I will only use a short section of Matthew to illustrate the way John the Baptist spoke, which was characteristic of the prophets before him and of Jesus as well as Paul, and almost every other writer or speaker in the Bible. There is something to learn here from him about speech that is crafted to be remembered. Almost all you will memorize and quote supports this proposition: literary images are retained in the mind when mere argument is too often forgotten. Once you see this, you will notice their use everywhere.
Notice the mental images in bold type:
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:7-12 ESV)
Vipers, fruit, stones, the axe, sandals, the winnowing fork and threshing floor, wheat and chaff, and immersion into fire are all used in a very short warning.
John does not merely say, “Who warned you religious Jews to flee from God’s wrath to come. Don’t just say to yourself, ‘Abraham is our father.’ God can make other children for Abraham. You are about to be judged. I’m baptizing you for repentance but the one coming is mightier than me and he will judge you severely and finally.”
I will admit that even the skeleton of his warning above has power because it is shockingly confrontational and true, but what you remember and ruminate on are those vivid pictures planted in your mind. In other words, what you “see” sticks.
What is being revealed by such images is the important thing, but we are also communicators who need to learn from the masters.