Prepare the Way

“You will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” Luke 1:76b-77

Even before he was born, John the Baptist’s role was prophesied by his father Zacharias. I suppose many fathers have expectations of their sons. I have a picture I took of my oldest son sitting in my favorite chair with a Christian-themed book open on his lap. Oh, and he was 10 months old at the time. It was all meant in fun, but I’m certain another dad might have his son pose with a football, or a hammer, or a computer mouse. Yes, we fathers have high hopes for our sons. And every parent expects great things from each of their children.

But this is not simply a father’s big wish for a successful son. John will be much more than a charismatic leader with great crowds flocking to him. Indeed, his career will build to a high crescendo until he baptizes Jesus, the Son of God. From that point on John says, “He must increase, and I must decrease.” Shortly afterward John was imprisoned and beheaded for challenging the unlawful marriage of Herod.

John’s most important role was to go on before the Lord to “prepare the way for him.” Success was not defined by position, power or money. It made no difference if John made front page headlines or was written up in the Jerusalem Financial Journal. The only question that mattered was, “How well am I preparing people’s hearts for the Lord?”

It could be argued that John’s mission was unnecessary. These were God’s people, His chosen Israel, after all. They knew the way. They had been hand-picked by God centuries before when God called Abraham out of Ur, promised him a great nation, delivered them out of Egypt and given them His law through Moses in the wilderness. There was no other nation whom God had reached out and taken to Himself. I am sure there were more than a few fellow Jews who thought, “Why is he telling us to repent? Go on, John. Tell those Egyptians and Syrians (read “liberals” and “atheists) to repent. We’ve got this God stuff in us so deep we have even changed our diet to please this God of ours. Those “others” need to repent, not us.”

Fortunately, Scripture records that there were many more who actually heard and responded to John’s words. They realized they did need the knowledge of salvation “through the forgiveness of their sins.” Do I need to be reminded of the same thing? Have I comforted myself at how my knowledge of God far exceeds the average? Do I cut people off who disagree with me, rarely looking at my own self and assumptions? Has my religious experience turned me into someone who feels no need for “salvation”?

Though there is perhaps a single event at which a person is “saved” or “born again”, we must not assume that “salvation” is no longer a necessity.  It is essential that we keep our hearts open to the opportunities to once more hear the message to prepare the way for the Lord. What remains in my heart that may be hard and unforgiven? This is not simply a question of persisting sin, though that certainly applies. It is about a view that sees ourselves as immune from any of the diseases of spirit that cause us to think we are no longer in need of great forgiveness.

One angry voice still rings in my ears. A very conservative Christian told my wife that “anyone who voted for Obama needs to get down on their knees and repent” and “no Christian would vote for him.” I weep when I hear things like this. These judgments are exactly the sort that Jesus warned us about. In Acts 20, as Paul give final instructions to the Ephesian elders, he instructed them to “take heed to yourselves…”

John’s mission was to call people to do exactly that; “take heed to yourselves”. His mission was to call God’s people to do that! Today, with all the humility that an understanding of salvation brings, let your heart be prepared for the way of the Lord once more. May we recognize our continuing need for God’s forgiveness.