This Saturday, January 14, the Armenian Church commemorates the Feast of the Birth of St. John the Forerunner (also known as St. John the Baptist). John is an important figure in the New Testament and is mentioned prominently in all four Gospels, which indicates that he had an effective ministry baptizing those who repented their sins. He announced the coming of “one greater” than himself who is “to come baptizing not with water but with the Spirit.” (See Matthew 3:11-12; Mark 1:7-8; Luke 3:16-17; John 1:26-27). According to the account in the Gospel of Luke, John was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a cousin of Mary. John is considered to be the last of the Old Testament prophets and then precursor of the Messiah. John is one of the two prime intercessors to Jesus Christ, the other being Mary, the mother of the Lord.
