Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ~Matthew 3:4
Whenever Pastors are sent to a new church, someone is responsible for informing the congregation, preparing the way for the Pastor’s arrival. You might remember someone doing that here at St. Paul’s back in March. When ever someone new comes into the fold, there is always information shared about them. Jesus was no different. Before Jesus began his ministry, there had to be someone to introduce him to the world. That someone was the man we call John the Baptist.
Now John knew who Jesus was even before he was born- John leaps for joy in his mother’s womb when the pregnant Mary visits Elizabeth in Luke 1:39-40. John is the one that cries out, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near!” (Matthew 3:2) John is the one that prepared the people for Jesus’s message.
But let’s be honest for a minute. John is not really “normal”- even for bible times. He wore plain clothing very similar to the prophets before his time. He ate simple food, just enough to provide basic nourishment and nothing more. Realistically, John looked like someone we would declare today to be “undesirable.” He would be someone who many of us would give a wide berth too if we saw him on the street. The fact that this is the kind of person God chose to prepare the way for Jesus speaks volumes.
See, John was a man who took his service to God seriously. His clothing and diet were only a reflection of that. That is why he was so “different.” His actions matched his beliefs, and he was not afraid to live into the call God placed on his life, no matter what people thought.
I wonder what it might look like if we were to take the call to be different from the world seriously. Jesus tells us that many people will push against it and my own experience says he’s absolutely right. But what if we followed John’s example and just lived out our call. I don’t think we are all called to wear a garment with camel’s hair or eat nothing but locusts or honey (although I hear locusts are great sources of protein and honey is quite simply delicious). But we are all called to love, and to live life based on the example that Jesus set before us.
How might God be calling you to live differently?
Comment your thoughts below!
Blessings friends,
Pastor Nicole