Since my mother’s womb, you have been my strength. (Ps. 71:6)
Today, the Church celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, one of just three liturgical birthday celebrations, along with that of Jesus and Mary. According to pious Christian speculation, John was born (though not conceived) without original sin by the action of the Holy Spirit at the moment in which Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting.
Of course, John’s prenatal “leap” is not the only evidence that tradition has relied on to come to this incredible conclusion; it is simply a “sign.” Far more foundational is the prophetic message that the Angel Gabriel imparted upon John’s father, Zechariah:
He will be FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT even from his mother’s WOMB. (Lk. 1:15)
And if the angel’s word isn’t enough for us (as it unfortunately wasn’t for Zechariah—at least not at first), then surely the words of Jesus Christ Himself should be convincing:
Amen, I say to you, among those BORN of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist. (Mt. 11:11)
Still, ancient tradition is not the same as official dogma, so we are free to reserve judgment on the matter. Suffice it to say, the Church deems John the Baptist worthy of an honor that is otherwise reserved for Jesus and Mary alone, so regardless of the nature of his soul at birth, let’s try to understand why Jesus has such high praise for his kinsman John, right from the time of his birth. To do that, let’s begin by looking at the Lord’s praise for his disciple, Peter.
Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. (Mt. 16:17-18)
Peter is a man clearly moved by the Holy Spirit (just as was John the Baptist) to speak words that have come from deep within himself, almost as if they are not his own. And indeed, they are a gift from the Father, poured out through Peter’s heart, and shared with humanity. And Jesus calls him “blessed” for this. So blessed is Peter, in fact, that Jesus decides he will be the one upon whom the Lord will build His Church! That is one impressive blessing.
And yet, Jesus doesn’t call Peter the “greatest” man that ever was; that honor goes to John the Baptist, a man who did not even live to see the Church’s birth at Pentecost. John was the “forerunner,” the one who came before the inception of the Church, the one who came to announce its coming, by way of prophecy.
So what could possibly have made him any “greater” than Peter? Of course, we know the faults and failings of our dear first vicar; but on the other hand, Peter was not born without original sin. Doing the right thing wouldn’t have come naturally to Peter in the way it would have to John. How is it fair to laud John’s “greatness” when it was a greatness that he didn’t exactly have to work for, but rather, was freely given him?
When Jesus calls His cousin “great,” in one sense, He is not referring to His cousin at all. The greatness that Jesus glorifies is the greatness of God in which John lives and moves and has his being (Acts 17:28). It is the same reason that Jesus pronounces blessing upon Peter at the words of his own incredible revelation. But in another sense, Jesus indeed is praising John for his personal greatness, even measuring it above that of Peter—or anyone else for that matter.
Why? Certainly, John gave of himself sacrificially, even to the point of martyrdom—but did not the Apostles do so as well, at least after Pentecost, as well as so many others who came after them? What made John’s act any “greater” than anyone else’s?
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts…to prepare a people fit for the Lord. (Lk. 1:17)
The thing about John the Baptist is that in terms of his role as “prophet,” his mission was a little unorthodox. After all, the prophets who came before him spoke of a messiah who would come hundreds of years later. After a while, the ancients must have wondered whether the words they read in the Torah were more mythological in nature rather than based on any real prediction. But when it came to John the Baptist, his “prediction” was taking place right then and there. He pointed to his cousin, just three months younger than he, and said, “He’s the One.”
Other than the dove incident at Jesus’ baptism, there would not have been a lot of mystical fanfare surrounding these two men. Jesus didn’t glow in the dark (at least not until later), and John the Baptist didn’t levitate or turn his locusts into tasty olives. It would have taken a lot for the people to get on board with whatever this tattered-looking man who lived in the desert was preaching.
And that is the whole point.
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea [and] saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”…Jerusalem, ALL Judea, and the WHOLE REGION around the Jordan…were being baptized by him…as they acknowledged their sins. (Mt. 3:1-6)
John the Baptist managed to single-handedly convince “all” of Judea and the entire “region around the Jordan” to repent. He persuaded them to turn their hearts back to God and to prepare themselves for the arrival of His kingdom. It was nothing short of a miracle.
Camel hair and locusts should have been enough to turn the people “off;” instead, they could not get enough of John’s mysterious message. They hungered for it. They thirsted for it. They recognized it as truth in the silence of their hearts. John’s unappealing appearance and lifestyle only lent proof to the fact that it was the action of the Holy Spirit working seamlessly and continuously in and through him.
Without John’s great ministry, it is possible that not a single soul would have recognized the Messiah who stood before them. These souls were not filled with the Holy Spirit as was John, and they most certainly were born with the stain of original sin.
Let’s understand: “all” the people who came from Judea and the “whole region” around the Jordan to become John’s disciples included ones such as Andrew—the one responsible for bringing Peter to Jesus. John the Baptist was not just the “forerunner” of Christ; he was the forerunner of our Church, the same Church of which we ourselves are members to this very day!
So while it’s true that John did not help found the Church from its inception at Pentecost, without him, there may have been no one around to build that foundation. It’s not that God could not have found another way to accomplish this task; it’s just that “another way” was not the Father’s gracious will.
Author’s Note: This article was adapted from a chapter in 26 Steps with the Characters of the Bible, coming summer 2026.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
