Who was John the Baptist, and why did he baptize?

In John 1:19-34, John the Baptist points away from himself to Jesus: "Behold! The Lamb of God." Dr. Toby Holt explains John's one great mission — to prepare the way for the Messiah. Asked who he is, John refuses every title, calling himself only "a voice crying in the wilderness." Because Jews normally baptized only Gentile converts, baptizing Jews implied Israel itself needed to repent. He names Jesus the Lamb of God, pointing to the Passover lamb and the cross.

Questions this study answers:

1. Why was John baptizing people? As a call to repentance. Because Jews usually baptized only Gentile converts, his baptism implied that Israel too needed to turn back to God.

2. Why did John call Jesus "the Lamb of God"? Because Jesus is the true Passover Lamb who would die in the place of sinners, taking away their sin.

3. What was John the Baptist's mission? To prepare the way for the Messiah and point people to Jesus — never to himself.

"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" — John 1:29 (NKJV)

Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.