John the Baptist was a fiery character. The Pharisees and Sadducees were threatened by him and for good reason. He had amassed a large following in the desert so, naturally, they were worried about his influence and power. They wondered who he was and what he was doing. The gospel of Luke tell us in chapter 3:
3And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
The words of Isaiah paint a picture of an approaching king. In ancient times, a herald would go before the king and clear a path through uneven territory so he could travel over an open highway. I always thought that John was clearing the way for Jesus…removing obstacles and smoothing out the ground for him. But this isn’t who John is preparing the way for. Why would God need obstacles removed? The highway is of the Lord and bears His name, but the preparation is not for him. Isaiah chapter 35 gives us more insight into this same highway.
8And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
The highway is for God’s people—His ransomed exiles. He wants nothing to stand in the way of their return. Every hindrance must be removed. The work that John is doing is removing obstacles in the hearts of the people so that they can be ransomed and return to God along his highway. The fuller picture is one of a king, making his way through the desert to reach his people. He finds his exiles and pays their debts—he redeems them. And through this process, he’s created a highway for them to return back with him because he longs to bring them home. A few verses earlier in Isaiah 35, it says:
4Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
What a beautiful picture of Christ—making his way through a desolate wilderness, facing imminent danger, burning with a passion to save his people, and making a way for them to return back to him. It’s no coincidence that the early Christians were known as “Followers of the Way.” The whole Christian life is one of following the path Christ laid out for us until we return home.
With this understanding of the highway in mind, what were the obstacles that John was working steadfastly to remove? How was he removing them and preparing the “way of the Lord?” Parts 2 and 3 will explore these questions.
Posted by RP
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