And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
Matthew does not celebrate John's austerity as if roughness itself were righteousness. He tells us John lived in the mountains, and his garb and food matched that place, nothing more. The superstitious have always mistaken outward show for holiness; they imagine solitude and severity are the mark of the holy man. But God's majesty shone through John precisely because he was plain, without polish or accomplishment, and so the glory belonged to God alone, not to him.
AI summary
The fulness of time had come for the gospel to dawn. Christ and John both lay hidden in obscurity through their childhood and youth, not recorded, not remarkable, to teach us that God often hides Himself even while He works, and that our faith must look to Christ's office and undertaking, where His power truly shines.
AI summary
Commenting on Matthew 3:1-6
John's camel's hair was not the soft, dressed wool the wealthy wear; it was coarse and undressed, suited to the hardness of his work. His leather belt was no decoration but a sign of readiness for labor. Locusts were the food of the poor, yet lawful under the law. He dressed and ate as Elijah did before him, the rough garment of the prophets, and in that austerity the Spirit spoke.
AI summary