John the Baptist was called by the Lord even before he was conceived. An angel of the Lord came to his father, Zechariah, and spoke prophetically about John even before he was conceived:
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Even in this short paragraph we’re given an outline for John’s calling and his mission:
- He is given a name, John
- He is filled with the Holy Spirit even in his mother’s womb
- He is coming in the spirit and power of Elijah
- His mission is to prepare the people for the Lord to come
What does it mean to go in the spirit and power of Elijah? It is a reference that John would walk in the anointing and calling of a prophet similar to Elijah, in the same way that Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit.
John then grows up in the wilderness (Luke 1:80), wears a camel hair garment with leather belt and eats locusts and wild honey (Mark 1:6). And then he is called:
… during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John [the Baptist] 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.
John is not recorded in scripture as performing any miracles, but when he would speak to the crowd he would do so prophetically, referencing the coming of Jesus but also alluding to the future event of Pentecost:
I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Who did John say he was? He knew the calling on his life:
So [the priests and Levites] said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
What did Jesus say about John?
- A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. (Matthew 11:9)
- Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. (Matthew 11:11)
- … and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come (Matthew 11:14)
What is the calling on your life? What are the words the Lord has spoken over you? What mission has He given you? And how are you fulfilling it?