John the Baptist came to prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight. Baptism continues to level the path for all who make their way to Jesus.
Make His Paths Straight
When I went to Lincoln Christian College thirty years ago, the landscape was connected with sidewalks that met like spokes on a wagon wheel in the middle of the campus. That was fine if you were heading to one of the buildings directly connected to by the sidewalks, but there was one huge problem.
None of the sidewalks led to the cafeteria!
For the first few weeks of school, we did a great job of staying on the sidewalks and keeping the grass green and pristine. But, as the semester wore on, more and more we would avoid the sidewalk and beat a straight path to the cafeteria!
You Probably Know Where This is Going
Jump ahead to today, and when I walk on the campus of Lincoln Christian University, I notice a few extra sidewalks where our beaten paths used to be. It’s a combination of our laziness and the brilliance of the landscapers. We showed them where the sidewalks needed to be and we tamped down the ground with our own feet to prepare the way for the concrete.
Prepare the Way of the Lord
In Luke 3:4, John the Baptist describes his mission as to “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” John saw the spiritual need of his people and he laid the groundwork for Jesus to come with the good news of forgiveness and salvation.
As we consider the role baptism plays in our faith, we see through John’s ministry that baptism is a unifying feature for all believers. It ensures that no one has the high ground, no one gets tripped up, rather there’s a straight path to Jesus for everyone.