John the Baptist, Preacher and Martyr

John was the son of Zachary, a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Elizabeth, a cousin of Mary. He was born after the angel Gabriel had told Zachary that his wife would bear a son even though she was an old woman (at that time, old might have meant someone in their late thirties). About the year 27 when he was around thirty years old, John began preaching on the banks of the Jordan against the evils of the time. He called for repentance and baptism, warning that "the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Mt 3:2). His preaching attracted large crowds and, when Jesus came to him, John recognized him as the Messiah. John tried to discourage Jesus from being baptized, saying, “I need to be baptized by you and do you come to me?’ Scripture continues: “But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness” (Mt 4:14-15). Scripture tells us that John was “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight’” (Matthew 3:3). John was the voice of which Isaiah prophesied a few thousand years ago.