No doubt John the Baptist didn’t look very “saintly,” the way we usually think of saints or of people with spiritual messages we might want to hear. After all, this John was known for his ascetic lifestyle, living in the wilderness, wearing strange clothes, and eating insects for food.

But he’s also known for baptizing Jesus Christ, and for preaching about the opportunity to turn our lives back around to live toward God. In particular, I don’t like to remember that the governor had John the Baptist killed in the midst of an orgy on the whim of his daughter and wife. He had directly challenged Herod about his unethical lifestyle and lack of faith in God.

But John the Baptist’s entire ministry pointed to Jesus as God’s Son. Despite all the chaos around him, he called Jesus “the Lamb of God.”