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John the Baptist, crying out from the wilderness
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John readily admits he is not the Messiah and points out that there is someone more powerful than he who is coming after him. John clearly knows and is true to his mission . It is unknown if he knew the Messiah was Jesus. Likely he didn’t know the Messiah was Jesus until after he baptized Jesus. We have John recognizing Jesus as the Messiah in John 1:35-37 when he directs two disciples to follow Jesus.
John describes himself as the voice crying out in the desert. The desert has special significance. People went to the desert to get away from the demands of life and to find a quiet place to pray. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. (Luke 5:16). Remember, Jesus fasted 40 days in the desert before he began his public ministry. It was after spending time in the desert that Jesus experiences the three temptations. The desert is a challenging place.
The Christian Church has a rich history of people leaving everything and retreating into the desert as hermits. The desert could be unforgiving. Forgetting your water jug could be fatal. The desert was also a place of freedom, freedom from distractions. Out of this environment comes John. Calling for people to make straight their way to the Lord. No detours, obstacles or deviations from the way to the Lord.
What are the detours, obstacles or deviations in our lives?
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