John the Baptist in The Chosen (Adapting Biblical Characters)
- Kevin Keating
- Oct 19, 2022
- 13 min read
Updated: Oct 9, 2024
The portrayal of John the Baptist (aka John the Baptizer) in The Chosen has generated both a lot of love and a lot of hate. Since most Christians don't know what to make of the depiction of John the Baptist in the Bible itself, it's not surprising that the portrayal of John in a show like The Chosen has caused controversy. Today we'll explore what the Bible says about John the Baptist and how David Amito and The Chosen have brought his character to life.
Updates: Scroll on for an updated based on Season 4 of The Chosen. And don't miss my podcast interview with actor David Amito about his portrayal of John.
John the Baptist in the Bible
The New Testament makes the role of John the Baptist pretty clear: as the last of the Old Covenant prophets, John was called to prepare the people of Israel for the Messiah. Indeed, John begins to carry out this divine calling before he's even born:
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (Luke 1:39-45, ESV)
Even as a fetus in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, John the Baptist joyfully hailed the approach of God's chosen Messiah.The Gospels go on to describe John's adult ministry and how he baptized the people of Israel to prepare them for the coming king:
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,“Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:2-8, ESV)
The Gospels typically don't give us a very detailed description of the appearance or habits of most characters, but we get several evocative details about John the Baptist: he is clothed in camel's hair, he wore a leather belt, and he ate locusts and honey. These details might seem random to modern readers, but original readers would have understood the description of John's apparel as a subtle allusion to Elijah, one of the most significant Old Testament prophets. During a confrontation with an Israelite ruler in the Book of Kings, Elijah is described in a very similar fashion:
The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?” And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.” Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. (2 Kings 1:5-10, ESV)
The Gospels want us to connect Elijah and John the Baptist for a couple reasons. On the most basic level, the Gospels are engaging in characterization. The obvious similarities between the appearance of Elijah and the appearance of John draw our attention to the more significant similarities between the calling of Elijah and the calling of John. Elijah and John the Baptist are both prophets called to challenge the rulers of God's people. Ahab, the King of Israel in Elijah's day, and Herod Antipas, the King of Galilee in John's day, both deserve to be condemned for leading the people of God astray into religious and political compromise. Elijah and John the Baptist carry out their calling with boldness and self-abandon, even in the face of violent opposition and the threat of death. And yet Elijah and John's fierce opposition to the rich and powerful is matched by an equally fierce compassion for the poor and oppressed. Elijah protects a poor widow from predatory lenders (1 Kings 17) while John the Baptist confronts the predatory practices of soldiers and tax collectors (Luke 3:12-14).
Of course, there's a deeper significance to the connection between Elijah and John the Baptist. Malachi, the last of the biblical prophets, prophesied that before the coming of the Messiah and the Day of the Lord, God would first send "Elijah" back to his people in order to call them to repentance:
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6, ESV)
Some Jews understood this prophecy in a very literal sense and expected Elijah to come down from heaven - where he had ascended in a chariot of fire at the end of his ministry (2 Kings 2). Jesus had to explain to his disciples that Malachi's prophecy was fulfilled not through the literal appearance of Elijah but rather through the ministry of John the Baptist, who was filled with the spirit of Elijah:
He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:11-13, ESV)
The biblical picture of John is nuanced. On the one hand, Jesus praises him as the greatest of the Old Covenant prophets (Matthew 11:11). On the other hand, just as Elijah struggled with doubt and despair in the face of violent opposition (1 Kings 19), John had doubts about Jesus while he suffered in prison:
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:2-6, ESV)
Unfortunately for John, there was one significant dissimilarity between him and Elijah: their fate. Unlike Elijah, one of the only Old Testament figures to escape death by ascending into heaven (2 Kings 2), John the Baptist faced a grisly end. Though Herod Antipas feared John because of his righteousness, he ultimately had John executed at the request of his wife and daughter:
For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. (Mark 6:17-29, ESV)
All the signs suggest that John's death will be one of the more significant moments in Season 4 of The Chosen.
John the Baptist in The Chosen
Even though The Chosen has given us relatively few scenes with John the Baptist, it's been able capture a great deal of what the Bible has to say about him. We first meet John in jail, where he's been imprisoned for disturbing the peace and preaching in a manner that concerns the Jewish and Roman leaders. As Nicodemus questions John about the significance of Mary's miraculous exorcism, the Baptizer drives two points home. First, John shows nothing but contempt for the rich Pharisees who engage in formal religiosity while compromising with Rome in the oppression of the poor. Second, John makes it clear that he is eagerly preparing for the revelation of a divine Messiah.
John's advocacy for the poor and his opposition to the rich and complacent Pharisees clearly fits with his biblical portrait, but at first I questioned the degree of knowledge that The Chosen gave John about Jesus' divine status. After all, the Gospels seem to suggest that it took Jesus' disciples time to recognize the full extent of his divine identity. But then I recalled John's testimony to Jesus in the Gospel of John:
John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’" (John 1:15, ESV)
John's testimony is intentionally cryptic but in the context of the Gospel of John, it's clear that he's referring to Jesus' divine preexistence. Though John may have struggled with questions and doubts in his darkest moments, The Chosen correctly gives him a significant degree of insight into Jesus' identity.
I've already discussed the controversy over how Simon and Andrew refer to John the Baptist as "creepy John" and so I won't revisit that point in depth. However, it's worth noting how this description of John resonates with how many of the other prophets are perceived by other characters in the Bible. Jesus himself is called "out of his mind" by his own family members (Mark 3:21). It's not hard to believe that some of the disciples would view a bold and idiosyncratic prophet like John as a little crazy or a bit creepy - or at least jokingly call him creepy.
There's one other aspect of the portrayal of John the Baptist in The Chosen that causes discomfort among modern evangelicals. In Episode 5 of The Chosen Season 2, we see John and Jesus having a frank conversation about the status and future of their respective ministries. During this conversation, John pointedly questions Jesus' approach to ministry and expresses impatience at Jesus' preference for speaking cryptic parables and ministering on the margins of society. John is planning to denounce Herod Antipas openly for his sin and he wants Jesus to adopt the same confrontational approach. Jesus, for his part, questions John about whether confronting Herod is a good idea, although he ultimately affirms John's decision.
For some Christians, it's hard to believe that John the Baptist and Jesus would have had disagreements about how to approach ministry. For my part, I find the disagreement between John and Jesus to be quite believable and true to life. We know that, although Jewish leaders were equally opposed to both John the Baptist and Jesus, one was considered a dancing flute and one was considered a funeral dirge - that is to say, they each had a distinct personality and ministry style (Luke 7:31-34). The fact that John was different from Jesus wasn't just because he was less perfect; their distinct personalities were fit for their respective callings. In my own experience in ministry, many of those I've served with have had very different personalities. Often serving with someone who is different is fun and stimulating, but just as often it can lead to disagreement. God's gifts lead us to have conflicting approaches to ministry and that creates tension. Such moments of tension aren't inherently sinful. What I enjoyed about the exchange between John the Baptist and Jesus in The Chosen is that we got to see the tension created by their unique personalities and approaches and yet we also saw them navigate that tension in a healthy and loving fashion.
John the Baptist in The Chosen Season 4
As expected, in Episode 1 of The Chosen Season 4 we see John executed by King Herod at the request of his wife Herodias and her daughter, Salome. I found the characterization of Joanna, Herod’s court, and Salome to be particularly interesting and so I’ve explored all of that in a separate post. But John himself is the real focal point and so I’d like to take a moment to consider how the episode brings his character to a satisfying conclusion.
Episode 1 begins with a flashback to the events of Luke 1:39-45 (along with exposition of Luke 1:5-25): (pregnant) Mother Mary visits her elderly cousin, Elizabeth, to talk about their miraculous conceptions. As soon as Elizabeth hears Mary arrive, John (still in Elizabeth’s belly) leaps for joy, hailing the approach of the embryonic Messiah. At the end of the episode, we return to John’s origin story and see his dedication, during which his father, Zechariah, prophesies how John will go before the Messiah to prepare his way (Luke 1:57-79). The lead up to John’s execution is sandwiched between these two moments. This structure communicates a clear message: John’s death is not a tragedy; it is a fulfillment of his purpose. As John explains to Joanna as he is dragged off to execution: it is through his suffering that “the way of the Lord is prepared.”
Any doubt that John might have had earlier in his imprisonment is clearly gone by the time he faces his executioners. Upon learning that his head will be placed upon a wedding platter, John laughs, noting that he has never been to an actual wedding – but he is going to one now. This joke showcases John’s unique mix of joviality, social criticism, and devoted faith. On the one hand, the joke contains a bit of dark social commentary. John, a subversive pariah who has never been allowed into the feasts of polite society, is finally going to receive a royal welcome – as a severed head on a fancy silver platter. On the other hand, the joke also hints at John’s ultimate hope – the great eschatological feast originally anticipated in Isaiah 25 and Isaiah 62, and then more fully envisioned in Revelation 19. John may not have been honored or welcomed by this world but he has special place in the heavenly wedding feast, where he will joyfully welcome the messianic bridegroom (John 3:29-30).
The joke is completely lost on his Herodian executioners, but John himself has his hope confirmed. In a final vision, he gazes joyfully at a lamb roaming freely on the hills. The world may kill John, but the goal of his prophetic ministry will soon be fulfilled: the Lamb of God will take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). This is one of the few moments in which The Chosen directly depicts divine revelation. Even though it isn't described in Scripture itself, the scene is clearly reminiscent of the story of Stephen’s final vision as he is being stoned in Acts 7 and similar stories about the apostle and other martyrs recorded in hagiographic tradition. In a moment of deep satisfaction that must seem completely inexplicable to his executioners, John gives thanks to God – just before he is decapitated.
Early on, The Chosen received a lot of flack from critics who felt that it was inappropriate for Simon Peter and Andrew to call Jesus’ great forerunner “creepy John.” I’ve always found that argument weak. But if there was ever any doubt about the show’s reverence for John the Baptist, Episode 1 of Season 4 should clearly put that to rest. It is a powerful homage to Jesus’ beloved cousin and devoted servant.
Want more insight into John’s character? Check out my interview with actor David Amito, recorded days before Season 1 Episode 4 debuted.
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John the Baptist in The Chosen & in Scripture: FAQ
How did John the Baptist die?
In the Bible, Herod Antipas had John the Baptist beheaded. In violation of Jewish Law, Herod had taken Herodias, the wife of his brother, as his own. When John publicly denounced Herod's action, Herod had him arrested. Originally, Herod did not intend to execute John, but Herodias and her daughter were able to persuade him (Matthew 14:1-11).
In The Chosen, John the Baptist dies in Season 4 Episode 1.
Did people think John the Baptist was creepy or crazy?
In the Bible, there is no record of people calling John the Baptist creepy or crazy. However, people did accuse John of having a demon (Matthew 11:18), which at the time would have similar connotations.
In The Chosen, Simon Peter sometimes calls John the Baptist "Creepy John" when talking with Andrew. Even after they realize John is a true prophet, they continue to use this phrase as a term of endearment.
Did John the Baptist and Jesus disagree?
In the Bible, there is no indication that Jesus and John the Baptist had disagreements.
In The Chosen, during Season 2, Episode 5, we see John the Baptist and Jesus have a minor disagreement about whether John should go and confront Herod.
Who plays John the Baptist in The Chosen?
In The Chosen, John the Baptist is played by David Amito.
Further Reading
An adaptation like The Chosen isn't meant to replace the Bible; it's meant to drive us deeper into the Bible and spiritual reflection. The 40 Days with Jesus series helps readers connect what they watch in The Chosen with the Gospel stories that they're based on and then engage in spiritual reflection.
FYI: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here for my affiliation policy.
Why was Jesus baptism, the most momentous & paramount event between Jesus & John the Baptist not featured or shown in “The Chosen”?