Listed in a pamphlet published by the Vatican Exhibit 2002 Foundation is an ancient fresco that depicts St. John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets.
The image of St. John will be among the 12th and 13th century frescoes that go on display in Lubbock in June, during the Vatican Museums Exhibition at the Museum of Texas Tech.
The Rev. Malcolm Neyland, foundation director, said that St. John revealed the Messiah to the world.
Unlike many among the Hebrew tribes, John believed that the promised Messiah's kingdom would be supernatural rather than earthly, Neyland said.
“You have the Davidic line who believed the Messiah would rule over the earth,” he said. “So when Christ said, ‘My kingdom is not of this earth,’ they charged that he was a false prophet,” Neyland said.
The Hebrews or Israelites believed that the Messiah promised by the prophets, from Moses and Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob, would be a king who ruled on earth, Neyland said.
“That meant when their king came, with one mighty stretch of his arm, he would wipe away their enemies,” he said. “But John recognized that Jesus was the one we had been waiting for all those centuries. And John, upon seeing Jesus approach, said, ‘Behold, the lamb of God,’ acknowledging Christ.”
The story of John baptizing Jesus marks the beginning of Christ's ministry, Neyland said.
“By (Christ's) own example, he would show what God the Father wanted for his people was to enter his kingdom in heaven,” Neyland said. “So there would be death, then new life. As Christ said, ‘Unless ye die, ye shall not enter the kingdom of God.”
John the Baptist preached that when the Messiah came he would bring salvation, but not through establishing a kingdom on earth.
“The signs of the Messiah's arrival would be, the blind would see, the lame would walk, the dead would rise, which is exactly what Christ did,” Neyland said.
snip
When John and Jesus did meet, John made clear to all that he was only a messenger, and that Christ was the Messiah, the promised one, Neyland said.
Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John, but the prophet asked Jesus why he would seek baptism when his soul was free of sin.
John's words implied his recognition of Christ as the Messiah, and after baptizing Jesus, a voice from heaven was heard saying “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased,” (Matthew, iii, 15-17).
snip
But Josephus writes a different story containing an alternate reason for St. John's arrest.
“As great crowds clustered around John, Herod became afraid lest the Baptist should abuse his moral authority over them to incite them to rebellion, as they would do anything at his bidding,” Josephus wrote. “Therefore he thought it wiser, so as to prevent possible happenings, to take away the dangerous preacher ... and he imprisoned him in the fortress of Machaerus.” (Antiq., XVIII, v, 2).
Whatever the prince's motive, it is certain that Herodias nourished a hatred against John:
“She laid snares for him: and was desirous to put him to death.” (Mark, vi, 19)
http://www.vaticanexhibit.com/stories/011502/new_johnthebaptist.shtml
also:
He gave them good reason to believe that, too. A savior of souls would have no need to be born in Bethlehem, and descended from David but not Solomon.
“That meant when their king came, with one mighty stretch of his arm, he would wipe away their enemies,” he said. “But John recognized that Jesus was the one we had been waiting for all those centuries. And John, upon seeing Jesus approach, said, ‘Behold, the lamb of God,’ acknowledging Christ.”
How do we know he said that? Oh, it's in the book of John, written decades later."I knew it all along." But somehow he and Jesus couldn't get it across to anyone else. Why? Most likely explanation: he didn't know any such thing, and all this after-the-fact "I tried to tell them" business is exactly what it usually is.