As it concerns his dress:
It does seem to be a bit on the wild side .But honestly, what can be "wild" for one person may not be as "wild" as it'd be for another.......for some people think its wild to dress in 2011 the same way as others did in the 70's, even as dress styles from that era are coming back into being mainstream again. John the Baptist came in Came's clothing (
Matthew 3:3-5 /
Matthew 3 ,
Mark 1:5-7 )---and Isaiah walked around naked by the Lord's command (
Isaiah 20:1-3 /
Isaiah 20 ). And with both instances, there was a clear dynamic of the prophetic involved......as the clothing served as a means to an end. As another said best about John the Baptist's clothes:
Both Matthew and Mark explicitly say that John the Baptist wore clothing made of camels hair and had a leather belt around his waist (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6). If both Evangelists make explicit reference to Johns clothing there must be something significant about it; but what?
There is another man who wore similar clothing in the Scriptures, one who lived many centuries before Johns birth. To this man the angel of the Lord said:
Go, intercept the messengers of Samarias king, and ask them, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? For this, the Lord says: You shall not leave the bed upon which you lie; instead, you shall die (II Kings 1:3-4).
Hearing these words, the kings messengers returned to him. King Ahaziah asked them, What was the man like who came up to you and said these things to you (II Kings 1:7). Wearing a hairy garment, they replied, with a leather girdle about his loins (II Kings 1:8). Hearing this description, the king knew at once the name of this name and cried out, It is Elijah the Tishbite (II Kings 1:8)!
By donning a garment made of camels hair and securing it with a belt of leather, John the Baptist demonstrated in a clear way his prophetic calling. We learn through the prophet Zechariah that this form of dress was customary for the prophets: On that day, every prophet shall be ashamed to prophesy his vision, neither shall he assume the hairy mantle: (Zechariah 13:4). But more than this, John showed through the use of his clothing, that he was Elijah.
The grandson of the wise Sirach wrote, How awesome are you, Elijah! Whose glory is equal to yours (Sirach 48:10)? Furthermore, he said to him,
You are destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before the day of the Lord, to turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob. Blessed is he who shall have seen you before he dies, O Elijah, enveloped in the whirlwind (Sirach 48:10-12)!
Sirach references and quotes the words of the Prophet Malachi:
Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and terrible day, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with doom (Malachi 3:24).
So much so did John the Baptists life reflect that of Elijah, Jesus said of John:
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought to hear (Matthew 11:13-15).
Saint John Chrysostom tells us, Johns clothing itself was symbolic of nothing less than the coming kingdom and of repentance
All of that I thought was interesting, in light of how clothing was often wore to get the attention of people in reflecting a theme of the Lord. The clothing that the High priests wore is another example of such...and even more so when it came to the regular dress styles others wear.
Thus, the clothing alone---even if its considered to be ecentric---may not be even something to consider as an issue regarding theology. If he had eccentric hair alone (as many great minds do), people would've probably said nothing....
Though I realize that he chooses to dress in certain clothings for the sake of illustration, I really enjoy the kinds of clothing he wears...and I'd personally dig it if he dressed as such in everyday life. One of my friends used to dress in styles similar---though it was more so focused upon how others dressed during eras such as the Middle Ages and with Renaissance Dress Styles. If you've ever seen the film, "Kingdom of Heaven" or perhaps the film entitled "A Knights Tale" and how they brought modern day music alongside the styles of dress they had, it is a good illustration:
I've worn long gowns many times that are similar to what many Native Americans have worn. Also, due to having friends/family connected that are Jewish, I've often dressed in flowing garments similar to what he has had many times...though its mainly in fashion similar to how others in Eastern/Middle Eastern cultures dress and and what they walked in back in the day.
They
actually have Eastern dresses for those within Hip Hop. It's just cool to dress that way, IMHO. If I could dress in the manner in which they dressed in Biblical Times, I would dig it.