What was John's twofold role that Jesus exalted? What great prophecy that John fulfilled makes him so great?
John's twofold role that Jesus exalted was that of a prophet and a forerunner. The great prophecy that John fulfilled was that he was the one who would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.
To find out John's twofold role that Jesus exalted, as well as the great prophecy he fulfilled, we can refer to the Bible, specifically the New Testament. In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1, verses 76-79, the role and prophecy of John the Baptist are described.
1. John's twofold role:
In Luke 1:76-77, it states, "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins."
From this passage, we can glean that John the Baptist's twofold role was:
a) To go before the Lord, Jesus, and prepare His ways.
b) To give knowledge of salvation and the forgiveness of sins to the people.
2. The great prophecy John fulfilled:
In Luke 1:17, an angel speaks to John's father, Zechariah, saying, "And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."
This prophecy refers to the prophecies of the Old Testament found in Malachi 4:5-6, where it is foretold that Elijah would come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. The angel's words imply that John would come in the spirit and power of Elijah, fulfilling this ancient prophecy.
In summary, John the Baptist's twofold role, as exalted by Jesus, was to prepare the way for the Lord and to provide knowledge of salvation and the forgiveness of sins. The great prophecy he fulfilled was coming in the spirit and power of Elijah, as foretold in the Old Testament.
John the Baptist had a twofold role that Jesus exalted. The first role was to prepare the way for Jesus' ministry by proclaiming the arrival of the Messiah and calling the people to repentance. The second role was to baptize Jesus, which marked the beginning of Jesus' public ministry.
The great prophecy that John the Baptist fulfilled that makes him so great is found in the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. Isaiah 40:3-5 states, "A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.'"
John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy by being the voice in the wilderness, preparing the way for the Lord, and proclaiming the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. His role as the forerunner of Jesus and the fulfillment of this prophecy make him great in the story of Jesus' ministry.