Prepare the Way of the Lord

John the Baptizer from Godspell

I've been reading the opening chapters of Luke to get into an Advent and Christmas frame of mind.

This morning I gave thought to Luke 3, which focuses on John the Baptizer.

(I will confess that the Isaiah quote from Luke 3:4 has the Godspell song "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord" running through my head [and maybe yours now, as well].)

John the Baptizer was a very bold and direct prophet, but also very humble.

He knew he wasn't the Christ and would not pretend otherwise (John 1:20).

He admitted that he wasn't worthy to untie the straps of Jesus' sandals (Luke 3:16).

He understood that he must decrease and that Jesus must increase (John 3:30).

Nevertheless, John was not bashful in his preaching.

He calls the crowds the offspring of serpents, charges tax collectors to stop cheating people, and exhorts soldiers to quit extorting people and making false charges against them (Luke 3:7, 12-14).

Imagine how they felt when John called them out that way! Today John would be called a "hater" and be eviscerated on social media.

John certainly had a different approach than Jesus. No wonder John had his questions and doubts about Jesus while he was prisoner in Herod's dungeon (Luke 7:18-23).

It's tempting to say that we need to be more like John -- bold, in your face. And that may work for some.

However, John's portrayal is descriptive, not prescriptive. In other words, it's not meant to prescribe how we are to act. John's conviction and courage are to be emulated, but his manner of ministry was all his own.

Scripture isn't telling me to set up shop on Buffalo Bayou and cry out to the joggers running past. That's not my calling. I'm a pastor, not a prophet. These are two different callings with two different job descriptions.

On the other hand, Scripture is telling me (and you) to display the courage of John (and Paul and Jeremiah and Isaiah and Jesus) in speaking the truth despite its unpopularity.

We are called to afflict the comfortable with God's law and to comfort the afflicted with God's promises.

In short, like John, we are called to prepare the way of the Lord.