Matthew 3:4

‘Now John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his loins, and his food was locusts and wild honey.'

John is described in prophetic terms. His raiment of coarse camel's hair, his leather (dried skin) girdle and his wilderness food all depict the prophet (compare 2 Kings 1:8; Zechariah 12:4). He is a man of the wilderness, separated to God, and away from the world, unfettered by the things of this life, seeking first the Kingly Rule of God and His righteousness. Locusts were regular desert food, and wild honey was freely available in the wilderness. John lived at the minimum.

There are a number of similarities between John and Elijah. Both appear suddenly, both live a solitary life, both wear ascetic clothing, both become objects of revenge from the king's wife. As Jesus will explain (Matthew 11:14; Matthew 17:12), John is in fact the new Elijah spoken of by Malachi 4:5. John in fact also exemplifies the one who seeks first the Kingly Rule of God and His righteousness in preference to food and clothing (Matthew 6:33). He is an example to be followed.

It has been suggested that John was connected with the Qumran community. However, while he would almost certainly have had contact with them he was not inward looking and aiming to start a closed community. He did not try to gather a community around him but rather encouraged an open and more loose community where people returned home to live out their lives there, in contrast with the Qumranis inward looking attitude. Nor did he establish a series of ritual washings, or produce detailed regulations for the conduct of their lives. There is thus no real reason why we should connect him too closely with them. Like Jesus after him, he was content that the people continued to hear the teaching of the Scribes. What they had to do was avoid their tendency to hypocrisy (Matthew 23:2).