Dear Father,

in one episode of the Gospel, some questioned John the Baptist: they asked him whether he were the Christ and he answered no; whether he were Elijah and he answered no; whether he were the Prophet and he answered no again.

Later, he said to be ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert’.

My question is this: who is this mysterious figure whom they call ‘the Prophet’?

From the text he seems distinct from both the Messiah and Elijah.

Perhaps, is a figure who has not manifested yet, related to the second coming of Christ?

Thanks in advance

embracing you in the Lord

The Priest’s answer

Dear friend,

1. To understand the meaning of the question we must contextualize it.

The circumstances are mentioned by St. John, in John 1:25.

St. John notes that those who asked this question and had come from Jerusalem, were sent by the Pharisees.

In fact, he writes: “Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, «Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?»” (Joh 1,24-25).

2. They ask John whether he were the Prophet. Which Prophet?

The one whom everyone was waiting for, and who was announced by Moses, precisely qualified as the Prophet, when he said: “A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen.” (Deu 18:15).

The Jerusalem Bible notes: [tr.] “The Jews were waiting for the Messiah as a new Moses, the prophet par excellence, who would have a hundredfold renewed the wonders of the Exodus”.

Now it was clear to everyone that John the Baptist did not perform any wonder or miracle and, therefore, he could not be the Messiah.

3. Then, why did they question him if they already knew he was not the Prophet?

St. Thomas answers: “Here we should note that they are asking not to learn, but to obstruct. For since they saw many people coming to John because of the new rite of baptism, foreign both to the rite of the Pharisees and of the law, they became envious of John and tried all they could to hinder his baptism. But being unable to contain themselves any longer, they reveal their envy and say, why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet? As if to say: you should not baptize, since you deny that you are any of those three persons in whom baptism was prefigured, as was said above. In other words, if you are not the Christ, who will possess the fountain by which sins are washed away, nor Elijah, nor the prophet, i.e., Elisha, who made a dry passageway through the Jordan (2 Kgs 2:8), how do you dare baptize?” (Commentary on John 1:25).

And: “John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” (Joh 1:27-28).

St. Thomas notes: “I baptize with water. As if to say: you should not be disturbed, if I, who am not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, baptize; because my baptism is not complete but imperfect.

For the perfection of baptism requires the washing of the body and of the soul; and the body, by its nature, is indeed washed by water, but the soul is washed by the Spirit alone. So, I baptize with water, i.e., I wash the body with something bodily; but another will come who will baptize perfectly, namely, with water and with the Holy Spirit; God and man, who will wash the body with water and the spirit with the Spirit, in such a way that the sanctification of the spirit will be distributed throughout the body.“ (Commentary on John 1:26).

4. As you see, we find nothing related to your hypothesis.

And, we must conclude that St. Thomas’ commentary is perfect.

It is difficult to find such perfection in our best exegetes (interpreters).

I bless you

Father Angelo

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