Lesson 6
John the Baptist
When friends come over for a visit, we usually make preparations to welcome them. Sometimes, we make a lot of preparations. The Bible tells us how some people made preparations to welcome Jesus. John the Baptist was one of them.
John the Baptist was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Before John was born, Zechariah and Elizabeth tried to have a child for a long time. Finally, God blessed them with a son – and they named him John.
John was special because he prepared people for the coming of Jesus. John lived in the desert; his clothes were made of camel hair, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Many people went to the desert to listen to John; he told the people to prepare for God’s Kingdom by being sorry for their sins and to obey God. Many people believed what John was saying, and they were baptized by John in the Jordan River.
Like the people in the Bible, we also need to make preparations to welcome Jesus into our hearts each day. We prepare our hearts by praying and by listening to God’s words. When we come to Mass, we should try to listen to the readings from the Bible. After the readings, the priest or deacon gives a homily so that we can understand God’s words better.
At the same time, we can also help others to prepare to welcome Jesus into their hearts. We can tell them about Jesus, we can tell them the stories of the Bible, and we can also pray for them.
Questions:
- Who were the parents of John the Baptist?
- Where did John the Baptist live? What kind of clothes did he wear? What kind of food did he eat?
- What message did John the Baptist tell the people?
- Where did John baptize the people?
- How can you help others to welcome Jesus into their hearts?