John's Preparation for Jesus' Ministry (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A): Revision Note
Exam code: 8062
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptised by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptised you with water; but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:1–8)
Who was John the Baptist?
John the Baptist is described in Mark’s Gospel as an unusual character, dressed in camel’s hair with a leather belt and subsisting on a diet of locusts and wild honey
Many scholars think that John the Baptist was a member of a Jewish monastic community, the Essenes, living in the desert near the Dead Sea
John the Baptist is a central figure in the story of Jesus: His role was to prepare the way for Jesus’s coming
Mark quotes the prophecy of Isaiah in the Old Testament to show that John the Baptist clearly fulfilled the promise of a messenger who would announce the coming of the Messiah that God had promised to send
The Old Testament teaches that the forerunner to the Messiah would be the prophet Elijah
Mark says that John the Baptist would be like Elijah, preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah
The symbolism of baptism
According to St Mark’s Gospel, John the Baptist performed baptisms in the River Jordan
The River Jordan runs from the Judean Desert into the Dead Sea, and this is where John is thought to have lived
The symbolism of baptism is to be washed with water as a sign of repentance, of washing away sins and making a fresh start
This practice began before Christianity, but the Christian Church would later adopt it as the sign of entering Christianity and a new life in the Christian community
John the Baptist’s preparation
John the Baptist prepared people for the coming of Jesus by:
Encouraging people to repent for their sins
Baptising people so that they could begin a new life
Announcing the coming of someone who was much greater and more powerful
Teaching people that the one who was coming would bring the gift of the Holy Spirit to believers
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity, God, which means that God is with believers always, strengthening them for any challenges they might face
Worked Example
What was John the Baptist’s main role according to St Mark’s Gospel?
A. To challenge the Roman authorities
B. To prepare the way for the Messiah
C. To lead the Essene community
D. To write one of the Gospels
Answer:
B. To prepare the way for the Messiah
John the Baptist taught that one was coming who was more powerful than he was, who would baptise with the Holy Spirit.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
It’s worth learning the very first line of Mark’s Gospel, since it announces what the book is going to be about: “the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1).
The very name Jesus (Joshua in English) means “God is salvation”, while “Christ” means Messiah. So right from the start, we have the spoiler alert that this is going to be a message of hope and salvation!
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