John the Baptist had the role of preparing the way for Jesus. At the time of Jesus' ministry on earth, it had been 400 years since there was a prophet in Israel and an expectation was growing among the Jewish people for the next prophet to come onto the scene. John the Baptist preached that the kingdom of God was at hand; as a result the people of Israel were coming out to him to be baptized (at the time this was unusual). John the Baptist showed people: that they were sinful, that they needed forgiveness, and then he handed them to Jesus to receive his mercy.
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