John the Baptist was a strange and wonderful person. Like Elijah, he “wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist” (Matt. 3:4). He also ate locusts (yuck!) and wild honey (yum!). This was his food because he lived in the wilderness, and those were the only things available. The first Elijah was called Elijah the Tishbite because he was from the town of Tishbe. But John was not called John the Baptist because he was from Baptistville or because his parents were Mr. and Mrs. Baptist. He was given that title—the Baptist—because, well, he did a lot of baptizing.

John’s message was simple: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (3:2). He was telling people to turn from their sin and toward God. And, like the prophets of old, he was warning people to confess their sins and change the way they were living, because God’s judgment was coming. God’s people listened! Thousands and thousands came to John, and he baptized them in the Jordan River. The water rushing over them was a sign that God had cleansed them. A fresh start!

John’s job, however, was not was to be a popular preacher. His job was to “prepare the way of the Lord” (3:3, quoting Isa. 40:3). His hashtag was not #Followme but #FollowJesus. Like the prophets before him, John was a pointer. His job was to point people to Jesus. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30) was John’s mission statement. John knew Jesus was the long-awaited King from heaven. The one who would make everything right. John baptized with water, but Jesus came to baptize with the Holy Spirit. John prepared the way; Jesus was the way. John was a voice crying in the wilderness; Jesus was the very word of God made flesh. “I am not worthy,” John told people, “even to carry Jesus’s dirty sandals” (see Matt. 3:11). John is a very special person in the Biggest Story, but he thought of himself as nobody compared to the somebody that had come.