Follow The RabbiSample

This is the Judean wilderness overlooking the Dead Sea looking toward the Jordan River. This is the place John the Baptist lived. 

All four books in the Bible about the life of Jesus refer to John the Baptist as the “voice of one crying in the wilderness”, as he announced the arrival of Jesus. Whenever I have read these words, I just assumed John literally walked around this barren wilderness screaming out “prepare the way of the Lord” to anyone who would listen. I didn’t realize this was a reference to an important aspect of Jesus’ mission. 

See, this line is actually a quote from the prophet Isaiah who said it hundreds of years before Jesus. Isaiah used it to send a message of hope to Jews who were in exile in Babylon at the time. Isaiah was telling the people to have faith because God was going to send someone to free them from slavery and return them to the place God wanted them to be. So when the Gospel writers draw on this idea, they're declaring that Jesus came to set his followers free and return them to where they belong—in the presence of God.

This was Jesus’ mission from the very start—to set his followers free and bring them closer to God—and I believe it’s still his mission today. 

If you are a follower of Jesus, he wants this for you today as well … and I to pray that God would free you and draw you close today. 

For reflection:

"A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him." — Mark 1:3