08/23/2026
Today at Marion Hills Bible Church we looked at the life of John the Baptist and how he explained to people that Christ must increase and he ( John)must decrease. We looked from the time of when Jesus had just cleaned out the temple in Jerusalem, and people were asking because Jesus and John were baptizing in two different places. They were asking John who’s baptism was better his or Jesus and John’s response was remember I said I am not the Messiah. I’m not the Christ , but he ( Jesus)is the Christ. John said I must decrease. Jesus must increase and he gave the reasons he said I’m an earthly person, and I can only speak from the Earth. He is from heaven above, and he can share what God has given him so as we continue, John was arrested shortly after that by Herod and put in prison and then within the next six months to a year, John sent some disciples to Jesus seeming to question if he was the Messiah, but I’ve been doing two things at one time one he could’ve been asking am I gonna get out of prison and two he was asking or trying to show to his disciples John’s own disciples that Jesus was Messiah . Jesus is response was a quote from Isaiah or a passage of Isaiah. Jesus said the lame walk dumb speak the deaf hear the blind see the dead are raised again and the poor hear the gospel. Isaiah continued, that he would set the captives free, but Jesus said, bless are those who suffer for my sake. I think he was signifying to John that he was not going to be released from prison, but also pointing out all the signs that Messiah was to do.
We don’t know for certain the time six months to a year after he was arrested. Herod was having a birthday party at which his stepdaughter danced for him, and the dance was so good that he promised her anything she wanted up to have the kingdom. She went and asked her mother what to ask for; her mother said, the head of John the Baptist. That is what she asked for, and they brought the head of John and brought his head and presented it to the girl on a platter and she took it, and presented it to her mother.
The lesson or the Takeaway that we get is what are we willing to do for Christ, no matter what the cost would be. Are we willing to share the gospel, the good news that Christ has come to save us, no matter what the cost.
