John the Baptist John the Baptist is one of the most influential men in all of the gospels. John had the incredible honor of preparing the way for the Messiah. Matthew 3 tells the story of John the Baptist preparing the way of the Lord. “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him’” (New International Version, Matthew 3.3). John’s story is necessary in the gospels because he was clearing the path for Jesus to walk on. Without John in the gospels, Jesus coming would have come to a surprise to all that were in Jerusalem. However, John’s journey was not an easy one to walk. John spent most of his time in the wilderness and not in the glorious capital city of Jerusalem. John’s clothes were