- There are two men who are prominent in the New Testament who had the name John – John the apostle and John the Baptist. Frequently the text will simply say “John” and you will have to determine from the context which John. This may seem difficult and confusing at first, but it will not take you too long to be able to quickly tell the difference in most cases.
- The birth of John the Baptist is described in Lk 1:5-25; 57-80.
- John was a relative of Jesus, presumably a cousin.
- John the Baptist’s parents were name Zecharias and Elizabeth.
- Luke’s account of John’s birth makes clear that John was six months older than Jesus (Lk 1:26, 31). Combined with Jesus’ preexistence #RPJ, this makes for another mystery (riddle) (Mysteries and Revelations) in the Bible – that is, how could Messiah exist before His forerunner?
See also BAPTISM
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