The way for the Lord

"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.

In the desert (3)

"a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" (Mark 1:3)

The desert is not a romantic place. There are no TV, Karoake room and tennis court. There is nothing for us to entertain ourselves. It is not the place to have an alumni reunion, a mutual saving club and nor to have date with lovers. It seems a place far from enjoying life.

A spiritual desert also is never joyful place. There is no revival service where a talkative revivalist makes audiences to burst into a roar of laughter. There is no a union meeting of choir. Nor is elder raising ceremony and church offering ceremony. Nor is an open worship service, worship and praise and praying together with one voice. Is there any Christian who looks for a spiritual desert where no religious entrainment?

The answer for the critical reason that we avoid a spiritual desert is we do not satisfy with God only. So we hate to go to the desert where we have to concentrate on God only and secure the depth of life only in the relationship with God. We cannot bear even in a single day in such place. If we are required to stay in a month then we may renounce Christianity itself. In a certain point, the desert is a way of self-destruction for those who are not ready spiritually. Pannenberg said in his sermon, “The way to God’s victory’ explained the desert in Isaiah like the follows connected with a nihilism that Niche told.

Today the word ‘desert’ in our modern consciousness becomes the image of nihilism after Niche mentioning of “The desert grows: Cursed to those who hide the desert” in his book ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’. We cannot lightly escape without taking any step from such spiritual desert of nihilism. There should be God’s calling that Israel people had experienced in Egypt. Israel people cross over the desert following the Lord who was calling them. We have to here a calling, the very thing the prophet of today’s content realized, to prepare the way of the Lord to enable to cross over the desert. Such calling helps us enable to hold a clear direction of the way to cross over the desert. It is easy to lose its direction in the desert generally. In the case of hearing such God’s calling to indicate the way in the desert and so in case of having such particular self-effacing experience it can be a background to point out God’s is sincere.

I wonder is there such clear direction of way in the desert of nihilism. In all the territory of nihilism is the loss of sense of direction predominantly working? In fact many people appeared in history and called many people. However, they were often proved as a sort of mirage that destroyed their followers who were wondering in the desert. They also made the escaping way of their followers unknown. We all knows, either the eastern or the western, magic image which appeared in the desert of nihilism. Not only a personal but the entire nations are going to the way of destruction through such mirage. (Pannenberg, translated by Dr. Jung Yongsup, Present God, p.74)

Today most of us are living in the city quite different from the desert. Though some are living in the country the form of real life is not much different from the city. Religious life also inclines to the joy of city life style which is totally different from the desert. However, it is very strange that everything seems splendid, eventful and pensionable but the nihilism of the desert, as Niche pointed out, rules over the moderns and the modern Christians. Some of you may think your religious life is filled with a spiritual energy. If it is so practically then it is fine. If you deal with your church with such spiritual it is great good fortune. I hope such spirituality may affluent continuously.

However, if your spiritual is getting dull though you have frequent religious meeting in the church which decorated with the highest class interior then you have to think of the spiritual desert once more. The desert is that you have to meet God alone or fact to the essence of life. The final desert may come with the death but we need such practice in our usual life before the angel of death comes to call us. The practice is to meet the absolute power alone.

In the desert (2)

"a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" (Mark 1:3)

Isaiah chapter 40 that here Mark quoted is the scribe so called ‘Second Isaiah’. While he was writing this, Isaiah might be carved in his heart the messenger who was coming across the desert with the news of returning Babylon captivity. The messenger is the person who makes ‘straight paths for the Lord.’ Isaiah described the fact like this. “You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’" (Isaiah 40:9).

Yes. The completion of life should pass through the desert like Israel’s faith had concentrated in 40 years of desert life and the news of returning of Babylon captivity came across the desert. If we don’t have spiritually deserted life we may not reach to the spiritual life. Jesus also strived to pray and fast for 40 days in the desert right before starting his public life and even was tempted by Satan at the end. It means the desert is the right place to fight against an absolute existence.

The general character of the desert is simple. There are soil, stone, sand, cloud, sky, wind and a few sorts of plant and animal the inhabitant of the desert. In ultimate viewpoint all these contain the abundance of life too but it is too monotonous if we see it bases on the standard of human civilization. Let’s observe carefully the fact that it was possible to experience the Lord in such place, such incidents numerously happened in Israel’s history, even in Christian history not only the saints in the desert but also the flourish of the monastery movement that kept a certain distance with civilization. Why have the monastery movement and the desert spirituality kept Bible faith and the foundation of Christianity? Let’s time to think.

In my opinion, God experience is ‘being’ experience. A wondering experience before the fact that there ‘is’ something is rightly that. Why there is something not exist but exist. Why there is a man not exist but exist? Why there is only materials such as solid, liquid and air. Why a mosquito is a mosquito and a dandelion is a dandelion? Why there is ‘something’ not ‘exist’ in the middle of a mosquito and a dandelion? Such question is related to the finality of existence. There is no exact answer for this despite a numerous repeated questions and even the answer cannot but a superficial. God begins with such ultimate question. Though the Bible seems to give a simple answer practically it has gone through an ultimate questioning process. From Mount Horeb the Lord clarified himself to Moses, “I am that I am.” Martyn Luther interpreted in this way. “Ich werde sein, der ich sein werde.” (I will be the very existence to be. Or I will be the existence I want to be.) Whether interpret in this or that one thing is very clear that God is the key word of existence matter.

The ultimate existence experience more abundantly happens in the desert that simply exists. There are not much things to see. By looking a little we can see much bigger. There are not much things to possess in the desert. By possessing a little, we can possess much more abundant thing. There is not much thing to think in the desert. By thinking a little we can think much more fundamental and essential things. From simple life much more profound deepen spirituality alive. Jesus advised Martha, “You are worried and upset about many things.” The life in the desert that could be through with civilization enabled Israel people to put their heart on the Lord the root of existence. They could complete the Law by concentrating the command of the Lord only.

In some point we modern people are more unfortunate than ancient people. Though we lay aside other topics firstly we have too much things to consider surviving, or not that but to extend self. Compare to Mongolian or the nomads in Tibet we are forgetting the basis of our life by possessing too much and reproduce it a progressive scale, and a strong attachment to a competitive planning. Modern people lost their root of life and accomplished capital and entertainment instead. They deserted the desert and cultivated civilization but the root of life grow fainter and fainter

Not only such practical life we don’t have a desert in our religious life. Church also no more a desert but a market place. The church that should be a desert in the world produces more things to see, to do and events than the world. Now we have to stop church building, reduce the amount and kinds of offerings at the proper level, simplify church organization, and reduce talks and even prayer meetings. A church in the city cannot completely break up its relationship with civilization if possible a church should revive the form and sprit of monastery. The person who stay alone in the desert and see endless the horizon, the sunset glow and the Milky Way hung high in the night sky have nothing to do and to say. He only talks speechlessly with God who talks to him in the mystery of existing things.

“A church is the desert of the world.”

In the desert (1)

"a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" (Mark 1:3)

Mark 1:3 is quoted from Isaiah 40:3. Of course Mark didn’t quote it literally but modified a little bit. The original version of this from Isaiah says, “A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.’” Luke’s gospel added Isaiah 40:4, 5 while Mark quoted only a verse, “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Luke 3:4-6). The original of Isaiah has changed in Mark one time and much added more in Luke gospel. Why such things had happened? It is a question why we cannot get the same result from the same incident if we premise it as God’s word. The same matters will be repeated in the future again so let’s step forward by holding this question here.

‘The desert’ Mark quoted from Isaiah’s writing is the exact matching conception to the Jewish nation. There is no different view to clarify historical origin of the Jewish nation. The tales of their patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are found after Exodus and it doesn’t have much historical weight. Precisely speaking this tales are found in retrospective way after the kingdom of David and Solomon when their national identity is firmly rooted. The incident to establish their national identity to be true to the name is Exodus, the emancipation incident escaped from Egypt Empire. They entered into totally new religious world by shifting the basis of their life from the civilization of Egypt Empire to Midian desert which remained as primitive natural status. In present-day term a religious, global ‘paradigm shift’ had happened to them.

It used to say they lived no less than 40 years in the desert. Except Joshua and Caleb (?) the people more than 20 years old at the time of Exodus all had died in the desert. It means Israel consisting of the people who were influenced by Egyptian politics, culture and order completely replaced with new generations. In the desert they were provided a necessary spirituality as the people of God and disciplined accordingly. For them the desert was everlasting spring water of spirituality.

As you know well Mount Horeb where Moses met the Lord God in flames of fire from within a bush and Mount Sinai where Moses received the Law including the Ten Commandments. Both mountains were the same place. Moses experienced the Lord at Mount Horeb, the holy place of Median through Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian and at last he could complete the Law, the essence of Israel belief. The mount of the Lord was a part of the desert. It means the desert rightly brought possible way to Moses to experience the Lord.

It may say not only the Midian desert but also the history of Israel itself would be called the desert. The destiny of a stranger thrown to the desert was rightly their history. They hold to fierce survival struggle like an orphan between the empires that had ruled Europe and Near Eastern regions. A person or nation who has to survive in the desert in reality couldn’t but show warlike attitude for they have to cross over the border of death and life every moment. The Israel’s attitude toward Palestine natives is rightly the same. As North Korea’s system seems abnormal to us Israel’s anti-Palestine policy also may be seen in abnormal.

However, the fact that Jesus came through Israel’s history that had experienced the Lord in the desert is decisively important to Christians. Precisely speaking, if there was no Israel of the desert there might be no Jesus too. Gospel comes through the Law and it cannot come without the Law. Jesus was clearly the son of Israel who received God’s word in the desert. If we remove the God of the desert we cannot fully understand Jesus and the salvation incident through him.