Gods Sabbath

C HAPTER 23

John the Baptist

A prayerful reading of John 3:22–36; Luke 7:18–23 together with The Desire of Ages, 214–225 can help to deepen the under standing of this chapter.

Satan’s Temptations

The truths that Job had learned under duress were also taught to John the Baptist while he was in Herod’s prison. John had faithfully performed his divinely appointed mission only to be rewarded, so it seemed, by being left to languish in a Roman dungeon. Satan saw the opportunity to bombard him with doubts about Christ’s mission and therefore, his own work, which had prepared the way for Christ. Even before he was cast into prison John had been tempted to feel competitive and jealous by reports from his disciples about Jesus’ growing popularity. “They came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testi fied about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.’” John 3:26.

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