The Unestablished Disciple: John the Baptist’s Beliefs and Unique Lifestyle
Submitted to Dr. David Mappes, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
NBST 515 – B08 LUO
New Testament Orientation I byBryant Eubanks
October 4, 2014
Contents
Introduction1
Basic Biographical Information1
Levite Lineage1
Life as a Priest2
Life as a Prophet4
Lifestyle5
Living in the Wilderness5
Preparing the Way8
Ministry12
Discipleship12
Mission15
Martyrdom18
Conclusion19
Bibliography20
Introduction
Jesus Christ did not arrive on this earth unannounced, nor did He begin His ministry without a proper introduction. His first cousin, John the Baptist, was divinely chosen to prepare the way for the Lord when He was to start His ministerial journey on the earth at age thirty, which is also around the time when John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Though one would expect the devoted believer to follow Jesus both physically and spiritually to the ends of the earth, he did only one of these. In choosing to continue his own ministry near the Jordan River, John the Baptist elected an exclusive lifestyle of worship and servanthood unique from the twelve disciples’ resolution of accompanying Jesus Christ on the physical mission of mobile ministry. The student will be conducting research on John the Baptist, highlighting his positive qualities as well as noting his somewhat unusual forms of obedience and worship. Through displaying information collected from predetermined sources (including the Old and New Testaments), the reader will potentially be able to either discover a new perspective of John the Baptist’s way of life, or remain faithful to his/her presupposed opinion of the Baptist’s remarkably devout servitude to God.
Basic Biographical Information
John the Baptist’s personal history has a surprising significance that would dramatically affect his ministry; this significance can be easily
Bibliography: Harris, Kenneth Laing. “Exodus.” In Dennis, 139-209.Henry, Matthew. “John 1:21—Parallel Commentaries.” Bible Hub. Last modified in 2014. Accessed October 1, 2014. http://biblehub.com/john/1-21.htm. Hugenberger, Gordon P Park, Calvin E., “John the Baptist,” Bibliotheca Sacra 34, no. 133 (January 1877): 173-82. Accessed August 29, 2014. http://www.galaxie.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/art. Wilkins, Michael J. “Matthew.” In Dennis, 1815-88. Zee, Leonard Vander