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.
John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness and look was his
message was: “Repent, you, for the
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Jesus later speaks of all the prophets of
the Old Testament being under the old covenant until the time of John the
Baptist. The New Covenant did not begin with Jesus, it began with the ministry
of John the Baptist that prepared the Way for Jesus’ ministry and proclamation
of the Gospel. The Kingdom of Heaven was literally at hand—God was building a
Church of dedicated followers.
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.
John was not what we would call refined. He was a crying voice in the
wilderness as the prophets foretold saying “Prepare the way of the Lord, make
His paths straight!” Look at how John was clothed—he was rough—with leather
girdle and a “shirt” of camel’s hair. He ate locusts and honey. Now, we know
what honey is, but the meaning of locusts is debated. The reason is because
there is a plant with a fruit called a locust that grows in the area and is
eaten by humans. Whether John ate a bug or fruit, the point is simple: he lived
of the land, he was rough, and he answered to God only. He wasn’t enticed by
power and he would not compromise for comfort and ease. This is evidenced by what followed in his
ministry—people came to him from Jerusalem, Judea, and the region around the
Jordan and they were convicted of their
sins. As a result, people were baptized
by him in the Jordan and confessed
their sins. In the next lesson, we will look at just how blunt this prophet
was.
Matt 3:1-6 (KJV)
