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RUSSELL SANDERS
4-26-2022
JOHN THE BAPTIST – LESSON 2
HIS EARLY LIFE.
Yesterday we spoke of John’s mission and purpose as prophesied seven hundred years before his birth in Isaiah 40:3. He was to prepare the way of the LORD, laying it out straight in the desert. Today we look at the prophecy of John’s father, the priest Zechariah.
In Luke 1:76-79 Zechariah speaks God’s prophetic word over the newborn child. He says, “And thou, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest (Supreme God): for thou shalt go forth before the (physical) face of the Lord to prepare (and introduce) his ways, to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (letting go) of their sins…whereby the dayspring (rising of light) from on high (heaven) hath visited (dwelt among) us, to give light…in darkness…to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
We know little of John’s youth and growing years other than what Luke 1:80 says that as he grew up, he became very strong in spirit. He spent his earliest years in the desert well before his public ministry began at age thirty.
How did John live in the desert? What was his life like? We know from Luke 1:15 that he was to never drink strong drink (alcohol) like a Nazarite vow. This also very likely meant that his hair was to remain uncut.
We know from Matthew 3:4 that his raiment was leather around his waist and loins and his coat was the leather of camel’s skin and hair. It was not made of cloth like other people.
The verse also says that his food was “locusts and wild honey.” I am convinced that it was written that way due to the writer’s or translator’s lack of understanding of what it really was and altered it according to their ability to understand. Folks, John was not eating a grasshopper insect diet. Let me explain. He was eating wild honey locust.
So, what exactly is “wild honey locust?” It is a fruit that today is commonly named jujube. It is highly nutritious. It is commonly found in South Asia, namely China, Tibet, and Nepal.
How nutritious is it? Monks of Tibet have been known to live for five years or more eating absolutely nothing but jujube. It has been known for over 2,500 years as “wild honey locust.”
Where else in our world is wild honey locust found? It is found in the wilderness (desert) areas of Judea where John spent all his time. It is unlikely that the city dwelling bible writers or translators knew anything about wilderness flora (vegetation). So, they wrote it to the best of their understanding. John was eating one of the most nutritious fruits on earth. It was not insects.
On a side note, I personally bought this fruit at a Chinese owned food market in Orlando. It was in its dried (dehydrated) state, so I have some familiarity with it. Other oriental food stores do not carry it, so you would have to find one that is specifically Chinese owned.
Now you will no longer need to preach or teach that John’s diet was made of grasshoppers. (Smile.)
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