John the Baptist

Preaching in the “Is not this the

Wilderness carpenter’s son?
is not his mother
“And the people asked called Nary?
him, saying, What Matthew 13:55
shall we do then? “
Luke 3:10 Adam
and

“My Soul Doth Magnify The Lord”

Luke 1:5-25 Zacharias visit by Gabriel
Our first New Testament witness of the birth of Christ is a messenger from the presence of God: Gabriel.
Appropriately, this messenger makes his initial appearance in the temple to a faithful priest of the Aaronic
order, Zacharias, who is performing a ritual function on behalf of his nation—burning incense on the altar
within the Holy Place. In performing this duty, Zacharias represented the combined faith of Israel….As
Zacharias prayed, his fellow priests and all within the walls of the temple united their amens to his appeal.
In response to Israel’s prayer, an “angel of the Lord” appeared before Zacharias, standing on the right side of
the altar of incense and identifying himself as Gabriel, one who stood “in the presence of God” By modern
revelation we know that Gabriel was known on earth as Noah, that he “stands next in authority to Adam in the
Priesthood” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 157), and that he holds the keys of the “restoration of
all things” (D&C 27:6–7.) The keys held by Gabriel made him an Elias to prepare the way before the Lord.
How perfectly appropriate, then, for him to announce the birth of the earthly Elias, John the Baptist, who
would prepare the way for the Messiah. (Joseph Fielding McConkie, "Twelve Witnesses of Christ’s Birth",
Ensign, Dec. 1990, 7)
This noble couple [Zacharias and Elisabeth] were, in the nativity story, to be remembered of Jehovah.
Promised a child destined to be the earthly forerunner of the Messiah, Zacharias received the sign from
Gabriel that he would remain “not able to speak, unto the day that these things shall be performed,” because
he did not believe the Lord’s prophetic promise. (Luke 1:20.)
He remained mute until “Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered.” It was then that Zacharias’s
“mouth was opened” and he bore witness of the divine mission of his newborn son (Joseph Fielding
McConkie, "Twelve Witnesses of Christ’s Birth", Ensign, Dec. 1990, 7)
Luke 1:59-64 Zachariah Names His Son
John the Baptist A Forerunner and a Herald

Anciently, forerunners would run before the chariot of the king, clear rocks or other obstacles from the path,
and loudly proclaim the coming of the ruler. John the Baptist was both a forerunner and a proclaimer of Jesus.
This was neither a simple task nor an honorary title. There was difficult and dangerous work to be done. The
Book of Mormon indicates that priestcrafts and iniquities in Jerusalem at the time of the Savior made that
generation the “more wicked part of the world.” (2 Nephi 10:3.) Into this maelstrom John—a mere mortal, yet
armed with the Aaronic Priesthood, a divine commission, personal righteousness, the truth of God, and a huge
amount of courage—launched his ministry. What he was called to do placed his very life in jeopardy.
John single-handedly challenged the network of apostasy that existed among the leaders of his people. His
divine appointment was “to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord
before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord.” (D&C 84:28.)…. Multitudes
recognized John’s power. …. Many, including publicans and soldiers, sought his counsel. (Luke 3:10–14.)
Within six months or so he had so roused the Jewish nation that “the people were in expectation, and all men
mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not.” (Luke 3:15.) John was careful to inform
them that he was not the Christ, but his precursor. (See Luke 3:16; John 1:25–28.)…. John met all the
requirements of a forerunner and a herald. He preached repentance, spoke against the evils and wrongdoing of
the people proclaimed the imminent coming of the Messiah, and identified Him personally and publicly when
He arrived. John fulfilled his ministry with dignity and thoroughness. And while not everyone obeyed him,
those who heard him knew that he was a preacher of righteousness and a proclaimer of the Messiah…. John’s
humility and loyalty to Jesus were dramatically illustrated when some of his disciples brought the news that
Jesus was more popular than John had been and that many of John’s converts were now following Jesus.
John’s response was clear and to the point:“ Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ,
but that I am sent before him. “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom,
which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is
fulfilled.“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (See John 3:28–30.). (Robert J. Matthews, "“There Is Not a
Greater Prophet”: The Ministry of John the Baptist", Ensign, Jan. 1991, 13)
Luke 1:26-33 Gabriel Visits Mary
Speaking of Jesus Christ, Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught:
“God was his Father, from which Immortal Personage … he inherited the power of immortality, which is the
power to live forever; or, having chosen to die, it is the power to rise again in immortality, thereafter to live
forever without again seeing corruption. …“Mary was his mother, from which mortal woman … he inherited
the power of mortality, which is the power to die. …“It was because of this … intermixture of the divine and
the mortal in one person, that our Lord was able to work out the infinite and eternal atonement. Because God
was his Father and Mary was his mother, he had power to live or to die, as he chose, and having laid down his
life, he had power to take it again, and then, in a way incomprehensible to us, to pass on the effects of that
resurrection to all men so that all shall rise from the tomb” (The Promised Messiah [1978], 470–71).
Matthew 1:18-21 Character of Joseph
In the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, by use of the parable of the sower, the Savior points out conditions that
cause crop failure. He answers the question, “Who will forfeit the harvest….Let me share with you prevalent
conditions on the horizon today that can cause us to lose the harvest.
Unwillingness to accept human qualities. When Jesus had taught with such profound wisdom, judgment, and
skill, some of those closest to him were astonished by his amazing abilities and miracles, and said, “Whence
hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
“Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? …They were mightily impressed, even
astonished, at his words and works, but had difficulty accepting the source. “Is not this the carpenter’s son? …
are they not all with us?”…. There is a tendency on the part of some to ignore, criticize, or rebel because they
cannot accept the human delivery system. Some will not accept Jesus Christ as the Savior because they are
waiting for a Prince of Peace to come who is not quite as human as Jesus of Nazareth. Questions such as, “Is
not this the carpenter’s son?” “Is not this the one born in a manger?” “Can any good … come out of
Nazareth?” (John 1:46)…. We read in Matthew:“ And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A
prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. “And he did not many mighty
works there because of their unbelief.” (Matt. 13:57–58)…The concept that “a prophet is not without honour,
save in his own country, and in his own house” was a tragedy for these Galilean people….Will we forfeit the
harvest because we cannot accept direction, revelation, or counsel from someone who just lives down the
street, in the ward, or in the stake? Will we reject leadership from the churchman who is human, with frailties,
and who has family members who may be quite human also? While we are struggling with an “Is-not-this-
the-carpenter’s-son?” attitude. (Marvin J. Ashton, “Who Will Forfeit the Harvest?,” Ensign, Nov 1978, 49)

Conclusion
In the simple and beautiful language of the sacramental prayers those young priests offer, the principal word
we hear seems to be remember. ….We could remember the simple grandeur of his mortal birth to just a young
woman, one probably in the age range of those in our Young Women organization…We could remember his
magnificent but virtually unknown foster father, a humble carpenter by trade who taught us, among other
things, that quiet, plain, unpretentious people have moved this majestic work forward from the very
beginning, and still do so todayp (Jeffrey R. Holland, “‘This Do in Remembrance of Me’,” Ensign, Nov
1995, 67)