Rev. Sun Myung Moon: The Life and Mission of Jesus Christ
Chapter 2: Jesus’ Early Ministry, John The Baptist, Page 23-24

CHAPTER 2: JESUS’ EARLY MINISTRY

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. —Luke 4:18-19

 

John The Baptist

When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John … .

He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.

He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.

And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:12-17)

 

I am sure that many people who read the Bible must have wondered about John, “If he were such a great man, why did he not become the chief disciple of the Son of God?”

Jesus himself indicated the mission that John the Baptist came to fulfill: “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.” (Matt. 11:13) John the Baptist represented the consummation of the Old Testament, the law, and the prophets. He was the prince of the old age. Jesus Christ came as the prince of the new age. Had he been supported by John the Baptist, he could have stood upon the firm foundation of the Old Testament Age. Then the new age could have blossomed in the fertile soil of the accomplishments of the old age. The Son of God could have established his glorious kingdom at once. And John the Baptist would have been the cornerstone of that kingdom.

Had John the Baptist followed Jesus, the distinguished leaders of that society would have been the first to accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Then who would have crucified the Lord of glory?

When God sent his only Son to this world to establish his kingdom on earth, don’t you think he wanted to be followed by the most able people of his age? Do you think that God wanted only the outcasts of society to follow Jesus? Not at all! The simple failure of John the Baptist broke the link between the Son of God and the people. As a result, only fishermen, tax collectors, harlots, and lepers followed Jesus Christ. This brought great grief to the heart of God.

The book of Malachi in the Old Testament had a parallel purpose to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. It shows clearly the timetable and the last-minute description of how the Messiah would come. In Malachi, you will find these words: “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.” (Mal. 4:5) Elijah … had ascended into heaven in a chariot of fire in a whirlwind, according to the Old Testament. So people believed that Elijah would literally return from the blue sky in a chariot of fire and announce the Son of God. This is what the people expected.

But did Elijah come? The problem was, Elijah did not return in the manner people expected. The people never heard anything about his miraculous return. However, one day a young man from Nazareth, whose name was Jesus, was being proclaimed by his followers as the Messiah, the Son of God.