The image of Saint John the Baptist portrays his penitent life and the mission in which God assigned him, which was to announce the arrival of the Messiah, promised by God the Father.
He was the forerunner of Jesus Christ, announced, preached and baptized, exhorting everyone to penance and conversion of the inner life, preparing hearts for the coming of the Savior, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1 , 29).
The tunic
Saint John the Baptist’s tunic reveals the most striking aspect of his life and the main exhortation of his preaching: penance, fasting and austerity.
The Gospels tell us that John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. (Mt 3, 4).
The raised hand
The right hand symbolizes his mission as a preacher on the banks of the Jordan River, where he exhorted and taught about penance, conversion, repentance and forgiveness of sins.
People from Jerusalem, from all over Judea and from all around the Jordan came to him, attracted by his teachings (John 1:4). In this way John, chosen by God to be the voice that cries out in the desert (John 1:23), fulfilled in an extraordinary way the mission entrusted to him of preparing the way of the Lord, always with humility and with a detached heart, guiding the people to the path where the Savior could be found.
The shell
The shell can often be seen in the image of Saint John the Baptist.
It symbolizes his mission to administer the sacrament of Baptism, which earned him the name “Baptist”.
By being the instrument used by God to “wash humanity” from the old life of sins and introduce them to the “new life”, Saint John the Baptist was once again the precursor of Christ, as he himself says: “I baptize you in the water, but behold, one more powerful than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16).
John, when baptizing Jesus, saw the Holy Trinity: the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in the form of a dove and from heaven came a voice like thunder: ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I place all my trust!’ (Luke 3, 21-22)
Streamer
On the pennant of Saint John the Baptist it is written in Latin: “Ecce Agnus Dei”, which means: “Behold the Lamb of God”, in allusion to what he himself said, by divine inspiration, the second time he met Jesus on the shores of the Jordan, saying to his disciples: “Behold the Lamb of God, he who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1, 29)
By calling Jesus the Lamb of God, John announced in advance the death of Christ on the Cross, the true, unique and eternal sacrifice that will be offered to God to atone for our sins.
The lamb
The lamb at the feet of Saint John the Baptist completes the meaning of the pennant’s message, symbolizing the ancient sacrifice of the lamb, sacrificed as a result of the Easter festival, now replaced by Jesus Christ, the True Easter Lamb, the One who takes away the sins of the world.
The cross
The cross of Saint John the Baptist has two meanings.
The first represents the announcement of Jesus as the Savior, who redeemed humanity as the Lamb of God, sacrificed on the wood of the Cross, for the atonement of our sins.
Secondly, the cross symbolizes the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist as a prefiguration of the death of Jesus.
The red cloak
In sacred images and paintings, the color red symbolizes martyrdom, in this way, the cloak of Saint John the Baptist indicates that he was a martyr for justice and truth, giving his life for the Kingdom of Heaven.
John denounced Herod’s excesses. For this reason, he was arrested and beheaded, at the request of Herodias, lover of his own brother-in-law Herod.
Read more about Saint John the Baptist
History of Saint John the Baptist
Feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist I Saint of the day
Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist I Saint of the day
Prayer to Saint John the Baptist for grace
Prayer to Saint John the Baptist
Learn how to pray the Rosary of Saint John the Baptist
Novena of Saint John the Baptist