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 Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, in the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness; and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”- Saint Luke 3:1-6
It is the voice of John the Baptist we hear on this Second Sunday of Advent – and not simply his voice, but his voice speaking the word of God. And that word which came to John is set firmly in history, it is placed in time. It was “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee.” It was at that specific time in history that the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah.
God had been preparing for His coming into the world, when the Creator of all things would take upon Himself human flesh. He had prepared the tabernacle of flesh, the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which He would dwell for nine months. He preserved her from the stain of original sin, so that the flesh God would take upon Himself would be pure and untainted. He had prepared St. Joseph to be the pure Spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, so that the Incarnate Word could be nurtured and protected after His birth. And God had prepared for the coming of His Forerunner, St. John the Baptist, the second Elijah, who would spend his public ministry to “prepare the way of the Lord.”
When John was born the people asked the question, “What kind of child will this be?” The people had their answer in the words spoken by his father, Zachariah: “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins.” It would be John who would prepare the people to receive the Messiah and His mercy. John would, through his preaching, bring light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.
And the scriptures foreshadow how powerful John’s message would be. Mountains would be laid low; valleys would be lifted up; crooked places would be made straight; rough places would be made smooth.
Did those things actually happen? Although we do not read in the scriptures about mountains actually falling flat, or the floors of valleys being pushed up to the level of the mountains, those things did happen – just not in the plain, human, worldly sense that we might first think of.
Rather, as John preached, those things happened in men’s hearts. Those who had hearts that were like mountains, puffed up with selfish pride – those who trusted in their own goodness – they were struck down by the crushing words of John’s proclamation. Those who were like valleys – those who lived in despair and who thought they could never achieve any righteousness – they were lifted up by the hope they found in John’s message. Hearts and minds which were crooked were made straight at John’s call to repentance. Lives which had been made rough with sin were smoothed out as they pressed towards John to let him wash them in the Jordan. It was through this message of repentance that the highway was built for Christ and for His Gospel. It was a highway for God Himself to come, where He would turn the dry, dead desert into a place of life.
It was to build this highway that John was born. It was for this reason that he went out to the desert. This is why he clothed himself in camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey. This is why he preached. It was all so that he could prepare the way of Christ.
And that is exactly what he did. By his preaching of repentance, people were prepared for the One Who was to come. Of course, there were some who refused to listen then, just as there are those who refuse listen today. But for those who listened and believed, they were made ready to receive the Lamb of God who would take away their sins. And when the Lamb came, John pointed Him out clearly. Those who repented and turned away from their life of sin and death found what they needed. They found forgiveness; they found life; they found salvation in Christ Jesus.
Today the message of St. John the Baptist still sounds in our ears through the preaching of God’s Holy Catholic Church. John’s task of preparing us for Jesus continues. It is no longer John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth who proclaims it; but we hear it through the Church’s faithful preaching and teaching of God’s Word. And this teaching calls us to stop our sinning and to turn our hearts away from ungodly things.
If we have built a mountain of spiritual pride, we are called to stop being self-righteous, and we are asked to humble ourselves before God. If we have been common or crude in our thoughts, or words, or deeds, God calls us away from these things, and we are asked to put them behind us. If our hearts have become crooked, we are called to turn away from dishonesty. If our lives are rough, the Church calls us to strive for the good and the beautiful and the godly.
This message does not ask us to do something that is beyond us. We are not expected to remedy these things on our own. No, we are asked to acknowledge our condition, and to repent, turning to God – and He is the One who will give us the necessary grace and strength to do these things.
Through the Church’s continuation of the preaching of St. John the Baptist, a highway is laid in the desert of our hearts. A path is made, so that the Lamb of God can come in and change the desert into a garden.
It was to build this highway that John was born. It was for this reason that he went out to the desert. This is why he clothed himself in camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey. This is why he preached. It was all so that he could prepare the way of Christ.
And that is exactly what he did. By his preaching of repentance, people were prepared for the One Who was to come. Of course, there were some who refused to listen then, just as there are those who refuse listen today. But for those who listened and believed, they were made ready to receive the Lamb of God who would take away their sins. And when the Lamb came, John pointed Him out clearly. Those who repented and turned away from their life of sin and death found what they needed. They found forgiveness; they found life; they found salvation in Christ Jesus.
Today the message of St. John the Baptist still sounds in our ears through the preaching of God’s Holy Catholic Church. John’s task of preparing us for Jesus continues. It is no longer John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth who proclaims it; but we hear it through the Church’s faithful preaching and teaching of God’s Word. And this teaching calls us to stop our sinning and to turn our hearts away from ungodly things.
If we have built a mountain of spiritual pride, we are called to stop being self-righteous, and we are asked to humble ourselves before God. If we have been common or crude in our thoughts, or words, or deeds, God calls us away from these things, and we are asked to put them behind us. If our hearts have become crooked, we are called to turn away from dishonesty. If our lives are rough, the Church calls us to strive for the good and the beautiful and the godly.
This message does not ask us to do something that is beyond us. We are not expected to remedy these things on our own. No, we are asked to acknowledge our condition, and to repent, turning to God – and He is the One who will give us the necessary grace and strength to do these things.
Through the Church’s continuation of the preaching of St. John the Baptist, a highway is laid in the desert of our hearts. A path is made, so that the Lamb of God can come in and change the desert into a garden.
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[Painting: "St. John in the Wilderness"
by Geertgen tot Sint Jans (c. 1465 – c. 1495)