John fully accepted his subordinate role to Christ and repeatedly emphasized that he was simply a witness to the Light ( John 1:19-23 ; John 3:27-30 ). John stated that Jesus was greater than he, and that Jesus had a more powerful ministry and baptism ( Mark 1:7-8 ; Luke 3:16 ; John 1:26-27 ). He did not want to baptize Jesus, but rather desired to be baptized by Jesus ( Matt 3:13-14 ), and he subsequently allowed his disciples to leave him and follow after Jesus ( John 1:35-39 ).

For all of his greatness, however, John was merely human, joining in the popular speculations about the identity of Christ. It may be that John's vision of the Messiah varied so much from what he heard and saw in Jesus, that he came to question if Jesus were really the Christ ( Matt 11:1-2 ; Luke 7:18 ). The fact that Jesus was not an ascetic, and that he actively sought the fellowship of publicans and sinners may have been an offense to John and his disciples ( Matt 9:9-17 ; Matt 11:18-19 ; Luke 7:33-34 ).

Finally, even though John was merely a witness and a transitional figure, the impact of his life and ministry was considerable. During his lifetime he had a following of disciples who shared common practices such as fasting and prayers ( Matt 9:14 ; John 1:35-37 ; 4:1-2 ), and after his death, his disciples spread throughout the Mediterranean world. Apollos was from Alexandria in North Africa and at one point knew only of the baptism of John ( Acts 18:24-25 ). Also Paul encountered about a dozen disciples of John in Ephesus who had only experienced the baptism of John ( Acts 19:1-7 ).

John the Baptist is clearly of great theological importance in the New Testament. He ended nearly four hundred years of prophetic silence and paved the way for the Messiah. In the spirit of Elijah, he preached a message of repentance and baptism. While in his darkest hour he questioned if Jesus was the One who was to come, however, he inaugurated a spiritual movement that had influence long after his death.