John's Forgotten Lessons

Eddie Parrish

John the Baptizer is one of Scripture’s unsung heroes. He was given the weighty responsibility of preparing the people of God for the coming of their Messiah (Isa. 40:3-5; Mal. 4:5-6). As evidence that he did his work well, read the words of Jesus: “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist” (Matt. 11:11, ESV). Those familiar with John’s work can probably recall his most famous words: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2). As important as that message was, it was not the only one that John proclaimed. Consider the following lesser-known teachings from this great man of God.

Principles of Prayer

When the disciples saw Jesus praying, they came and asked, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). On the heels of that request, Jesus recited a model prayer for them. But what “model” did John use? What did he teach his followers about prayer? That remains a mystery. But even though we don’t know the specifics of John’s instruction, we know that prayer was important enough to him that he taught his disciples to do it.

Compassion for the Needy

“And the crowds asked [John], ‘What then shall we do?’ And he answered them, ‘Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise’” (Luke 3:10-11). The importance of tending to the needs of the less fortunate was certainly a major part of the Lord’s teaching (Luke 10:25-37; Matt. 6:1-4; 15:32-38; 25:31-46). But how often do we think of John the Baptist when we think of compassion for the needy?

Proper Use of Authority

“Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to [John], ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than you are authorized to do.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation…’” (Luke 3:12-14). Though not stated in so many words, one could summarize the teaching of John on this subject by quoting Jesus, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them…” (Matt. 7:12). To those who had authority over others, John encouraged moderation.

Contentment

Among the words spoken to the soldiers mentioned above, John also said, “...be content with your wages” (Luke 3:14). This teaching would later be powerfully taught not only by Jesus (Luke 12:15-21) but by Paul (Phil. 4:11-13) and the writer of Hebrews as well (Heb. 13:5-6). But did you know that John taught it, too?

The Sanctity of Marriage

John stood boldly before Herod, who had taken his brother’s wife for himself, and said, “It is not lawful for you to have her” (Matt. 14:4). This message was so unpopular that it landed John in prison and ultimately led to his death. But it was a message needed then, as it is certainly needed today (Heb. 13:4; Matt. 19:1-12).

John was an amazing man who, just like Elijah centuries before, fulfilled his God-given role in history with courage and compassion (Luke 1:17). Though the central focus of his work was to point souls to Christ (John 1:29) and his coming kingdom (Matt. 3:2), he also spoke for God regarding such important topics as marriage, prayer, benevolence, contentment, and humility.

May we never forget any of John’s lessons!