Q1. Hassling John the Baptist

[Pastor Ralph]

Q1. (John 1:19-23) Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem? What were they afraid of? How did John understand his own mission? How much conflict do you think could be expected from John’s mission?

[pickledilly]

First of all, I would guess that since the religious leaders considered themselves to be the guardians of the Jewish people and the ultimate experts on Jewish prophecies, they considered it their duty to investigate a man who was attracting such attention among the people and going all around baptizing them (an action only ascribed for religious leaders).  John was proclaiming a message about preparing the way for someone coming after him – someone of superior rank who existed before him.  I wonder if the terminology he used may have been similar to what Jesus later used when He said He existed before Abraham, terminology which had clear implications of deity to the Jews.  Bur for sure, the religious leaders knew their prophecies spoke of three specific people that were to come in conjunction with their deliverance promised by God – the Christ, Elijah, and the Prophet.  They would want to know if one of these had arrived or if someone was claiming to be one of them.  Either way, it’s obvious they were threatened right from the start.  I don’t think that was rooted in a desire to protect the purity of God’s Word or to defend the Jewish people from falsehood.  They arrogantly had great privilege, power, authority, and control over the people, and they were indignant at any perceived danger to their position.

 

John clearly understood his mission.  He was simply a precursor to the greater One who would follow him.  He bore a simple message: straighten up your ways and purify your hearts to prepare for the coming of the Lord.  He baptized those who received that message with genuine repentance.  This declaration was sure to cause intense and ongoing conflict with the religious establishment.

[Delivered]

Q1. (John 1:19-23) Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem?

It was the responsibility of the council, the Sanhedrin not to hassle but to investigate prospective Messiahs.

 

What were they afraid of?

I don’t know if “afraid” is what I would use; however, there was the fear of the Gentile’s, Rome to contend with. and that of peace for Israel. if he were the Messiah, or the Prophet Elijah, who was to come before the Great Day of the LORD.

 

How did John understand his own mission?

Jesus made clear John’s mission in (Mt 11:10,14,17) that John the Immerser is not Elijah reincarnated, but he will come in his spirit for those who will accept him, John the Baptist understood his mission was to be a voice preaching in the wilderness of Judea, that would bring a new context, cleansing from a life pattern of sin.

 

[Delivered]

Q1. (John 1:19-23) Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem?

It was the responsibility of the council, the Sanhedrin not to hassle but to investigate prospective Messiahs.

 

What were they afraid of?

I don’t know if “afraid” is what I would use; however, there was the fear of the Gentile’s, Rome to contend with. and that of peace for Israel. if he were the Messiah, or the Prophet Elijah, who was to come before the Great Day of the LORD.

 

How did John understand his own mission?

Jesus made clear John’s mission in (Mt 11:10,14,17) that John the Immerser is not Elijah reincarnated, but he will come in his spirit for those who will accept him, John the Baptist understood his mission was to be a voice preaching in the wilderness of Judea, that would bring a new context, cleansing from a life pattern of sin.

 

[Scotty10]

I think that the religious leaders were not comfortable with John the Baptist drawing so many and this could threaten their sense of power over the people of Judea.  

 

John was aware of his mission as a prophet of the most high from an early age through his father.  He was to become the voice in the wilderness preparing the way for the Lamb of God.  I believe that when John's ministry was underway that his message was not received by some of the ruling establishment and they probably felt threatened.  

[Clarence]

Q1. (John 1:19-23) Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem? What were they afraid of? How did John understand his own mission? How much conflict do you think could be expected from John's mission?

 

John the Baptist would have been aware of what Gabriel (the angel of the Lord) had told his father Zechariah, (Luke 1). Elizabeth (John's mother) and Zachariah would probably have told him.

In addition, Because Zachariah was a priest, John the Baptist would have also had access to the scrolls of the Torah and the Prophets whence John's quotation of Isiah 40. Zachariah would probably have taught his son from the scrolls, John obviously knew them well. So John would have been quite clear about his mission. John the Baptist would most probably have known Jesus well because of their respective mothers family ties. He did not seem to be afraid of the religious leaders or any body else for that matter because at one stage he called them a "brood fo vipers" (Luke 3). He also rebuked Herod the tetrarch for marrying Herodias, his brother's wife and for the other evil things he had done (Luke 3:19).

For this remark, Herod had John locked in prison. As the study notes suggest, John was forthright.

[Jen]

Why was John the Baptist being hassled by religious leaders? And what were they afraid of? It seems that people in their perceived or actual positions of power become or already were very small people as they think of their "importance".  They do not credit to God their position, nor do they ask God for wisdom from Him and they become distrustful or fearful of even  the smallest person who is different from them who might pose a possible threat to them.  They use ridicule, harassment , minimizing and other methods to harass and terrorize those people.  The leaders in those days were for the most part arrogant, lovers of selves, proud, boastful and wanted all eyes on them.  They were the head honchos and didn't like any competition.

How did John understand his own mission?  He understood that he was sent before One greater than he to prepare the way for that One.

How much conflict could be expected from John's mission?   I think often we are caught by surprise by the amount of conflict we experience over some small thing.  In this case since the positions of power were threatened (when aren't they) there would be a great amount of conflict  both in terms I expressed above and also the clouds that can form in our own minds from the constant bombardment from the spiritual forces of darkness.

God Bless!

Jen

Numbers 6:24-26

 

We need to pray for each other!

[Singergram]

Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem? What were they afraid of? How did John understand his own mission? How much conflict do you think could be expected from John’s mission? 

 

Perhaps the religious leaders from Jerusalem had grown comfortable with the way they were "doing" religion and did not appreciate someone who would upset their constituency to the point that they might seek changes in the religious practices (including the power invested in the leadership). I perceive that they were afraid of losing their sway over the masses, and that would affect the prestige in which they were held as well as, perhaps, the monetary support they received.

 

John understood his mission to be that of one who prepares the way for another. He was a "scout" for the Messiah, helping the people to ready their hearts and minds to hear the message of God from a new, more open, mindset. By challenging commonly held traditions and practices that may have evolved from the various schools of interpretation of the scriptures, he could expect a great deal of conflict surrounding his ministry. His boldness to proclaim God's word is seen in his willingness to challenge the validity of Herod's marriage--an act that resulted in his execution. 

 

 

 

 

• Like This

 

• Quote
• MultiQuote
   
•  

[Guitar Jim]

Q1. (John 1:19-23) Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem?

 

At that time there was a delicae balance of power in Jerusalem. They were being ruled by Rome, under the tetrach Herod, an underling king subservient to Rome. Their own Jewish council did have some power in religious and social matters but at a whim the Roman rulers could step in at any time and over-rule them. Therefore anyone who could rock the boat was kept under close scrutiny.

John the Baptist was preaching a doctrine that differed to various degrees from what the Pharisees and the Saducees were teaching the Jewish people. The Saducees were teaching that people do not rise from the dead (in which case why bother being righteous?) and the Pharisees were teaching that absolute obedience down to the very letter of the Law of Moses was the way to righteousness and the favor of God. John preached simple repentance and generosity to one's neighbor.

 

 

 

What were they afraid of?

 

John also preached that the Kingdom of God was coming. That would have set off the alarm bells in the minds of the Jewish leaders because Rome would definitely not tolerate the coming of a King. Any talk of rebellion would be detected by the Roman authorities and the perceived rebels would be brutally crushed.

 

 

 

How did John understand his own mission?

 

John was a humble man who downplayed his role in the whole advent. Clearly, in the light of history, John was figuratively Elijah. His father Zechariah prophecied as much and John's very manner and appearance were similar to Elijah's. But in real terms of course John wasn't ACTUALLY Elijah. The prophecy concerning Elijah's "return" was fulfilled in the coming of John the Baptist in every sense of the word in as much as prophecies of that nature are fulfilled.

He could have claimed to be Elijah and not be lying, but if he had claimed to be Elijah there was a real chance that the Jewish people would have tried to make John king by force, as they later tried to do with Jesus. Elijah had been one of the greatest heroes in Jewish history. A reincarnated Elijah would have been the cause for great social and political upheaval.

Rather than claiming to be Elijah, he said he was simply the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He also was fully aware that he was the herald of Jesus and nothing more. When John's disciples told him that Jesus was gaining more disciples than he was, he was glad to hear that because he knew that Jesus was the important one. By the time Jesus began His mission. John's work was almost done.

 

 

 

How much conflict do you think could be expected from John’s mission?

 

I think as much conflict as was recorded could be expected. I'm reminded of those prisoner of war movies in which the captured allied officers were accorded a modicum of courtesy by the German prison camp overseers but if they stepped out of line they were brutally reminded they were still prisoners. That was the precise situation in Judea at that time. John was preaching about things pertaining to the coming of the Messiah. The Jewish leaders and elders had built up their little petty empires within the authority of the Roman occupation and they weren't going to let anyone tear that down.

 

 

 

[JanMary]

Q1. (John 1:19-23) Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem?

 

 It was because they held all power and position in Judaism and wanted no interference from anyone outside of their dominance. He was "straightening the highways" for the coming of Messiah to the forefront and they were so drunk with their own pride that even knowing the prophesies regarding Messiah's coming they spurned both John and Jesus. 

 

What were they afraid of?

 

Someone usurping their power and control....losing prestige and their elevated "place". They were the supreme authority of the Jewish religion and jealously guarded their "station" as keepers of the Law. (power had corrupted them)

 

How did John understand his own mission?

 

He was Jesus' cousin and knew of both his own prophesied and profound birth and calling (Isaiah 40:3) and of Jesus' miraculous birth and Calling. He had grown up hearing all of the details of God choosing his name, his father's inability to speak due to unbelief when Gabriel spoke to him of John's birth, until he spoke "his name is John (Grace)" in contradiction to others trying to name him. He knew his mission was to prepare the way for the Lord. He had heard God's voice declare "This is my Son, My beloved, in Whom I delight" and had seen the Heaven's opened and the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Jesus after His baptism. He was crystal clear about why he was born and why at this particular time.

 

How much conflict do you think could be expected from John’s mission?

 

A great deal, as happened. He didn't mince words when the Pharisees and Sadducees came to him for baptism, calling them a brood of vipers....telling them to let their lives prove they had changed their hearts, and who saw baptism as one more way to show their piety (ignoring John's call to repentance)  John was rough and rugged, and not one of them in their pristine robes and holier than thou attitude. He was the antithesis of their religion, and had no regard for their perversion of the Law.

[blezed]

Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem? What were they afraid of? How did John understand his own mission? How much conflict do you think could be expected from John’s mission?

• John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders because they were jealous and wanted to see why he was so popular.  John the Baptist had a great following and it was growing fast.  They were intimidated by him.  John new that he was just a voice proclaiming the kingdom of heaven was at hand.  He understood that he was the forerunner preparing the way of the Lord.  John is causing a great deal of conflict because he is making the people recognize their sins and in order to be saved they must repent.
   

 

[puritu]

John reminded the Jewish leaders of their duty to serve God above all else and for that they felt threatened. Their questioning of John was not to see if God was speaking to them through him but to exert their power and authority; hoping to have John cower before them, but John who acknowledged and recognized his mission spoke as the Spirit gave him utterance. They the leaders may have been conflicted but John remained pure and true to his purpose and mission - a simple man.

[hanks]

Q1. (John 1:19-23) 

Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem? 

What were they afraid of? 

How did John understand his own mission? 

How much conflict do you think could be expected from John's mission?

John was popular and was causing quite a stir (Matthew 3:5). So I see the religious leaders being concerned, and wanting to know what he is all about. They had to investigate because of the rumours that he might be the Messiah. A false Messiah might excite the crowds and do a great deal of damage by upsetting the fragile relationship between the Jews and the Roman governor. They were supposed to expose false prophets and would-be Messiahs and to guard the religious interests of Israel, but in actual fact, I think, they were more worried about opposition to the lucrative hold they had on religion, and if need be John was to be neutralized. But John knew they were not sincere and denounced them as a brood of vipers. This we read in Matthew 3:7, ‘But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?’ He had recognized their true nature and knew that they were inwardly corrupt, hypocritical, and self-righteous. Yes, John did understand his own mission. He had said, I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness.’ He was the voice, and Israel was the wilderness, and Christ was the Word. He did not pretend to be a great man to be praised and admired, but was only a voice - not to be seen, but only to be heard. Quoting Isaiah 40:3 he was telling all that he was the forerunner who was predicted – he was here to announce the coming of Christ. His message was, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” In other words, “The Messiah is coming. Remove everything in your life that would hinder you from receiving Him. Repent of your sins, so that He can come and reign over you as the King of Israel.” 

 

[lighthouse2014]

Q1. (John 1:19-23) Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem? What were they afraid of? How did John understand his own mission? How much conflict do you think could be expected from John’s mission?

John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders because he was preaching to the common people to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. The religious leaders believed they were the only one's who knew the law.

The religious leaders were afraid that John would take the attention away from them, they were the one's to get the people to come to them for their sins. Plus John could possibly start an uprising, the people were looking for a messiah to come and set his kingdom.

John understood his mission as one that was to proclaim and make straight the path for the messiah, to call all the people to repentance of sins and be cleansed by baptism.

The conflict caused by John's preaching was that he was pulling the peoples attention to himself instead of the leaders, after all common man was ignorant of the law and prophesies.  

[PeteD]

Possible reasons why the establishment hassled John the B:

They on some level had to have been just curious. But I agree they had to have felt threatened since John was obviously implying in his message that things were amiss and repentance was needed and that they as leaders they had failed or in some sense were responsible.

John understood his ministry to be a voice preparing the way for a greater one to follow. It involved a call to repentance (baptism by water) in the tradition of Elijah, but more the pointing to the one who would baptize with the Spirit of God.

This conflict should not be unexpected. Anytime truth confronts lies there will be persecution.

[parkerslope]

Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem?

The religious rulers were bound to the traditions of the "Fathers" which had covered the true meaning of the Law.  John spoke about the love and mercy of God that was in the Law, but they had over looked it. John was teaching the people to repent, when that was the rulers job.

 

 

What were they afraid of?

They were afraid of being out of a job.  Because John spoke of the truth, which they had not been doing.

 

 

How did John understand his own mission?

John felt like he was doing what God asked him to do.  It was not important to him, how valuable his message was to the Jews.

 

 

How much conflict do you think could be expected from John's mission?

Much !  As John was speaking the truth about the Law, which was not the same as their own teaching.  The Sadducees and the Pharisees were teaching the tradition and not actually the Law.

[servant for Christ]

John was being hassled because they thought he was the Messiah or Elijah. John understood his mission because he was told that he would go before Christ dfas a forerunner with the spirit and power of Elijah. There was a lot of conflict. Some believed in Christ and some opposed him.

[tgandy]

John the Baptist was being "hassled" by the religious leaders because he was telling them who he wasn't.  He was telling them things they did not want to hear. example The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent.  They would be saying among themselves who is he.  John just said who he wasn't. We all have a fear of what we do not know or understand.  I think this is one thing that was going on.  Plus the other thing would be where am I in all of this?  John understand that his mission was to make way for the one who would come.  I feel much conflict could be expected.  After all weren't things going along just fine!  The rich were getting richer, the poor getting poorer and those who knew the Messiah would come kept anticipating. 

[haar]

Q1. (John 1:19-23) Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem? What were they afraid of? How did John understand his own mission? How much conflict do you think could be expected from John's mission?

 

John was attracting huge crowd that  the Jewish authorities may be thought could undermine their political authority.

 

They also wondered what authority John had to think that even Pharisees and Sadducees who were thought be pious could be asked to repent and be baptised.

 

Jealousy for John’s rising popularity could also have been the reason for the Jewish authorities to have harassed John.

 

John clearly understood his mission as to introduce the Christ Jesus.

I do not see any conflict in John’s role and that of Jesus Christ 

[SoiKosum]

(John 1:19-23) Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem? What were they afraid of? How did John understand his own mission? How much conflict do you think could be expected from John’s mission? 

 

During the time of Christ and the New Testament era, the Sadducees were aristocrats. They tended to be wealthy and held powerful positions including that of chief priests and high priest. They held the majority of the 70 seats of the ruling council called the Sanhedrin.

 

In contrast to the Sadducees, the Pharisees were mostly middle-class businessmen, and therefore were in contact with the common man. The Pharisees were held in much higher esteem by the common man than the Sadducees. Though they were a minority in the Sanhedrin and held a minority number of positions as priests, they seemed to control the decision making of the Sanhedrin far more than the Sadducees did, again because they had the support of the people.

 

Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees earned numerous rebukes from Jesus. Perhaps the best lesson we can learn from the Pharisees and Sadducees is to not be like them. Unlike the Sadducees, we are to believe everything the Bible says, including the miraculous and the afterlife. Unlike the Pharisees, we are not to treat traditions as having equal authority as Scripture, and we are not to allow our relationship with God to be reduced to a legalistic list of rules and rituals.

 

Given this background, it is not difficult to understand that these leaders were afraid of John the Baptist who baptised people and called for the repentance of sins. They were afraid that he would usurp their power and authority. 

 

John understood his own mission to be the preparation for the Lord Jesus Christ's coming - 'I am the voice of one calling in the desert, "Make straight the way for the Lord.":(John 1:23) John the Baptist further said that "... the reason I came baptising with water was that He might be revealed to Israel." (John 1:31)

 

Due to the Sadducees and Pharisees apprehension of John the Baptist's mission and his ability to baptise so many people, much conflict could be expected from John's mission. 

[reneely2459]

(John 1:19-23) Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem? What were they afraid of? How did John understand his own mission? How much conflict do you think could be expected from John’s mission? 

 

1.  I think that John the Baptist was being hassled by religious leaders from Jerusalem because many were going out to him in the wilderness--they were losing control of the people whom they had held in bondage by their manmade rules and laws.  People were being set free (to a limited extent) and were realizing that they could be free from the weight of their sins.  Until that point they had to wait until it was time (during religious feasts) to confess their sins.  But John was giving the people hope, not only with them being able to repent and be baptized, but that their Messiah was coming and He would truly set them free.  Maybe the religious leaders, since they thought they were the 'authorities' on God, felt threatened by someone who was not of their synagogues or teachings, but just a plain and ordinary man (well not so ordinary  ).  Why wouldn't they KNOW about the Messiah's coming?!  Why wouldn't they be the first in the information pipeline to KNOW about the coming of the Messiah. 2.  They were afraid that their establishment would crumble and they would no longer be able to control the people with their multitude of rules and regulations (that they added to the Law of Moses).  3. John understood his mission by having listened to his father and mother throughout the years of his growth; he understood it too because he was in relationship with God.  He stayed true to the calling of God on his life.  4.  Great levels of conflict because John was preaching to a place in people souls that needed deliverance and healing.  When that happens satan is stirred up to oppose God very strongly.

[dillards]

I think John was speaking the truth and the religious leaders felt their power was threatened by this. Until John, they held all the power as the ones who made the rules everyone was supposed to follow to lead a "good life"... The leaders had made religion an unemotional aspect of life, removing all the reasons why the rules were created to begin with.

John knew his purpose was to open the doorway for Jesus to walk through... His purpose was to shake up the way people felt about religious practices... to make faith an emotion again, not a cold distant checklist to be done.

[snow]

John the Baptist was being hassled by the Jewish religious leaders, Pharisees and Sadducees because John was receiving much attention from the people and they were afraid that they would not adhere to the religious laws.  Also, these leaders may have felt threatened as if they were losing their power as leaders of the people.  The leaders wanted to clarify if John was claiming to be the Messiah or the Prophet who is to come before the Messiah.

 

John understood his own mission as the one who cries in the wilderness as prophesied by Isaiah.  John denied being a prophet and also denied being the Messiah.  John wanted the people to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord. 

 

John's mission could cause much conflict because he was doing something new and different.  When people aren't use to change and want things to remain the same, they are threatened by anything that brings about a change. 

[quilter]

These people had no idea who John the Baptist was. They did not want an unknown to have a bigger following than themselves. they felt threaten. The leaders that come were pharisees a group that John the Baptist and Jesus often denounced.

 

John was doing what the Lord had called him to do.He was preparing the people for the coming of the Lord.

 

 Much conflict.  John was preaching and teaching repentance and to be baptist for the Lord was at hand. praise the blessed Saviour.

[RebeccaMallinson]

I am not sure if ‘hassled’ is the right word.  I think it was a purely fact-finding mission.  Religious leaders are supposed to lead and make sure that the faithful do not go off track, even more so when they are also responsible for the judicial system.  There are records of other religious movements at that time, such as the Sadducees and the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls (name?).  Some were more acceptable to the religious authorities than others.  If they were worried about anything, it was the start of a new sect.  They might even have been willing to believe that John the Baptist fulfilled the prophesies.  Their difficulty later on proves that their belief would have to be on their own terms.  John understood his own message as to be the herald of the Messiah.  As far as I can see the only conflict he faced was due to the type of people who came for baptism.  These were often the poor and marginalised ‘bad’ people.  As far as I know from the Gospels, he was not persecuted for this.  His arrest and execution were due to his outspokenness against a practice which was totally opposed to Judaic law, so the religious authorities had no hand in it at all.I am not sure if ‘hassled’ is the right word.  I think it was a purely fact-finding mission.  Religious leaders are supposed to lead and make sure that the faithful do not go off track, even more so when they are also responsible for the judicial system.  There are records of other religious movements at that time, such as the Sadducees and the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Some were more acceptable to the religious authorities than others.  If they were worried about anything, it was the start of a new sect.  They might even have been willing to believe that John the Baptist fulfilled the prophesies.  Their difficulty later on proves that their belief would have to be on their own terms.  John understood his own message as to be the herald of the Messiah.  As far as I can see the only conflict he faced was due to the type of people who came for baptism.  These were often the poor and marginalised ‘bad’ people.  As far as I know from the Gospels, he was not persecuted for this.  His arrest and execution were due to his outspokenness against a practice which was totally opposed to Judaic law, so the religious authorities had no hand in it at all.