"Make straight the way of the Lord," as the prophet Isaiah said

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am

'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

"Make straight the way of the LORD, "'

as the prophet Isaiah said."

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose." These things were done in Bathabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

- John 1:19-28

In yesterday's reading, we read John the Evangelist's introduction to the Christ. It is a theological understanding of Christ as Logos or Word, and John's testimony as to his witness in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. See In the beginning was the Word. In today's reading, we are introduced to John the Baptist, and the Baptist's testimony of himself. John was an extremely important figure, revered widely as a holy man in his own time. Many of Jesus' apostles were followers of John before they became followers of Jesus.

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" As noted above, John the Baptist was widely considered a holy man. He baptized a baptism of repentance in preparation for the Messiah, the One who was to come. His popularity was such that it is natural the priests and Levites would come to ask him about himself. In John's gospel, the term "the Jews" means the leadership of the temple. It is essential to remember that John the Evangelist, like all of Jesus' immediate apostles, was himself a devout Jew. At the time this gospel was written, persecutions of Jesus' followers were widespread in the synagogues and hence in the diaspora of the Jewish community, in addition to harsh Roman persecution.

He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." John clearly teaches that he is not the expected Messiah, in a time when many are looking for a savior for Israel. Christ is the Greek word for "Anointed One," the Messiah.

And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." It was prophesied that Elijah would return before the Christ, the Messiah. In the gospels, Jesus refers to John the Baptist as the return of Elijah in spirit.

"Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." The Prophet refers to the prophesy given by Moses in Deuteronomy 18: "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear . . . 'I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him' " (Deut. 18:15, 18).

Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD, " ' as the prophet Isaiah said." John refers to himself as the one prophesied by Isaiah, who will come before the Lord, the Messiah, and announce His presence in the world. John is called the Forerunner for this reason. He quotes from Isaiah 40:3 to express his identity to the priests and Levites.

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose." These things were done in Bathabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The Pharisees are a strong ruling party in the leadership of the temple. In other gospels, John the Baptist is scathing in his reply to their presence at the site of his baptisms, asking them, "Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" John's is a baptism of repentance in preparation for the Messiah, for the coming of the Lord.

In the gospel of John, the portrait of John the Baptist is one of extreme humility. This is consistent with the other gospels, and the statements of John the Baptist we read in which he refers at all to himself. In all things, he defers to Christ. This is the characteristic of humility, a deferral to Christ -- and it is what we are given repeatedly to understand about John the Baptist. The Baptist is also considered the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, and is referred to by Jesus as such. His great popularity in his own time suggests to us why the Pharisees would send priests and Levites to ask him about himself -- but in all things, he defers to the One who is to come, who is in fact present in the world. And this example of tremendous humility is what we must take with us when we examine our own faith. In all things, John the Baptist defers to the Christ. As great a figure as he cuts among the people, John is humble before the One for whom he baptizes. So, his invitation to baptism is also an invitation to the people to prepare for the Christ, to put everything aside and behind them in preparation for the One who is to come. Can we do the same thing in our own hearts? Do we put everything aside to "make straight the way of the Lord?" This is our job each day. Humility is not a concept highly valued in our world, but before the Christ, this is our attitude. This is how we must hold our hearts in preparation for the Lord, the One who is, in fact, present in our world. How do you prepare? How do you make straight His Way in your heart?