“I am the voice of one calling in the desert…’Make straight the way for the Lord.’” John 1:23b
The Gospel of John introduces John the Baptist early in chapter 1:
“There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.”
John 1:6
(By the way, if you find it confusing to distinguish between John and John the Baptist as you read the book of John, just know that if the character is referred to by name – John – it will always be John the Baptist. The author of the text never refers to himself by name, but only as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.”)
Both Mark and Matthew provide some interesting details in their gospels about John the Baptist, revealing he wore clothing made of camel’s hair, a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
Reading those words prompts an image of Phil Robertson in my mind’s eye. (I can’t know for sure, but I think Phil would be honored to be compared to John the Baptist!)
Regardless of what he looked like, John the Baptist clearly knew his mission for coming: “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ’Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
John the Baptist knew who he was … and he knew who he wasn’t. When asked if he was the Christ, he responded, “I am not…”
Then he was asked, “Who are you?”
His answer reveals he clearly knew where he was to serve (the desert) and he knew his assignment, “Make straight the way for the Lord.”
How would you describe the desert? Dry, desolate, empty, lonely? Surely, that would describe the heart condition of many people in this world — people who desperately need the hope and purpose that can only be found in Jesus Christ.
John knew his job was to “make straight the way” — to smooth out the proverbial (or maybe even literal) wrinkles that trip folks up on their journey to find Jesus. Perhaps to move away the barriers to belief or eliminate the excuses and explanations that trip folks up.
Maybe it’s even our own behaviors and lifestyle choices that bring those wrinkles. That’s a sobering thought. Are folks looking at our lives as Christ-followers and seeing hypocrisy or a lack of love and compassion? Are they seeing a walk that doesn’t match up with the talk? Do those looking on see a watered-down faith that fails to translate to action? Does my life point others to Him? Does my life make others curious about Him? Do my words, attitudes, actions, and behaviors make others want to know more – prod them to ask, “Why do you do what you do?”
How can our choices smooth out some wrinkles in the desert today?
{Here’s the link to the full teaching lecture for John 2:
http://fbcsiloam.podbean.com/e/the-gospel-of-john-chapter-1lesson-1/ }
