"a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'". (Mark 1:3)
The way for the Lord that Isaiah says is the place where happens Israel’s return from Babylonian captivity life. The Lord comes with Babylonian captivity across the way lied through the wilderness. According to Isaiah’s proclaim, the messenger of the Lord should prepare the way. Remembering such historical incident, Mark is explaining the mission of John the Baptist through Isaiah’s prophecy. John the Baptist should prepare the way of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
However, if we think it practically the Lord God doesn’t require any way and it is the same with Jesus. The Lord God transcends man-made way and Jesus also declares the kingdom of heaven regardless of such way. Despite such fact, Mark emphasizes ‘the way’ three times in verses 2,3. Whether or not follow Isaiah’s writing and Mark’s interpretation ‘the way’ here is rather the way in spiritual meaning than a practical way. The way is used it here as metaphor.
Jesus already said by himself “I am the way.” (John 14:6) Of course, it rather has higher possibility to be John’s religious confession than the word spoken by Jesus directly. Despite this possibility, identify of Jesus and the way are very important in Christian faith at the point that early Christian community understand Jesus as the way. If we connect Mark’s gospel, ‘prepare the way of the Lord’ and the testimony of John ‘Jesus is the way’, on the one hand Jesus and the way are divided the way or on the other Jesus is the way itself. The fact that Jesus and the way are divided and identification at the same time means the early Christian community recognized Jesus’ identity totally different level like trinitarianism which means Jesus and God are divided and identified at the same time. Such trace reveals in the fact that though Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God early Christian community identified Jesus with the kingdom of God.
If Jesus is the way then what is the meaning of the word, “to prepare the way of the Lord”? Some of you may think it could be the activities to establish social justice or the mission to evangelize the world. Such activities are clearly important task that the churches of today have to do. Differ from Mark’s gospel, Luke 3:3-6 quoted from Isaiah 40:4,5 confirms this idea. “As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.'" Think this word calmly. Can we practically make straight paths for him by filling in every valley, lowing every mountain and hill? In my point of view, we can imitate it a little but basically it is impossible. Moreover, though we establish the best welfare system like Northern Europe or Christianity becomes a national religion like medieval Europe, the glory of the Lord cannot be revealed from there. Whatever a man cultivates this world beautifully shadow is always hanging over it. We have to raise economical and political justice with doing our best but we cannot say that these activities identify with the way of the Lord.
Then is there no way of the Lord that we have to prepare? If we accept John’s witness, “Jesus is the way” then the way can be prepared not by us but Jesus himself. He makes the way with the method that we never know. Pardon me though it sounds cynically. If we don’t hinder the way of the Lord it means we are doing well. Because we are the people who don’t know what is the way of the Lord and why Jesus becomes the way. However we have to say that we have to prepare the way of the Lord even in passive way if we accept Isaiah’s writing that Mark quoted positive way.
In my point of view, preparing the way of the Lord is rightly defining the reality of the fact that Jesus is the Lord. This work is different from social welfare activity or world evangelism. Nor is reconsideration of humanism and nor is enforcement of church organisation. This is practical and theory based proof for the fact that the incident that had happened to Jesus is preoccupation and achievement of the ultimate life. This can be revealed sometimes as the theology that contains spiritual reality or sometimes practical movement filled with life. Whenever we are living if we are witness to these works we may be called the people to prepare the way of the Lord.
However, if we think it practically the Lord God doesn’t require any way and it is the same with Jesus. The Lord God transcends man-made way and Jesus also declares the kingdom of heaven regardless of such way. Despite such fact, Mark emphasizes ‘the way’ three times in verses 2,3. Whether or not follow Isaiah’s writing and Mark’s interpretation ‘the way’ here is rather the way in spiritual meaning than a practical way. The way is used it here as metaphor.
Jesus already said by himself “I am the way.” (John 14:6) Of course, it rather has higher possibility to be John’s religious confession than the word spoken by Jesus directly. Despite this possibility, identify of Jesus and the way are very important in Christian faith at the point that early Christian community understand Jesus as the way. If we connect Mark’s gospel, ‘prepare the way of the Lord’ and the testimony of John ‘Jesus is the way’, on the one hand Jesus and the way are divided the way or on the other Jesus is the way itself. The fact that Jesus and the way are divided and identification at the same time means the early Christian community recognized Jesus’ identity totally different level like trinitarianism which means Jesus and God are divided and identified at the same time. Such trace reveals in the fact that though Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God early Christian community identified Jesus with the kingdom of God.
If Jesus is the way then what is the meaning of the word, “to prepare the way of the Lord”? Some of you may think it could be the activities to establish social justice or the mission to evangelize the world. Such activities are clearly important task that the churches of today have to do. Differ from Mark’s gospel, Luke 3:3-6 quoted from Isaiah 40:4,5 confirms this idea. “As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.'" Think this word calmly. Can we practically make straight paths for him by filling in every valley, lowing every mountain and hill? In my point of view, we can imitate it a little but basically it is impossible. Moreover, though we establish the best welfare system like Northern Europe or Christianity becomes a national religion like medieval Europe, the glory of the Lord cannot be revealed from there. Whatever a man cultivates this world beautifully shadow is always hanging over it. We have to raise economical and political justice with doing our best but we cannot say that these activities identify with the way of the Lord.
Then is there no way of the Lord that we have to prepare? If we accept John’s witness, “Jesus is the way” then the way can be prepared not by us but Jesus himself. He makes the way with the method that we never know. Pardon me though it sounds cynically. If we don’t hinder the way of the Lord it means we are doing well. Because we are the people who don’t know what is the way of the Lord and why Jesus becomes the way. However we have to say that we have to prepare the way of the Lord even in passive way if we accept Isaiah’s writing that Mark quoted positive way.
In my point of view, preparing the way of the Lord is rightly defining the reality of the fact that Jesus is the Lord. This work is different from social welfare activity or world evangelism. Nor is reconsideration of humanism and nor is enforcement of church organisation. This is practical and theory based proof for the fact that the incident that had happened to Jesus is preoccupation and achievement of the ultimate life. This can be revealed sometimes as the theology that contains spiritual reality or sometimes practical movement filled with life. Whenever we are living if we are witness to these works we may be called the people to prepare the way of the Lord.
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