Make Straight

"John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, 'This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' '.John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, 'I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' ' "

John 1:15, 23

He was one of the most colorful prophets of the Bible. He stirred up Israel and set the stage for Jesus to enter. Isaiah prophesied about him 700 years before his birth. The religious leaders thought he was crazy. His parents praised God for letting them be his parents and for blessing them with him in their old age. Numerous people were baptized by him. Herod hated him. Some of Jesus' disciples followed him before they followed Jesus. He preached boldly and showed no fear. He was chosen by God to be the one who prepared the way for Jesus. Do you know who he is? That's right, he is John the Baptist.

 

In Luke 1, the angel Gabriel appeared to his father Zechariah and told him that his prayers had been heard. His wife Elizabeth would bear him a son, and he was to give him the name John. Elizabeth and Jesus' mother Mary were cousins, which made John the Baptist and Jesus cousins, too. John would be a joy and delight to his parents and great in the sight of the Lord. He would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth and bring back many people to the Lord. He was to go before the LORD in the spirit and power of Elijah and to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

 

In John 1, when the people wanted to know who was this man preaching in the wilderness, John confessed that he was not Elijah, the Christ, or the Prophet. He simply used the words of Isaiah the prophet and said, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' " John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah. In ancient times a forerunner would go before a dignitary to announce his coming and clear the way before him. Highways were made straight only for a king. John understood the dignitary he announced was much higher than he. In John 1:27 which says, "He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie," he used an analogy of their time to explain how high Jesus outranked him. In ancient times a slave would have had many menial tasks to perform for his master. However, unstrapping the sandal was considered too menial a task. A person's slave would not do it; the master would do it for himself. John was saying in comparison to Jesus, he was even lower than a slave.

 

John called Jesus the Lamb of God. In the Jewish culture, the symbolism of the lamb would need no explanation. They knew the lamb meant a sacrifice as an atonement for their sins. However, few people understood before the cross that Jesus was to be the final Lamb sacrificed for our sins.

 

The news about this prophet in the wilderness who didn't need a modern day sound system to be heard had spread to Jerusalem, all of Judea, and the region of the Jordan. His clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey, for heaven's sake. This alone would make him an attraction. People were laying aside their work for the day and closing up their shops. They came to hear a man preaching by the Jordan River. The Pharisees had united with the Sadducees, their enemies, to investigate this wild looking man who was preaching and baptizing by the river. One friend dragged another there because she could not go alone. The curious came to see why everyone was talking about Him. The hopeful came seeking one who might finally release them from the political oppression and unrest. People with hopes for their futures...People with dreams for their children...People with questions about their oppression and the evil in the world...People just like you and me.

 

John preached a message of repentance and told the people that the kingdom of God was near. He baptized the people with water. John understood that his life was just to prepare the way for Messiah. When Jesus Messiah appeared on the scene and he baptized him, he says of Jesus in John 3:30, "He must become greater; I must become less." He knew his ministry would dwindle when Jesus' time had come.

 

My friend, you and I can learn much from John's example. We are preparing for our home in heaven and for the return of the King. Our heart's desire should be that He becomes greater and that we become less. May we be filled more with the Spirit and less of our flesh and selfish desires for He is our God!

 

Pray with me: Oh, God, thank You for Your perfect plan. You perfectly planned Jesus' birth and life on earth. You sent John the Baptist to make straight the way for Your Son. Help us to learn from John's life that we are here to serve the kingdom and to prepare the bride for the return of our Groom. May You become greater and we become less. Shine through us so all people see when they see us is Jesus. It's in His name we pray, in Yeshua's Name. Amen.

 

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study

 

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