JOHN THE STRANGE!

JOHN THE STRANGE!

Matt 3:1-6

3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

          Everything about John the Baptist was strange. He had a strange conception and birth having been born to parents generally thought to be too old to reproduce. When he began his preaching ministry he chose the wilderness of Judaea. The Greek word translated wilderness is midbar and indicates the country villages – places where cattle are driven – instead of the bustle of the cities.

          His preaching was strange because he urged heart-felt repentance instead of conformity to legions of liturgy. The land was full of religion but was totally bereft of repentance. Much of what passes for preaching today would be pretty thin soup without the props and graphics. Oratory has been replaced by truck loads of equipment. It was not so with John who painted portraits with voice and vocabulary.

          John’s lifestyle was strange and simple having his clothing made of camel’s hair. This was the garment of the prophets! We are currently experiencing a tempest in a teapot regarding appropriate clothing for preachers. The opinions run from ties to tee-shirts but it is clear that the dress of the prophet was distinctive and marked him.

2 Kings 1:7-8

7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words?

8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

          The diet of locust or grasshoppers and wild honey sounds horrible to most of us but it was the food of the common country people. The locusts and honey (according to one scholar) would be ground together and fried in oil. Yet another scholar, Mr. Barnes, says they were roasted and salted and eaten much like we would eat peanuts. They were plentiful and could be conveniently carried in a pouch.

          There was a strange magnetism surrounding John. People came out to him from the cities to the country where he preached and baptized those who had demonstrated repentance. In fact the phrase “baptism of repentance” in Mark 1:4 indicates that baptism was not administered until a change had been clearly demonstrated. This is further indicated by John’s comments to the religious leaders.

Matt 3:7-8

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

Dear Lord, help me to be distinctive in my manner so that I may attract others to the cross. AMEN