Did John the Baptist and Jesus contradict each other?
The short answer
No. Asked whether he was literally Elijah returned from heaven, John truthfully said no. When Jesus told the disciples that Elijah had come, he was speaking figuratively of John, whose heralding of the Messiah fulfilled the prophecy about Elijah.
John's answer
In John 1, the religious leaders asked John the Baptist whether he was literally Elijah come back from heaven. He said no, because he was not (see John 1:6-8).
Jesus' answer
Elsewhere the disciples asked Jesus why the scribes say Elijah must come before the messianic age. Jesus said Elijah had come, and the disciples understood him to mean John.
No contradiction
Jesus was speaking metaphorically. John is not literally Elijah, but by heralding the Messiah he fulfills the prophecy about Elijah.
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