Make ready the way

John the Baptist came before Jesus; he preaching away from the cities and the synagogues of Israel.

Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Matthew 3:1-2

Even though he preached out in the rugged country of Judea, men came to him from Jerusalem, and all of Judea. Men came, listened to him, and were baptized in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

He performed no miracles, yet nearly everyone came out to hear him preach about the kingdom of God. The people listened to his message of repentance, perhaps wanting to see the kingdom of God restored to Israel.

But John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Jesus.

"This is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying,
'The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!'"
Matthew 3:3

His message was repentance, and the works that come from repentance.

"...And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Luke 3:9

People asked John what they should do.

"And he would answer and say to them, 'Let the man who has two tunics share with him who has none; and let him who has food do likewise."" Luke 3:11

The tax collectors, Jews working for the Romans, asked him what they should do.

"And he said to them, 'Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.'" Luke 3:13

Roman soldiers asked him what they should do.

"...And he said to them, 'Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.'" Luke 3:14

John the Baptist preached that One was coming after him, who will separate the wheat from the chaff.

"As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not even fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matthew 3:11-12

The message of John the Baptist was to prepare the way of the Lord, to make a roadway through the rough landscape. He called for men to repent openly in baptizism; he told men to walk in genuine works of righteousness. He told men that someone much greater was coming, who would thresh the righteous from the wicked.

John the Baptist prepared men to listen to Jesus Christ.

What prepares us to listen to Jesus Christ?

The Jewish people were already very religious; their culture was centered around the synagogue locally, and the temple in Jerusalem. They had many religious teachers and leaders. Yet God sent John the Baptist to speak to a people who heard the Law and the Prophets read every Sabbath.

We are religious as well. We have our churches, and our leaders. We read the Bible, and listen to Christian music. What more do we need to prepare us to listen to Jesus Christ?

We need to hear the Spirit of God speak through a man; we will know the difference between religion and power. We need to feel the dragnet pushing us in to judgment; we need to repent. We need the kingdom of God to come near, like it came near in John the Baptist.

The kingdom of God comes near in a man. It came near in John the Baptist, and everyone went out to him. The kingdom of God has come near in other places and times. Three thousand men were pierced in their hearts on the day of Pentecost when Peter preached. Ireland turned to Christ at the preaching of St. Patrick. Many in England turned to Christ at the preaching of John Wesley. We can see the effect in history; we can know this in our time.

John the Baptist was sent by God. He was the voice prophesied in Isaiah 40; he was the messenger in Malachi 3:1. Yet John found the kingdom of God in the wilderness, away from men and away from his place as a priest.

"And the child continued to grow, and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel." Luke 1:80

We also need to grow; we cannot give what we do not have. The presence of the kingdom cannot be imitated; it cannot be faked. We can make ready the way of the Lord in men; we can bring a sense of real righteousness. The nearness of the kingdom of God can be felt; it is a dragnet pushing all men toward judgment. But each of us must find this kingdom before we can bring it near to our world.

The kingdom of God was near; when John preached, men repented.