John the Baptist was a bum

[Spiderman]

Matthew 3:
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

He was homeless, unemployed, and ate the diet of an animal. Basically he lived like an animal. Yet Scripture says of men born of women, there was none greater than John the Baptist. I guess we have to be careful before we cast judgement. God see's into the heart.

Nowadays if someone was living like John the Baptist, people would probably put them in an insane asylum. Great holiness can have the appearance of extreme insanity.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Great holiness can have the appearance of extreme insanity.

And extreme insanity can have the appearance of great holiness. Actually, I'd say that's more commonly the case nowadays.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

Meh. Jesus basically is, too. His family even complains about Jesus just galavanting everywhere and not doing his familial job.

 

[David T]

And extreme insanity can have the appearance of great holiness. Actually, I'd say that's more commonly the case nowadays.

Now that's funny because it's so DAMN true. I always say to a street crazy when they want to engage me in conversation "hey breathing is awesome try it" I go on and on about breathing to the point I get a moment of recognition and then instant "I prefer my mental confusion over breathing look" . They then go right back to the ramble at which point I argue that aliens did indeed build the pyramids!!! Sort of like on rf!!

 

[Spiderman]

Meh. Jesus basically is, too. His family even complains about Jesus just galavanting everywhere and not doing his familial job.

Jesus made and sold furniture. John was unemployed and homeless.

 

[Tumah]

Nowadays if someone was living like John the Baptist, people would probably put them in an insane asylum. Great holiness can have the appearance of extreme insanity.

This doesn't follow. According to the NT, the figure of John didn't live in 2017. You'd have to quote a source that in alleged time, he appeared to people as extremely insane. Otherwise you haven't shown that great holiness can have the appearance of extreme insanity. You've only shown that poor people allegedly living 2000 years ago would seem insane to us today.

 

[Spiderman]

This doesn't follow. According to the NT, the figure of John didn't live in 2017. You'd have to quote a source that in alleged time, he appeared to people as extremely insane. Otherwise you haven't shown that great holiness can have the appearance of extreme insanity. You've only shown that poor people allegedly living 2000 years ago would seem insane to us today.

apparently they thought he had a demon
Luke 7:33
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'

I'd say in 2017, a homeless unemployed man who wore camel hair and lived off locusts and wild honey would be considered insane. He lived like an animal

 

[Stevicus]

Well, he was a bit of a rabble rouser, too. They wanted his head on a plate.

 

[roger1440]

apparently they thought he had a demon
Luke 7:33
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'

I'd say in 2017, a homeless unemployed man who wore camel hair and lived off locusts and wild honey would be considered insane. He lived like an animal

Locusts may be a misprint. The Greek word for locusts is “akrides”. The Greek word for pancakes is “egkrides”. Both words sound similar. If we substitute the “a” from the first word to “eg” we go from locusts to pancakes. Pancakes with honey not only goes better together then locusts with honey but is very similar in description to the Manna that fell from the sky during the Exodus. The Manna sustained the Jews until they arrived in the promise land. Note how John the Baptist comes before Jesus.

"The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey." (Exodus 16:31)

 

[allfoak]

Matthew 3:
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

He was homeless, unemployed, and ate the diet of an animal. Basically he lived like an animal. Yet Scripture says of men born of women, there was none greater than John the Baptist. I guess we have to be careful before we cast judgement. God see's into the heart.

Nowadays if someone was living like John the Baptist, people would probably put them in an insane asylum. Great holiness can have the appearance of extreme insanity.

They keep trying to lock me up.
I don't break any laws.
I just fall over the edge once in a while.
The edge is not always easy to see.
But i am smarter than they are, so i am still free.

 

[lostwanderingsoul]

Have you priced a camel hair coat and leather belt? Not cheap. He may have been "unemployed" but he was doing what God wanted him to do. How many people today can say the same?

 

[Father Heathen]

What's wrong with eating locust? It's a normal staple in many parts of the world today.

 

[Quagmire]

apparently they thought he had a demon
Luke 7:33
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'

I'd say in 2017, a homeless unemployed man who wore camel hair and lived off locusts and wild honey would be considered insane.

If for no other reason than that locusts and wild honey are kind of hard to come by these days.

Wholefoods might carry them, but if they do I'll bet they're like a zillion dollars a pound.

 

[Quagmire]

Anyway I wouldn't call him a bum: if he lived the kind of life the gospels describe he probably worked harder than most of us do.

 

[idav]

Matthew 3:
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

Depending on the fashion designer, a camel coat and leather belt can go for quite a bit of money and locusts are considered a delicacy in many countries.

 

[David1967]

And extreme insanity can have the appearance of great holiness. Actually, I'd say that's more commonly the case nowadays.

You got that right.

 

[Spiderman]

Anyway I wouldn't call him a bum: if he lived the kind of life the gospels describe he probably worked harder than most of us do.

True! He suffered more than most people too

 

[siti]

The Greek word for locusts is “akrides”. The Greek word for pancakes is “egkrides”. Both words sound similar. If we substitute the “a” from the first word to “eg” we go from locusts to pancakes.

So he wore a fur coat and preferred continental rather than full English...are you sure they didn't mix up his name too? Elton John the Baptist.

 

[Jeff Strehlow]

Matthew 3:
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

He was homeless, unemployed, and ate the diet of an animal. Basically he lived like an animal. Yet Scripture says of men born of women, there was none greater than John the Baptist. I guess we have to be careful before we cast judgement. God see's into the heart.

Nowadays if someone was living like John the Baptist, people would probably put them in an insane asylum. Great holiness can have the appearance of extreme insanity.

I agree with you. Many today would think the same of Buddha as well, since he was homeless and begged for food. Many persons today don't recognize and appreciate true spirituality. There are deeply spiritual persons living like this, even today. I respect them, just as I respect anyone who with a good heart seeks the truth.

 

[roger1440]

So he wore a fur coat and preferred continental rather than full English...are you sure they didn't mix up his name too? Elton John the Baptist.

I never said anything about English. The Gospel of the Ebionites actually uses the word cake rather then locust.

" Epiphanius complains that the Ebionites have falsified the text by substituting the word "cake" (egkris ἐγκρίς) for "locust" (akris ἀκρίς, in Matthew 3:4)"
Gospel of the Ebionites - Wikipedia