalf of those who came.  But here with John, he had no lamb - not until Jesus turned up - - Behold the Lamb of God.  Yet it was the job of the prophets to call people to repent.  That was their purpose - to declare the Words of God to repent of their sins or face the judgment of God.  

John' job or purpose was unlike any of the other prophets - his was to usher in the king of kings - the messiah.  John's very presence indicated the Messiah was imminent. I can think of no other greater role for a prophet - can you? Sorry that was a question - and I know how you love to dodge them. 
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@Tradesecret
The primary purpose of prophecy is to cause people to an ethical response to what they are hearing.  John's preaching was to announce not just that the messiah was coming - but that he was imminent.Not just at some unknown time in the future - but that his coming was going to be the very next event on God's calendar.  And his job therefore was to prepare people for the messiah's coming.  

 Like I have said. All the expected Messiahs "were imminent" especially when Israel was  under occupation with a puppet king and priesthood installed.. This is a fact that is confirmed by many scholars many times including  by your own country woman Professor Dr Barbara Thiering.  And I will skip the fact that Jesus mission  actually failed as the expected messiah.
So John's so called "prophesy", wasn't that unique at all. 


Keeping in mind that even John - "the greatest prophet that ever lived"  - himself  had serious doubt Jesus after his arrest.

Jesus Did Not Fulfill the Messianic Prophecies
One of the central themes of biblical prophecy is the promise of a future age of perfection characterized by universal peace and recognition of God. (Isaiah 2:1-4, 32:15-18, 60:15-18; Zephaniah 3:9; Hosea 2:20-22; Amos 9:13-15; Micah 4:1-4; Zechariah 8:23, 14:9; Jeremiah 31:33-34)


And to this day, Israel is still expecting a messiah that will reunite all the lost tribes.

But does any of this have anything to do with the reason and theme for this thread?  NO.



Hence he preached repentance.
Again this is not unique to John. 


  

John' job or purpose was unlike any of the other prophets - his was to usher in the king of kings - the messiah. 
See above and we are drifting from the point of the thread. 


John's very presence indicated the Messiah was imminent. I can think of no other greater role for a prophet - can you?
Again , see above.  Even John - the greatest prophet that ever lived - doubted Jesus after his arrest and Jesus failed at his mission if ever he was indeed the Messiah that John wailed about .


I can think of no other greater role for a prophet - can you? [......................]Sorry that was a question - and I know how you love to dodge them. 

Didn't take you long  to start an uncalled for  argument, did it. If that's the way you want to go, its fine by me.


  So I'll remind you first:   what John did wasn't unique in any way at all. Even John doubted Jesus . Jesus failed miserably at his mission of Messiah as any good Jew will attest.

Second: As to your question "  I can think of no other greater role for a prophet - can you?"  John denied he was a prophet not to mention doubted Jesus himself , was confused as to who should be baptising whom and Jesus' mission as an expected Jewish Messiah failed as many expected Messiahs before him had failed  with Judas Maccabeus being just one of many.  You really don't know anything do you?




 THIRD: And this thread is not about Jesus , it is about  whether  there was more to John's function than preparing the way, crying for people to repent and baptising  ?  

 You don't know do you. Why the fk am I not surprised.

And I notice you have avoided the questions above completely and turned MY thread into a speech no one asked for. 

Here it is again:

Was John's sole message and function simply to "prepare the way" and cleans people of their sins? Or did he have other meaningful functions?  Did he perform any of the "miraculous " deeds that Jesus went on to perform? 











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What he did? Sleep, eat, born, die. Do you need anything else?
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@Intelligence_06
Do you need anything else?

 Maybe I should have asked   `besides the fkn obvious of being , born, sleeping, eating  shiting' :    what other function did John -  as "the greatest prophet that ever lived" have besides  "preparing the way" and cleans people of their sins? OH!   and having his  head removed? 

 I am going to assume that -  like the very much qualified Reverend Tradesecrete -  you don't know of any other function that John may served ,  Intelligence_06. But please correct me if I am wrong.



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@Stephen

 Maybe I should have asked   `besides the fkn obvious of being , born, sleeping, eating  shiting' :    what other function did John -  as "the greatest prophet that ever lived" have besides  "preparing the way" and cleans people of their sins? OH!   and having his  head removed? 

 I am going to assume that -  like the very much qualified Reverend Tradesecrete -  you don't know of any other function that John may served ,  Intelligence_06. But please correct me if I am wrong.

You seem to have the answers - tell us - don't leave us in suspense.  
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@Tradesecret
You seem to have the answers - tell us - don't leave us in suspense.  

No.  I have questions and you keep avoiding them or you simply do not know of any other function John may  served , which is it? 

Did John for instance cure any lepers?   Did he walk on water?  Did he feed a multitude with just a fish/s and a few loaves of bread?

 Or should we just assume that he did all the things that Jesus went on to do?

 



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@Stephen
You seem to have the answers - tell us - don't leave us in suspense.  

No.  I have questions and you keep avoiding them or you simply do not know of any other function John may  served , which is it? 
Stephen, yes you have questions. This is good. Please continue to ask them.  But please do your own homework. 

If you want me to speculate I will. But as far as I can tell you are taking huge leaps of faith here in relation to your version of what John came to earth for. 

He was the forerunner to Christ. He prepared his way. That probably has to do with both preparing people and their hearts for the coming messiah, but also in preparing Jesus in his ministry as well - such as his anointing in his various guises.  His death may well have signaled a particular sign to Jesus that he ought to step up his program. 

Did John for instance cure any lepers?   Did he walk on water?  Did he feed a multitude with just a fish/s and a few loaves of bread?
I don't recall John in relation to any miracles - save and except the voice from Heaven.  


 Or should we just assume that he did all the things that Jesus went on to do?
I don't think there is any assumption necessary. His role was to point people to Jesus. This he did. And once achieved - what happened was a matter for God. 

You do not value preaching, therefore you do not see how this is "great". John preached the gospel - emphatically, a call to repentance. This is the primary purpose of prophecy to tell forth the truth of God which is to produce an ethical response in the hearer.    It is not necessarily a prediction of the future, although he did prophecy about Jesus the messiah coming.  

There was no reason for him to go about doing miracles.  John was not a messiah. Even though he was probably anointed as a priest. He was not the anointed. 
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It can even be shown through scripture that the forerunner and baptist St John gave moral correction as made evident through the account of his death.

He did what all the prophets did, he convicted people of their sin in the spirit of leading them to repentence.

You know, besides playing a part in the theophany of Christ following His baptism.

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@Stephen
The anonymous author of the Bible’s Gospel of John and 1 John, 2 John and 3 John is described in those texts as an eyewitness to the life of Jesus. Historically, researchers studying the works have not found evidence of the author’s identity or the existence of the community the author seems to address in his works.
In a paper published in the Journal for the Study of the New Testament, UNC-Chapel Hill religious studies Assistant Professor Hugo Mendez explains for the first time that the texts were likely written by multiple authors falsely claiming to be a single person close to Jesus. Mendez’s findings also call into question the existence of the so-called “Johannine community.”
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@FLRW
Church tradition says they were written by St John the theologian.

That is all the evidence I need to act as proof.
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@Tradesecret

Stephen, yes you have questions. This is good. Please continue to ask them.  But please do your own homework. 

 So you don't know. I can never understand why you just didn't say as much. You would have no need to remain on this thread .


If you want me to speculate I will. But as far as I can tell you are taking huge leaps of faith here in relation to your version of what John came to earth for. 

 The scriptures make it clear. Matthew 3:1-17. So unless you are saying John had any other purpose either spit it out or leave the thread.


such as his anointing in his various guises. 

  Yes I remember all the other reasons that you concocted for Jesus being baptised by John here https://www.debateart.com/forum/topics/4736-then-why-baptize-him
  You also never did get around to producing the  "very clear" biblical evidence that you say proves Jesus' baptism was  an anointing that made him king, among other things,  here#21


his anointing in his various guises. 
Yet we only know of the one baptism performed on Jesus by John don't we.  Or are you about to enter another into the scriptures that is not there?



Did John for instance cure any lepers?   Did he walk on water?  Did he feed a multitude with just a fish/s and a few loaves of bread?
I don't recall John in relation to any miracles - save and except the voice from Heaven.  

Then that is all you had to say in your very first post. 


 Or should we just assume that he did all the things that Jesus went on to do?
I don't think there is any assumption necessary. His role was to point people to Jesus. This he did. And once achieved - what happened was a matter for God. 

There was no reason for him to go about doing miracles.  John was not a messiah. Even though he was probably anointed as a priest. He was not the anointed. 

 So your answer then is NO - . And that again, is all you had to say, Reverend.



Even though he was probably anointed as a priest. He was not the anointed. 

 Well I am sure there is an argument there for another day and on another thread. 

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@FLRW
The anonymous author of the Bible’s Gospel of John and 1 John, 2 John and 3 John is described in those texts as an eyewitness to the life of Jesus. Historically, researchers studying the works have not found evidence of the author’s identity or the existence of the community the author seems to address in his works.

 Historian, theologian, and Biblical exegete specialising in the origins of the early Christian Church Professor Barbara Thiering put forward a good argument that the author of John was Jesus (dictating) and a gentile John Mark who took the dictation.   She makes some very valid claims in her works, Jesus the Man, Jesus of the Apocalypse and The Book that Jesus Wrote: John's Gospel.  Thiering also worked intensively  on the  Dead Sea Scrolls.
 
 Interestingly in some of her works she has "the word" alive and well  AD 63 and that Paul was referring to Jesus when he wrote "the word  of god is not fettered", meaning Jesus was not in prison.
All interesting stuff. I must say.

 But all in all I am of the belief that John the Baptist holds the key to much of these ambiguous statements and half stories that are presented in the NT.  There is just so much mystery that surrounds John that just cannot be ignored as much as the theist want to.  John was a powerful personality with a massive following of his own at the time yet his role is played down by the scriptures. It all seems so forced that he is shown to be subordinate to Jesus when the opposite could just as easily be true.

The "meeting" and the words spoken down at the Jordan river for me speak volumes. 

Then there is the words that Herod had spoken about him here https://www.debateart.com/forum/topics/5060-whatever-did-herod-mean