Acts 13:24-25

Acts 13:24-25

[24] When John  had first preached  before  his  coming  the baptism  of repentance  to all  the people  of Israel.  [25] And  as  John  fulfilled  his course,  Whom  think ye  I  am  not  he. But,  behold,  there cometh one  after  whose  shoes  of his feet  I am  not  worthy  to loose. 

What does Acts 13:24-25 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Most of the Jews of the dispersion knew of John the Baptist"s ministry. Often the early Christian preachers began the message of Jesus with John the Baptist, who announced and prepared for His coming (cf. Mark 1:2-8). John clarified that he was not the Messiah but was His forerunner ( Luke 3:15-18).
"It may be that followers of John the Baptist, believing him to have been the Messiah, and constituting a sect which had spread outwards from Palestine, presented more of a problem to Christian missionaries about this time than the NT evidence would suggest; a hint of this is given in Acts 19:3-5. If such were the case, it would account for Paul"s strong emphasis here on John"s role as merely the herald of the Messiah." [1]