The Place of Ministry

The place where John ministers is the wilderness-not Jerusalem. This is emphatic. It was beautifully situated and the joy of the whole earth, but the city of the great king was no longer owned of God. Therefore He sends His servant apart from the court and form of godliness, to draw out the people to take new ground through the baptism of repentance. God touches the hearts of these people. They no longer rank themselves under the headship of Moses, but under John the Baptist. With John they wait for the Messiah.