Last time we saw that the Pharisees sent a delegation to interrogate John the Witness out in the [wilderness]. The Interrogation. Are you the Messiah? And John makes it crystal clear: No, no, no - I am not the Messiah. I am not the one you need to be looking for. Well then who ARE you? [22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”]. Who AM I? John says, I am here to prepare the way, to clear the way for the Lord. I am a Way-clearer.
How does one make straight, or “clear the way” for the Lord? Let’s look at the passage John quotes: [Is. 40:3-5 A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the [wilderness]; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley; then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”]
Is wilderness where we go to FIND the Lord, or is He coming OUT of the [wilderness]? Maybe a little of both? John is “in the wilderness”. Wilderness is where nothing grows/dead. Nobody lives/lonely. No food, no water/hard to survive. And there is no road/hard to move forward. But so the Lord is coming. He WANTS to come into our lives, and build His kingdom. We might need to venture into (or find ourselves in) a hard place to find Him. Or, we might need to venture OUT of that lonely hard-to-live place. We basically want to [bulldoze] anything that might hinder His coming - in our lives or in the lives of others. We want to smooth that all out - we want to clear out anything that might keep anyone (including us) from seeing the glory of the Lord, that might somehow hide or throw shade on His breathtaking goodness and greatness. So that all flesh can see His glory.
So, clearing out the things that hinder us from seeing God’s glory. Surely the greatest of these is me? [3fold self - me-myself-and-I] [Is 40.6-8 A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.] Isaiah reminds us that even at our best-most-lovely [chesed], we are like a fading flower [like spring redbuds - gone way too quickly]. Beautiful to look at for a season maybe, but nothing we should put our stock in. My focus on self - good/bad and even the ugly - this KEEPS me from seeing how great the Lord really is, and how much I really need Him. I need to realize that even my very best will fade and leave me no better than an empty wilderness. I need to embrace the truth, that in the end, the ONLY thing that lasts, the ONLY thing we can/should really trust, is God and His Word. And HE is coming out of the wilderness to a city, to a life near you, near me. You and I need to clear the way…
So, back in the wilderness, our interrogators ask John a good question. [25 They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”] Why WAS John baptizing? I’m calling you to repentance, that’s what I’m doing. (=) change your mind AND your direction - about who you are, what you are doing, about your life. This is what it means to clear the way. [Clearing out the rough ground], filling in valleys, leveling mountains. The things that hinder the advance of God’s “kingdom”, the progress of what God wants in our life. This is what Jesus taught us to pray: let Your kingdom come, let what You want be done - on earth, in my life, just as it is in heaven. Clear the way. Clear it out. You and I change our mind about our life, about what we want, about who to trust. We change our mind about Who God is, and what He deserves. And we pray with Jesus, not what I want, but what You want, Lord. I want what You want, Lord. Clear the way.
Baptism itself didn’t clear the way, per se. There’s nothing magical even about the waters of the river [Jordan]. But there IS something about making a public profession. It gives feet to your resolve. And it brings the community, the spiritual family, into your journey. It invites them into your struggles and your triumphs. Some today think that faith is a “personal” thing, that it should stay personal - but that is NOT what we see in John. Make your decision [public]…
[26 John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. 27 “It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”] I am baptizing, I am calling you all to repentance because there is One among you Who you do not know. He HAS stood. Already. He’s already among you. In fact, He is Emmanuel - God WITH us. He is the Ultimate God•send, He’s already here - and John says, you’ve missed it, completely. One Whom you don’t know. You aren’t even aware that He’s here. I’m here to help clear things out of the way, so that you CAN see Him. You don’t know Who He is. And you NEED to know Him. Because HE is Messiah. And He is worthy. Sooo worthy. I am not worthy, John says. I am NOT Him, and compared to Him, I am nothing. We show people Jesus - because there is no one like Him.
John says, I’m not worthy even to untie His [sandals]. This statement appears in every one of the Gospels. Sandal removal - and foot washing - were the jobs for the lowest slave in a household - and John says, this Messiah you ask if I am? I’m not worthy to be compared to Him in any way. I don’t even rate as the most menial servant in comparison to Him. He’s so good, He’s simply better. The Best. He must increase. He is coming after me, behind me, John says - but He needs to come first for you. He needs to be front and center for you. And that’s what I’m here to do, to clear the way for Him to be first, to be front and center.
This is precisely where repentance comes in. John’s ministry of baptizing people was bringing people to the recognition that this life was not about them. It’s not about me. Life is not [me-first]. I am not to be living for what I want. I live first for what God wants. This is a fundamental change of heart. And this is the very first thing author John shows us. He shows us John the Witness, calling people to turn their lives around, to turn their hearts around from living for what I want and choosing instead to live for what the Lord wants. Clearing the way for [Jesus to be first]. And as it turns out, there is no better way to live - cuz He made us for this. This is the abundant Zoe life God designed us to live - in HIM is Zoe. Our best life is not living for what I want. It’s living for what God wants. This is how life is designed to work. Most of us grow up mistakenly assuming that life is all about us, what I want. We’re messing around making mud pies in a slum, when infinite joy is offered us. He has already stood among you. His light has been shining. Won’t you eagerly take the Light? Won’t you eagerly receive Him? Why won’t you eagerly receive Him? He is so much better. We have no idea. John says, I'm not even worthy to untie His sandals - he knew how much better Jesus was. Clear the way for Jesus to be first [1jn4.19].
How about you and me? How is it that we are clearing the way for Jesus to be first? First in our heart? Helping others make their way to Jesus? All day, every day - clear the way for the Lord. Shining the light of Christ in the dark places of the world, in the darkness of people’s hearts. Showing off the goodness of Christ. Blessed to be a blessing. We shine the light of Christ in ways that show them Jesus, that point people to Jesus. He must increase.
So, this was The Interrogation. Who are YOU, John? And John is saying, it’s not about me. This was never about me. One is standing here - Whom you do not know. Clear the way…
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