Luke 3:1-6: a reflection

1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins. 4As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. 5Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth. 6All flesh will see God’s salvation.’”

When the word of God comes to John in the wilderness, his message is one of preparation: Make ready the way of the Lord; make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled, every mountain and hill brought low, the crooked made straight and the rough ways smooth. John came to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord, calling people to make ready, to remove the obstacles, to level what stood in the way, so that they would be prepared for his coming. The way for the Lord had to be made ready.

Notice John's task: to prepare the way for the Lord's coming. The Lord was coming; and John's work was to make people ready to receive him, calling for repentance, for the leveling of what stood in the way, for the straightening of what was crooked. The way had to be prepared; hearts had to be made ready. John did not presume the people were already prepared; he called them to prepare, to remove the obstacles, to make ready for the Lord who was coming. Preparation was needed, and John called for it.

That call to prepare the way is worth taking to heart, for we too need to make ready for the Lord in our hearts. There can be much in us that stands in the way of the Lord, obstacles that need removing, crooked things that need straightening, before we are truly prepared to receive him. And like John's hearers, we are called not to presume we are ready, but to prepare, to make the way ready in our hearts. Do not presume you are already prepared for the Lord; make ready the way in your heart, removing the obstacles, straightening what is crooked, as John called the people to prepare for the Lord's coming. Prepare your heart to receive the Lord, levelling what stands in the way and making his paths straight in you, as John came to prepare the way of the Lord, calling people to make ready for his coming.

Lord, when the word of God came to John in the wilderness, his message was one of preparation: make ready the way of the Lord; make his paths straight; every valley will be filled, every mountain and hill brought low, the crooked made straight and the rough ways smooth. John came to prepare the way for your coming, calling people to make ready, to remove the obstacles, to level what stood in the way. The way for you had to be made ready. Show me John's task: to prepare the way for your coming. You were coming; and John's work was to make people ready to receive you, calling for repentance, for the leveling of what stood in the way. The way had to be prepared; hearts had to be made ready. John did not presume the people were already prepared; he called them to prepare. Take that call to my heart, for I too need to make ready for you in my heart. There can be much in me that stands in the way, obstacles that need removing, crooked things that need straightening, before I am truly prepared to receive you. And like John's hearers, I am called not to presume I am ready, but to prepare. Keep me from presuming I am already prepared for you; help me make ready the way in my heart, removing the obstacles, straightening what is crooked, Lord, as John called the people to prepare for your coming. Help me prepare my heart to receive you.