John the Baptist (John 1:6)

We will discover later that the Light is Jesus Christ, and the darkness is anything that opposes the Light. We know from history and the Bible that the first attempt to suppress the Light occurred when King Herod ordered every child under the age of two years to be murdered (Matt. 2:16-18). History records that Herod even had his own son killed. Caesar Augustus had this to say about Herod’s slaughter, “It was better to be Herod’s dog, than Herod’s son” (Ussher, James. The Annals of the World. Master Books. p. 781). Herod was afraid of the Light. Other attempts against the Light came from the Jewish leaders who tried to discredit Jesus through questions and innuendo. When they were unsuccessful they plotted to kill Jesus. Satan attempted to stop the Light when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness and when he motivated men to crucify Him. Today the darkness is still attempting to put out the light. Nothing has changed.

Why did the Holy Spirit introduce us to John? What was his importance? Was he mentioned here because people had already heard about him, his baptism, and rumors that he was a prophet? Did people wonder if John was the Light? Did some wonder if John was the coming Messiah? The answer is yes because he is introduced here simply as a man - “There came a man . . . “ Nothing was said about the Light.