John replied in the words of Isaiah the Prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way of the Lord'"
...He is the One Who comes after me, the thongs of Whose sandals I am unworthy to untie. John 1:23b,27

John was the cousin of Jesus. It was he who lept in his mother's womb when a pregnant Mary greeted his mother, Elizabeth.(Luke 1:40-41) I have always wondered if there was a deeper meaning to the blood relation between John and Jesus, but I have never been able to think of one. I do know that John was the herald to the ministry of Jesus.
John was an odd man, even given the times in which he lived; His home was the desert, and his food, honey (Good) and locusts (Not so good.)His clothing was coarse and rough. From birth, he was filled with the Spirit. He was not allowed to drink. And he accepted these things. John was not the Christ. He could have rejected these things and gone his own way, but he chose God's way, the path of water and repentance instead.
Prophets are not easy people to be around unless, of course, they are saying what we want them to say. If they are truly prophets of God, they will tell us the truth whether it is something we want to hear or not. As a rule, they are only popular in hindsight; while they are alive, there are always people around trying to bring about their deaths. John had a specific job; it was to usher in the new age of Christ. John had something I lack; his whole being, his whole focus was on God. Like us, he could have chosen NOT to follow this path, but he continued on until his untimely death ended his ministry. John knew Jesus and trusted Him implicitly. Many people came to John for spiritual nourishment, but he was the first to admit that he was not the Christ; not only that, but that he was not even worthy to do the least thing for Him. Yet even knowing this, he was given the honor of baptizing Jesus, the God of eternity.
I have met people whom I wondered if were prophets. They were not comfortable people. They are not interested in saying what people want to hear. Like John, their whole focus is on Christ and bringing forth His Kingdom into the lives of others. So I need to ask a rather uncomfortable question to ourselves, me included; Are we willing to say what God has asked us to say, are we willing to do what God has asked us to do, even if it is unpopular going completely against what people want to hear or see? Are we willing to be the voice in the wilderness calling, "Prepare the way of the Lord?" Are we willing to eat locusts and honey in the wilderness if that is what he has asked of us? It is not a question I can answer for you. It is not a question you can answer for me. It is a question we must ask ourselves, and answer ourselves; are we making straight the way of the Lord in our small corners of His Kingdom?

AMEN AND AMEN BLYTH


ROSE

Awsome article, as usual(!), Blyth. I'm going to reprint that on the web site!