John the Baptist was the predicted forerunner  and messenger of the Messiah. Jesus said that John was the  "Elijah" who was to come to prepare the way.  John was the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth who were both descendants of Aaron, the first high priest and brother of Moses. John the Baptist was born six months earlier than Jesus and it was the angel Gabriel who came to announce the birth of the Messiah's forerunner. When John was 30 years old he came to the wilderness clothed  like the prophets of old with garments of camel's hair, a leather girdle, and eating locusts and wild honey. When Jesus showed up at the Jordan River, John baptized him, hearing the message from God that  "this is my beloved son"  and later John told his disciples about Jesus saying, "this is the Lamb of God who will take upon himself the sins of the whole world." Later John was beheaded by Herod Antipas  because of his wife's persuasion and her daughter's dance. Jesus said that John the Baptist was "the greatest of those born of women." This was of course because of his great privilege of introducing Israel to Jesus.