John the Baptist and the Prophetic Spirit of Pentecost
James
D. Hernando, Ph.D.
Professor of New Testament, Assemblies of God Theological
Seminary
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But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised
his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea
and all you who in Jerusalem, let this be known to
you and give heed to my words. For these men are not
drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third
hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through
the prophet Joel: ‘AND
IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT
I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND [Heb. And
Gk. “all flesh” hence NIV “all people”];
AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR
YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM
DREAMS; EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL
IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy’” (Acts
2:14-18, NASB).
What Pentecostal minister has not heard, read or preached
from the above passage countless times? Yet, what does
it mean to the average believer in our churches except
that we speak in tongues and believe that the gifts
of the Spirit are for today? Look closely at Peter's
words and you can detect a special emphasis. The words
in capital letters are from Joel 2:28,29, but the quote
does not include the final words of Acts 2:18, “And they shall prophesy.” Peter
added those words, repeating the words “shall prophesy” from
verse 17 for emphasis.1
To be sure, Pentecost marks the beginning of the Spirit-filled
New Testament church, but we should understand something
else. On the Day of Pentecost, God constituted the
church as an end-time community of prophets. As Pentecostal
scholar Roger Stronstad puts it: “Because Jesus
transferred the Spirit from himself to his disciples
on the day of Pentecost, the Pentecost narrative is
programmatic for their ongoing ministry in the Spirit.
In other words, from the day of Pentecost onwards they
are the eschatological community of Spirit-baptized,
Spirit-empowered and Spirit-filled prophets.”2
If I understand his point correctly, Stronstad is saying
that the church collectively is the prophetic people
of God. That being the case, Peter’s words do
not just mean that all individuals in the church have
access to the gift of prophecy, something Paul would
later make clear in 1 Corinthians 14. Peter does mean that
the New Testament church is uniquely constituted as a prophetic
people by the Spirit.
But what significance does that hold
for us today? What does the prophetic convey when lived
out in the world? In answering those questions for
myself, my attention was drawn to a most intriguing
New Testament figure: John the Baptist. The focus might
seem odd given that John was technically an Old Testament
prophet: “For
all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John” (Mt.
11:13). Nevertheless, some remarkable statements Jesus
made about John justify the focus. For example, of those
born of women, Jesus said, “There is no one greater
than John” (Lk 7:28).3 Part
of John’s greatness stems from his unique prophetic
ministry. By Jesus' own words, John was “more than
a prophet.” He was God’s herald, a forerunner
to the Messiah, who would prepare for his coming (Lk.
7:26). In view of this appraisal, what can we learn
about the prophetic Spirit from the consummate
Old Testament prophet—John the Baptist? In chapter
3 of Luke's Gospel, we are given a fascinating portrait
that depicts three aspects of his prophetic ministry:
(1) the scope, (2) the content and (3) the courage
of prophetic preaching.
The Scope of Prophetic Preaching
In this chapter, we are introduced to a series of
groups who heard John's prophetic preaching. We can
be sure the Jewish religious establishment heard John’s
preaching. In Luke 3:7, John issues a scathing rebuke
to the crowds who had gathered to hear him.4 These
represent the undifferentiated masses of society. What
follows are encounters with groups within the multitude.
For example, in verse twelve John addresses the tax gatherers
(Gk. - teleonai), locals hired by Roman officials
to collect regional taxes. They were often rich enough
to pay the tax quota in advance from their own personal
wealth. They then proceeded to collect well above that
amount.5 Seen as treasonous
collaborators with Rome, these economic king pins kept
the wheels of Roman prosperity amply greased. Next John
addresses soldiers (v. 14), the most visible component
of Roman military occupation sent to forcibly keep the pax
Romana in that part of the empire. Finally, we find
John confronting Herod Antipas with a prophetic word of
rebuke. Herod, son of Herod the Great, was tetrarch of
Galilee. Although a political puppet of Rome, Herod exercised
nearly unlimited political power and authority, answerable
to no one except the emperor.
When we look at the total picture, we discover a remarkable
fact. John the Baptist left no segment of society untouched
by the proclamation of God’s Word. He prophesied
to all classes and groups: rich and poor, despised and
esteemed, powerful and lowly. He held up the standard of
God’s righteousness regardless of whom he was facing.
Jesus asked rhetorically about John, “What did you
go out into the wilderness to see, a reed shaken by the
wind?” No, for John the rules did not change
depending on who was in the audience. Whoever went
out into the wilderness to hear John could count on
hearing the prophetic Word of God, spoken without compromise
and applied to the relevant issues of their lives.
The Content of Prophetic Preaching
The question to be asked is, “What did John preach?” From
the Isaiah quote in verses 4-6, we can respond that John
preached the good news of God’s salvation. However,
the parallel accounts in the other Gospels6 indicate
that John’s prophetic preaching was foundational
and preparatory. By preaching “a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins” (v.3), John laid down
the necessary groundwork for Jesus’ preaching
of the gospel and the approaching7 kingdom
of God. Repentance raises the fundamental issue of
sin and the need of forgiveness as an indispensable
requirement for entrance into the kingdom of God. Later
Luke records Jesus’ warning to self-righteous Judean Jews: “I
tell you, . . . unless you repent, will all likewise perish” (13:3).
It seems clear that for John, like the Messiah whose
coming he heralded, repentance from sin and the gospel
were inseparable.8
The second topic of John’s preaching concerns social
responsibility toward the poor. When some among the multitudes
ask John, “What then shall we do?” John instructs
them: “The man who has two tunics is to share with
him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise” (v.
11). Note that the question posed to John was open-ended.
John could have raised any one of a hundred items of
moral or ethical concern, but he calls the multitudes
to take care of the poor and needy among them.9 In
doing so, they would display the same benevolent and merciful
compassion that God showed them in redemption.10 Those
who seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness
(Mt 6:33) must not neglect their duty to reflect the
character of his redemptive grace. Paul understood
this. When encouraging the Corinthians to complete
the collection for the Jerusalem poor he wrote, “For
you know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet
for your sake he became poor, that you through his
poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9, emphasis mine).11
Next, John takes on a sensitive and politically volatile
situation—injustice through economic oppression.
With tax collectors undoubtedly in the audience,
John addresses the oppressive and corrupt taxation
of Rome and her Jewish collaborators. As alluded
to earlier, tax collectors were given quotas but
were not limited by Rome in what they collected.
They determined the policy and rates of taxation.
In effect, it was a license to steal. Furthermore,
behind them lay the punitive power of Rome to enforce
their taxation. John the Baptist was not afraid to
tackle the systemic evil that oppressed by design
through corrupt policy.
However, the Baptist was not about to let the arch
oppressors off the hook. To the query of Roman soldiers,
John responds, “Do
not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely,
and be content with your wages” (v.14). His words
paint a vivid picture of the brutal and coercive treatment
Roman soldiers sent to keep the pax Romana in what
amounted to a police state. While Rome prided itself on
being an empire ruled by law, in reality there was little
to curb the extortion and violence of individual Roman
soldiers in a conquered and occupied land.
Just when the reader is certain John has offended
just about everyone, the narrative takes a “fatal” turn.12 He
now condemns the most scandalous example of moral corruption
in his day. The marriage of Herod Antipas to Herodias,
the wife of his brother Philip, was not only adulterous
but incestuous (Lev 18: 16) as well. On more than one occasion,13 Matthew
had drawn attention to this vulgar violation of the
law. Luke tells us that Herod earned a prophetic rebuke
for this sin, “and all the wicked things” he
had done (v. 19).
The Courage of Prophetic Preaching
It is difficult to imagine the weight of consequences
that pressed for John’s silence. Apart from prophetic
inspiration, there is no explanation for John’s courage
and dauntless confrontation of sin. The risks were enormous,
and the results ominous. Issuing a call of repentance
to Annas and Caiaphas was an insult to the highest
religious office in Judaism and tantamount to religious
and political suicide. By confronting the multitudes
with their sins and hypocrisy (vv. 7-8), John ran the
risk of social rejection and the loss of a popular
following (v.3; cf. Mk 1:5). The exposure of the tax
collectors in their fraud and oppressive taxation surely
risked retaliation by these economic power brokers.
No less dangerous was his direct confrontation of Roman
soldiers with their extortion and violence. Certainly,
it held the risk of violent retaliation by those who
unilaterally possessed the power of the sword.14 Finally,
it was all but suicidal to denounce publicly the sins of
an eastern potentate, especially one notorious for his
wickedness (v.19).15
Did John the Baptist fully understand the risk he
took in bringing God’s prophetic truth to those who stood
condemned? The testimony of his Old Testament predecessors
points to an unequivocal “yes” as the answer.16 He
realized the risks, but his fear and love of God overcame
his fear of man and the love of worldly acclaim or
approval. He proclaimed the truth of God to his entire
generation in spite of the consequences. Those who are
heirs of the prophetic spirit of Pentecost are kin to the
prophetic spirit of John the Baptist. Should not the church
of Jesus Christ display the same prophetic courage to speak
God’s truth today? In view of our spiritual inheritance
can we remain silent in a world bereft of moral guidance,
set adrift in a sea of moral relativism, without an anchor
of transcendent truth? In a day when people reject any
notion of truth apart from what is expedient or seems “right
for me,” who will hold up the standard of God’s
unchanging truth if not those who have inherited the
prophetic mantle of the Baptist?
Endnotes...
1. This
well-known literary device of bracketing a passage
by repeating the same word, phrase or clause is called inclusion and
is used to emphasize a thought or topic the author
wants to underscore.
2. Roger
Stronstad, The
Prophethood of All Believers: A Study in Luke's
Charismatic Theology (Sheffield, England: Sheffield
Academic Press, 2003), 15.
3. True,
the verse goes on to say, “Yet he who is least
in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” However,
these words should be understood not as assessment
of intrinsic worth or value, but of privilege within
the history of salvation. As great a prophet as John
was, his ministry still belonged to the era of promise,
and he did not live to see the total fulfillment
of what was promised in the Old Testament nor did
he receive the revelation given to the New Testament
church.
4. What is interesting
is that Matthew (3:7) has this rebuke directed primarily
at the Pharisees and Sadducees.
5. See
Everett Ferguson. Backgrounds
of Early Christianity, (Grand Rapids, MI:
William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.,1987), 87-88.
6. See Mt 3:3ff; Mk
1:2ff; cf. Jn 1:19-23.
7. Jesus
preached, “The
kingdom of God is near” (lit. ‘has
come near’).
The verb eggiken is an intensive perfect
which stresses the present result of an action
or condition. The idea is that the kingdom of God
has approached or come near to humanity in the
preaching and ministry of Jesus. As a result, the
kingdom is near
at hand. This could be described as the “imminent” kingdom.
Luke’s
gospel also presents the kingdom as present (Lk
11: 20) and future (22:18).
8. This
is underscored clearly in Mark’s gospel, where
preaching the gospel is equated with the message of
the Kingdom. As does Luke, Mark mentions that John
appeared in the wilderness preaching “a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness
of sins” (1:4).
Mark records the first words of Jesus as, “The
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is
at hand; repent and
believe in the gospel” (1:14). Then when
the Twelve are commissioned and sent out in pairs
to preach the gospel throughout Galilee, Mark
summarizes with, “And
they went out and preached that men should repent” (6:12 [Emphasis
mine]). In view of the above, it seems
obvious that modern preachers who avoid raising
the issue of sin and repentance, in an attempt
to gain a hearing for the gospel by the unchurched,
are tampering with the integrity of the gospel
itself. Without mentioning repentance from sin
there is no gospel!
9. In
this, John is not unlike any number of his OT prophetic
predecessors who called Israel to show God’s
compassion by remembering the poor.
10. This has
to do with what I call the “incarnational purpose” of
the Church. As Israel was to be “light unto the Gentiles” (Is
42:6; 49:6; cf. Lk 2:32), the Church of Jesus Christ
is to make visible the redemptive character of God
seen in His salvation. Note that in Lev. 19 God defines
the command to covenantal holiness in ethical terms,
Broadly speaking it is the command to love ones neighbor
(vv.18, 34). Among the various commands, the compassionate
concern for the poor features prominently (vv. 9-10,
15,34).
11. What is
interesting is that Paul begins chapter eight by commending
the Macedonians for making known the “grace of God” by sacrificially
giving to this offering despite their own “deep poverty” (2
Cor 8:1,2).
12. The author
could not resist the pun given the “fatal” consequences
of John’s prophetic denunciation of Herod Antipas.
13. Note Matthew
14:4 and the use of the imperfect tense, which in context
is probably progressive (“had been saying”)
or iterative (“kept saying”). John's
denouncement: “It is not lawful for you to have
her.”
14. Rome as the
occupying power did not extend the power of execution to
the Sanhedrin (See Jn 18:31). Nevertheless, Herod as a
client king of Rome was accorded that power.
15. Josephus
recounts Herod’s betrayal of his brother Philip
(not the tetrarch); his illegal marriage to Herodias,
his brother's wife; and the divorce of his wife, the
daughter of the Nabatean king Aretas. See Antiq. 18.5.1. Josephus goes on to relate
that Aretas responded to this betrayal by making war and
defeating Antipas, a defeat the Jews regarded as divine
retribution for the killing of John the Baptist. Antiq. 18.5.2.
16. In Mt 23:29-35
Jesus gives his own summary of that prophetic testimony
and the supreme price paid to deliver it.
Updated:
Monday, February 6, 2006 12:30 PM
