The story of John the Baptist begins with his father Zachary, a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem. He was in the church praying when Gabriel, an angel appeared to him. The angel said to him, "Do not be frightened Zechariah; your prayers have been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son who you shall name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also 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 a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:13:18). Zechariah doubted the angel because both him and his wife were old to have a child. Gabriel made Zechariah mute because of his doubts until the birth of his son.
             Six months later the same angel told Mary that she would have a son. Mary heard about her cousin Elizabeth bearing a child so she went to visit her. The baby John was filled with the Holy Spirit and leaped for joy in the womb when Mary was present. John's mission in life was to prepare the way of the Jesus, Mary's son.
             John grew up as a hermit in the desert. Because of this, he was unspoiled by the world and close to God. He spent many hours meditating to God. When he was 27 or about A.D. 30, he began preaching the word of God along the banks of the Jordan River. He proclaimed about the coming of the Messiah, although many believed that John was the Messiah. For this reason, some of John's followers and Jesus' followers often did not get along after their deaths.
             What John is most famously known for is baptizing hence the name, John the Baptist. People would c
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