Mark 1:5-8 : The herald of the king

“Education does not consist in telling people new things; it consists in extracting from their memories what they already know” – Plato

John’s words caught like wildfire among people. From Judea , from Jerusalem , people flocked to river Jordan to be baptized by John. Jews had not had a prophet for 300 years and they always had it in their mind that their society was going astray – away from Jehovah. In John they heard the authentic word of God that they wanted to hear.
But still why did people just believe him ? There are more reasons – He lived what he preached. His life was really really simple. He wore garment made of camel’s skin , he lived in the desert , his food was very simple. (It was news to me that Elijah too wore camel’s skin! I’d always picturised him as a royal priest taken up by heavenly chariots & horses) What really struck the chord with people was John’s humility. Him telling that he was not even fit to untie the sandals of the one who was to come, touched everyone. Him telling that his baptism was only of water but the one who was to come would baptize them with holy spirit , evoked awe in people.