I am "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: '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 Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

 

- John 1:19-28 

 

Yesterday, the lectionary gave us what is known as the Prologue of John's Gospel:   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.  

 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."  Here the theological Prologue to John's Gospel is finished (see yesterday's reading, above), and the testimony of the Gospel has shifted to the beginnings of Christ's earthly ministry.  Thus begins the witness of John the Baptist in today's reading.  This next part of John's Gospel, extending through chapter 2, verses 1-11, is another type of parallel with the book of Genesis.  Just as John's Prologue began with the words, "In the beginning" in order to give us a picture of the Logos, the Son of God in His divinity, today's reading begins the first of seven days given as the beginning of Christ's ministry in our world, as Incarnate human being.  It begins with John the Baptist, a highly revered figure in his time, whose ministry gave to Christ His first disciples, who had been first followers of John the Baptist.  

"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."  My study Bible comments that John the Baptist is a prophet, but not the Prophet, the Messiah, whose coming was foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).  Here John is quoting from Isaiah 40:3, identifying himself as the one who fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness."  He, we understand, is the herald of our Lord's coming, proclaiming to all to be prepared for the coming of the Messiah.

 

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 Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.   The Pharisees have come to him as part of the ruling Council, and those who wish to scrupulously regulate and examine the faith.  John by now is well-known.  Here John again points to Christ, "One among you whom you do not know."  John's baptism is not Christian baptism, but one of repentance in preparation for the Messiah.  

My study Bible explains of John the Baptist that the call to repentance was traditional for prophets.  Thus, his role in baptizing for repentance in preparation for the coming of Christ is one that fulfills the role of prophet, and John himself is traditionally considered in the Christian faith to be the last and greatest of the Old Testament type prophets.  My study Bible notes that John's baptism did not grant remission of sins once and for all (unlike Christian baptism with the Holy Spirit), but prefigured and prepared people for the baptism of Christ which was to come (see Romans 6:3-11).  It also notes that John is a figure of the Law in that, like the Law, he denounced sin but could not remit (or "put away") sin.  Both John and the Law point to the One who can remit sin, Christ.  There is another way to understand our text, and that is in keeping with the parallels to Genesis we're given in these first seven days of Christ's ministry, beginning with the call of John the Baptist to repentance in preparation.  My study Bible comments on this aspect of the text that on this first day, John the Baptist bears witness to the Light (see yesterday's reading, above), who is the Christ, in the presence of the Pharisees, those coming from the Council and in this sense representing the Jewish nation.  This parallels the creation of light on the first day in Genesis 1:3-5.  This call of the Baptist is extremely important, for it gives us a sense (as my study Bible suggests) of how the Old Testament calls us to the new, and points to Christ.  Clearly this preparation is essential for understanding who Christ is, for preparing the people to know the Christ, to receive the Messiah.  Many factors will be at work in terms of how the people accept or reject Christ and His ministry, not least of which are popular expectations which are false, but in fact John gives the true preparation by quoting Isaiah the prophet, showing how God has prepared the way for the Lord, and even for the Baptist himself.  What we may gather from this is first of all the importance of preparation.  When we journey along the road of faith, we may begin to observe that all that has come before in our lives, when taken in faith, can work together to point us to our salvation and a growing or deepening participation in the life of Christ, a deepening of our faith.  Secondly, the passage shows us unmistakably how John the Baptist is essential to this salvation economy, for each one plays his or her role in God's plan.  Nothing is wasted in the sense that each has a part to play.  It also tells us how greatly John was revered by the early Christians and remains an essential figure to our faith.  John is the Herald, or the Forerunner, the one who -- like the servants of a king, or a modern day diplomat or emissary who prepares the ground for a visit of a President or Prime Minister -- readies the people for the greater man's message.  John in this role is a model of humility, and serves today as such a model, especially for monastics.  The very creation of monasticism would be inspired by John and his role in the wilderness, for he lived his life in complete devotion to God.  Today the Feast of the Transfiguration is commemorated around the world, and it is important to remember, in this context, that the Transfiguration is about the revelation of the divinity of Christ to His disciples.  But perhaps most importantly, the Transfiguration (in Greek, Μεταμορφωσις/Metamorphosis) serves for Christians as the image of the Light which transfigures all things and especially transfigures us.  In the Transfiguration we are given to understand that faith is meant to be a process throughout our lives of transformation in the light of Christ, transfiguring our every day moments into something serving our salvation, a capacity for a growing and deepening faith and participation in Christ's life and kingdom.  In His light, we see light (Psalm 36:9), so that we may become the image He has for us.  So we listen to the Herald, John the Baptist, who played his part in teaching us about repentance and preparation, for the One who always makes all things new, and who continually asks us for, and gives us, repentance and renewal.