BIBL 360
SPECIALIZED STUDY: BIOGRAPHICAL STUDY TEMPLATE
Instructions:
For this assignment you will be studying the life of John the Baptist. What can be learned
from John the Baptist when we methodically study his life using the technique of
observation, interpretation, and application?
Step One - Observation
A. Select: Select a Character. For this assignment you will be studying John the
Baptist.
B. Gather: Gather all the data. Find all of the Scriptures you can on John the Baptist.
List and summarize your findings by chapter. Summarize by verse if it contains
an observation crucial to the story.
John 3 – John tells his disciples that he is not the Christ but he is preparing the way for
Him.
Isaiah 40, Malachi 3 – Prophecies John’s coming to prepare the way for Jesus.
Matthew 11 – Jesus calls John more than a prophet and says that he is Elijah.
John 1 – Introduces John and his purpose to bear witness to Jesus.
John 1:29-34 – John calls Jesus the Lamb of God and testifies he saw the Spirit descend
on Jesus and He is therefore the Son of God who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3 – John preached in the wilderness of Judea, saying he is the
voice preparing the way for Jesus. He baptized in the Jordan River, calling for people to
repent of their sins, and said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John
baptized Jesus.
Matthew 17 – Jesus tells His disciples that Elijah has already come, talking about John.
Luke 1 – Gabriel foretells John’s birth and purpose in life. John leaps in Elizabeth’s
womb when Mary visits while pregnant with Jesus. The birth of John and his
development in the wilderness.
Mark 6, Matthew 14 – John is imprisoned by Herod because John did not approve of
Herod’s marriage to his brother’s wife. Herod had John beheaded at the request of his
wife’s daughter, who had pleased him with her dancing.
BIBL 360
C. Organize: Organize your findings. This organization should be built around as
many of the items in this list as possible: Name, Birth, Family background, Early
life and training, Conversion, Historical setting, Geographical movements, Sin,
Spiritual life, Major Accomplishments, Death, Major Lessons.
Name: John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth.
Birth: John was born in a town in Judah about six months before the birth of Jesus. John’s
birth and purpose in life were foretold by the angel Gabriel.
Family background: Zecharia was a priest and Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron, so
he came from a priestly line. John and Elizabeth were at an advanced age and Elizabeth
was described as barren, so they had no children. During Elizabeth’s pregnancy Mary, a
cousin of Elizabeth who had just become pregnant with Jesus, visited and John leapt in
Elizabeth’s womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Early life and training: John grew and became strong in the Spirit and lived in the
wilderness until his first appearance in Israel.
Spiritual life: John preached in the wilderness of Judea, saying that he was the voice
preparing the way for Jesus, just as the prophets Isaiah and Malachi had proclaimed. John
preached that he was not the coming messiah but that he was preparing the way for him.
John baptized many people in the Jordan River, calling on them to repent of their sins,
and said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Major accomplishments: John baptized Jesus and saw the Spirit of God descend on Jesus.
John called Jesus the Lamb of God and the Son of God.
Death: John was imprisoned by Herod because John did not approve of Herod’s marriage
to his brother’s wife, Herodias. Herodias’s daughter pleased Herod with a dance and he
offered her anything she wanted as a reward. She requested the head of John on a platter
so Herod had John beheaded.
Major lessons: Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah promised by the prophets.
Everything John did pointed to Jesus.
BIBL 360
D. Consult: Consult secondary sources. What do our various Bible study tools help
us understand about John the Baptist? Be sure that your sources are both
academic and scholarly.
John the Baptist was a “Prophet from a priestly family, who preached a message of
repentance, announced the coming of the Messiah, baptized Jesus, and was beheaded by
Herod Antipas.”1
The Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook says, “John the Baptist was sent from God (1:6).
John was not himself the Light (1:8). He came as a witness to Jesus (1:7, 15).”2 It also
said, “Malachi, God’s messenger, noted that while true priests of God served as His
messengers (2:7), God would one day send “My messenger” (3:1, John the Baptist) to
prepare the way for “the Messenger of the covenant” (3:1, Jesus).”3
Craig Blomberg wrote, “Jesus’ cousin John preceded Him in the public eye, fulfilling the
prophecies that one like Elijah would come to prepare the way for the Christ (see 11:7–
19, esp. v. 14). He became known as “the Baptist” because he called Jews to repent of
their sins and demonstrate the rededication of their lives to God by immersion in water, a
rite otherwise largely reserved for Gentile proselytes to Judaism.”4
John Martin wrote, “John’s message began in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius
Caesar, that is, a.d. 29.”5 This came after John’s living in the wilderness. The word of
God came to John while in the wilderness and he preached that people needed to be
baptized and repent of their sins.6
According to Edwin Blum, “John also reminded his disciples that they were forgetting
part of his teaching. For he had clearly taught that he was not the promised Messiah but
was only sent ahead by God to do a work of preparation for the Messiah (1:8, 15, 20,
23).”7
______________
1. R. Alan Culpepper, “John,” ed. Chad Brand et al., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary
(Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 932.
2. B&H Editorial Staff, Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook (Holman Bible Publishers, 2012), 347.
3. Holman Bible Handbook, 295.
4. Craig L. Blomberg, “Matthew,” in Holman Concise Bible Commentary, ed. David S. Dockery
(Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 406.
5. John A. Martin, “Luke,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures,
ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 210.
6. Ibid.
7. Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures,
ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 283.
BIBL 360
James White noted, “John the Baptist then gave testimony that he saw ‘the Spirit come
down from heaven and rest’ on Jesus. This confirmed to John that Jesus was the
Messiah.”8
Louis Barbieri wrote that John was arrested because he had publicly condemned Herod
for living with his sister-in-law, Herodias. Herodias’s daughter danced at a birthday party
and delighted Herod so much that he offered her anything she wanted. She asked for
John’s head on a platter so Herod had John beheaded.9
E. Determine: Choose a primary passage. Choose one passage that seems to best
summarize the life of John the Baptist. Provide a detailed and thorough rationale
for this determination.
The primary passage that best summarizes the life of John the Baptist is John 1:29-34.
John calls Jesus the Lamb of God (Verse 29) and states that he baptized with water so
that Jesus could be revealed to Israel (Verse 31). John saw the Spirit descend on Jesus
and said that the one that sent him to baptize with water told him that this would be the
one that baptizes with the Holy Spirit (32-33). John then says that Jesus is the Son of God
(Verse 34). ICornelis Bennema wrote, “Apparently, God, who had authorized John's
baptism, had revealed to John how he would identify the person about whom he was to
testify: it would be the one on whom the Spirit descended and remained (1:33). John
would then be able to reveal this messianic figure to Israel - and this was the primary
purpose of John's baptizing ministry as 1:31 asserts.”10 The purpose of John’s ministry
was to prepare the way for Jesus and to reveal Him to Israel.
______________
8. James Emery White, “John,” in Holman Concise Bible Commentary, ed. David S. Dockery
(Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 467.
9. Louis A. Barbieri Jr., “Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the
Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 53.
10. Cornelis Bennema, "The Character of John in the Fourth Gospel,"IJournal of the Evangelical
Theological SocietyI52, no. 2 (2009): 271-84, https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=
https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/character-john-fourth-gospel/docview/211236520/se-2.
BIBL 360
Step Two: Interpretation
A. State the teaching principles. Ask yourself, “What does the life of John the Baptist
have to say that is useful for Christian living and for the church in general?” List
and explain at least five principles that you can draw from your study of John the
Baptist. Be sure to use the academic and scholarly secondary sources you worked
with in the previous consultation section in order to fully develop your
explanations.
1. The life of John the Baptist shows Christians that Jesus should come before us.
John told the people, “He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry” (Matt. 3:11, English Standard Version). Blum
wrote, “John’s fame was to be superseded by that of Jesus, whose priority stems
from His preexistence: He was before me.”11 Bennema said, “John's succinct
description of his standing in relation to Jesus, ‘He must increase, but I must
decrease’ (3:30), shows his eagerness to have more people going to Jesus than to
him. John even directs his disciples to Jesus.”12 As Christians, we need to make
Jesus the top priority in our lives, recognizing that He is above us and greater than
us.
2. Just like John, everything Christians do should point to Jesus. John told his
disciples, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey
the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36,
ESV). White said, “John taught his disciples that their relation to Jesus determines
life itself, for rejection of Jesus brings about God’s wrath.”13 According to
Bennema, “The purpose of John's testimony is to elicit belief (1:7) - a life-giving
belief in Jesus as the immediate and wider context indicates.”14 John’s entire
purpose in life was to point people to Jesus, the source of salvation.
3. John showed Christians through his life that we should follow the calling that
God has given us. Luke wrote that “the word of God came to John the son of
Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:2-3,
ESV). Martin wrote, “Luke noted that the word of God came to John … in the
desert. The Old Testament is filled with similar phrases as God called specific
prophets to perform tasks.”15 God calls all Christians to do something, and we
must recognize, pray about, and heed that call.
____________
11. Blum, Bible Knowledge Commentary, 274.
12. Bennema, The Character of John, 280.
13. White, Holman Bible Commentary, 470.
14. Bennema, The Character of John, 273.
15. Martin, Bible Knowledge Commentary, 210.
BIBL 360
4. John’s message was that only repentance would bring salvation, not what one’s
family heritage was. John told the people who came to be baptized, “Bear fruits in
keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have
Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up
children for Abraham” (Luke 3:8, ESV). Martin wrote, “John challenged the
people to bring forth fruit as an indication of their belief.”16 He also said, “John
was clear that being a member of the nation of Israel would not save anyone.”17
John made it clear that only repentance from sin that showed by one’s actions
would bring salvation.
5. John the Baptist showed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Son of God,
who would bring salvation and eternal life to those who believed. John said, “I
myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me,
‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with
the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of
God” (John 1:33-34, ESV). The Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook says, “John
the Baptist confessed upon seeing Jesus that here is ‘the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world!’”18 Blum wrote, “John’s testimony was that this is the
Son of God. The prophesied Davidic King was God’s Son (2 Sam. 7:13), and the
messianic King is uniquely the Son of God (Ps. 2:7).”19 John’s message was that
Jesus is the long awaited Savior who would take away the sins of the world.
B. State your conclusions. Taking the main point of what you have learned, write a
concluding statement of interpretation that summarizes the main teaching of the
person. In other words, in light of your findings, what do you think is the major
teaching point in the life of John the Baptist?
The major teaching point of John the Baptist is that Jesus is the Son of God and that only
through repentance of sin and believing in Jesus can salvation be attained.
______________
16. Martin, Bible Knowledge Commentary, 211.
17. Ibid.
18. Holman Bible Handbook, 347.
19. Blum, Bible Knowledge Commentary, 275.
BIBL 360
Step Three - Application
A. State and explain five application principles from your study of John the Baptist.
They may be related to the principles you listed earlier in this exercise as
“teaching principles.” Try to personalize them. If necessary, you may use the
structure of the four relationships of life in order to structure your application
principles.
1. I have to continue to pray over my calling to be a youth pastor to confirm that
this is what God truly wants me to do. I feel like I have received confirmation
from those close to me that it is the correct path for me, but there are times that I
wonder if the opportunity will present itself. I have to continue to pray about it,
knowing that God will open the door if it is what He wants for me.
2. I need to act humbly at all times, realizing that everything I have and
accomplish comes from God. John gave all the glory to Jesus, saying that he was
only preparing the way for the Lord. I have to have the same attitude in all that I
do.
3. I need to share the Gospel with others more boldly. John was not ashamed of
preaching about Jesus and did not care what others thought of him. Like John did,
I need to not worry if sharing the truth about Jesus offends somebody. Jesus, and
telling others about how to obtain salvation through him, should be
should be my number one priority in life.
4. I need to show through my actions on a more regular basis that I have repented
of my sins and been saved. While I know that I can never completely get rid of sin
in my life, I can strive to minimize it. There are times when I am out with friends
that I may have a few drinks too many, which is not a good example to set as a
Christian. I need to show the fruit of my salvation by my actions.
5. I need to encourage those close to me who are not believers to follow Jesus.
John’s entire purpose in life was to point people to Jesus. I have close friends who
are not Christian and I have to make it a priority to point them toward Jesus. I talk
about my faith with them but I have to find an opportunity to bring Jesus and what
He can do for them into the conversation.
BIBL 360
B. What one action can you take this week to apply one of these principles in your
life? Be detailed and specific. Remember, this should not be so general it could fit
with any number of Biblical characters. Specifically connect this action to your
study of John the Baptist.
One action I can take this week is to be more consistent about showing the fruit of my
salvation. John said that only those who bear fruit were saved by their baptisms. I will
show that I have truly repented of my sins by making it a priority not to return to
them. I will not drink to the point of intoxication when out with friends, even if that
means not drinking alcoholic beverages at all.
BIBL 360
Bibliography
B&H Editorial Staff. Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Nashville: Holman Bible
Publishers, 2012.
Barbieri, Louis A. Jr., “Matthew.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition
of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor
Books, 1985.
Bennema, Cornelis. "The Character of John in the Fourth Gospel."IJournal of the
Evangelical Theological SocietyI52, no. 2 (06, 2009): 271-84,
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/
scholarly-journals/character-john-fourth-gospel/docview/211236520/se-2.
Blomberg, Craig L. “Matthew.” In Holman Concise Bible Commentary, edited by David
S. Dockery. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.
Blum, Edwin A. “John.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the
Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books,
1985.
Culpepper, R. Alan. “John.” In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, edited by Chad
Brand et al. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003.
Martin, John A. “Luke.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the
Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books,
1985.
White, James Emery. “John.” In Holman Concise Bible Commentary, edited by David S.
Dockery. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
