herald

The mission of the Baptist often is described as heralding or proclaiming the coming of Jesus. It’s worth exploring this idea in greater detail as it gives insight into John and his relationship with Jesus.

The Greek verb προκηρύσσω (proskerusso) comes from the word κῆρυξ (kerux), which means herald. A herald holds an official role generally serving someone in power whose job is to make official announcements or proclamations and to get the word out. A herald is distinct from a messenger in that a messenger would be more likely to deliver a message from one authority to another while a herald would deliver news from an authority to the people.

What do you think it means that John’s job is described as herald? Whom does he serve? What’s his message? What can we learn from this terminology about John’s relationship with God?

you also may like our study of the book of Exodus
You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provides an in-depth look at how significant events in biblical history that occurred thousands of years ago to descendants of Jacob remain relevant and even critical for present-day Christians to understand. The deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and the giving of Ten Commandments are examined along with the development of Moses’ relationship to God. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.

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