We may not be called to wear strange clothes in a desert, but we are all called to boldly proclaim the message of grace so others can receive God’s salvation by faith in Jesus.

John is one of the few characters whose life was the subject of prophecy hundreds of years before he was born.

In Luke 3:3–6 we read that his ministry fulfilled the passage in Isaiah 40:3–5 of one who would come to prepare the way of the Lord specifically by preaching in desert places.

Even before he was conceived, an angel came to explain that the child was special and was to be given a special name.

It would have been normal for him to be called after his father, Zechariah, which means "Remembered of the Lord". However, the child was to have a different name, John, meaning "God is gracious".

This choice of name was such a marked departure from local custom that the neighbours argued against it and were astonished when dumb Zechariah wrote his name on a tablet (Luke 1:61–63).

These names are highly significant and mark, not just a departure from family tradition, but a departure from the Old Testament law of sacrifice to the New Testament salvation by grace.

For nearly 1,500 years since the writing of Leviticus, the only way to approach God was by presenting a special animal to a priest as a blood sacrifice and keeping the Law of Moses.

Now the son of a priest, John, ushered in a new way of approaching God who graciously provided His own son as a blood sacrifice so we could be made righteous by faith alone.

The Apostle John declared, "For Moses gave us only the Law with its rigid demands and merciless justice, while Jesus Christ brought us loving (merciful) forgiveness as well." (John 1:17 TLB.)

It was the baptizer John , "God is Gracious", who was the herald of this new order of grace.

His message of repentance was complemented by the promise of the coming of the Messiah and the baptism (immersion) in the Holy Spirit.

John's character and ministry are full of apparent contradiction. His preaching is bold and fiery as in Luke 3:7 TLB: "You brood of snakes! You are trying to escape hell without truly turning to God"; yet he also says in Mark 1:7 TLB, "Someone is coming who is far greater than I am, so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave".

Here is an indication of true humility, which is not so much an attitude of subservience to others but more an attitude of willing obedience and servanthood to a holy and all-powerful God.

John declared of Jesus, "He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." (John 3:30 TLB.) He was not preoccupied with establishing his own following but clearly directed his disciples to follow Jesus instead.

One of these, Andrew, who was destined to become one of the apostles, introduced his brother Simon Peter to Jesus (John 1:35–42).

It was John's forthright preaching that led to his eventual martyrdom when he criticised Herod for his relationship with his brother's wife (Matt 14:1–12).

In his humble obedience to God, John refused to be silenced by the fear of man but boldly spoke out against sin even in the lives of powerful leaders.

John's life is an inspiration to us today. He was a faithful preacher of God's gracious way of salvation, always pointing away from himself to Jesus.

His life and witness prepared people's hearts to recognise and repent of their sin so they could receive Jesus as their Saviour.

We may not be called to wear strange clothes in a desert, but we are all called to boldly proclaim the message of grace so others can receive God's salvation by faith in Jesus.