Many thought John was the promised Messiah, but he vehemently denied any such role. He explained his mission in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Matt. 3:3). He was, he claimed, only the forerunner of the Messiah. “I baptize you with water” he said, “but . . . he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3:16).
