John the Baptist rejected corruption to preach the truth

The Lord Jesus said there was none grater than John the Baptist. It is easy to overlook an important part of his life that reveals part of his character.

Luke 1: 13, “But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.”

Luke 3: 2, “Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.”

John the Baptist was born a son of one of the Priests of Israel. His place should have been to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a temple priest himself. Instead of being in the temple, we later see John preaching in the wilderness.

One issue we should notice as we read the Gospels is the amount of corruption that existed in the temple of that day. We know that many of the priests used their position to become wealthy, turning the temple into a den of thieves as the Lord called it.

John the Baptist rejected the corruption of the temple to go into the wilderness to preach God’s Word. He rejected the best foods of the day to eat locusts and honey. Instead of a priestly robe, he wore skins but he preached the truth of God’s Word.

Today, we focus too much on the outward appearances of a church or of the one who stands in the pulpit instead of considering the message that’s being preached. God’s Word will affect the life of those who hear it. It is comfort to the sorrowful and a warning to the sinful.

God’s Word speaks of judgement to those who reject the Lord and mercy to those who turn to Him in repentance. It is that message that John preached and is the message that needs to be preached in today’s world of corruption.