John the Baptist cried in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of God, make God’s paths straight.’ Why did he make such a call?

There are two sides to his call. First, prepare the way of God; second, make the paths straight. These words are read every year on the second Sunday of Advent. The call of John the Baptist echoes in our ears today.

That is because, the preparation for the way of God is not yet complete. What is this “Way of God” that we are called to prepare? Isaiah describes it as a vision of peace coming in the form of a child. God’s intervention in the world takes many forms, but one is unique. That is God intervenes in the form of a vulnerable child, born in an unusual way.

St Luke records Simeon’s prophecy about this child: “destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel.”

The child is the symbol of peace. Peace becomes reality when the creation functions according to God’s way. Isaiah’s paints the picture of God’s way: “the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all of God’s holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea.”

God’s order will be realized when the earth is full of the knowledge of God. The crookedness of God’s path on earth comes from the lack of that knowledge of God. To straighten the path is to restore the knowledge of God means, the paths need to be straightened. God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of God, calling the people to repent and turn back to God.

The people from Jerusalem and all Judea went out to John. They were baptized in the river Jordan, as they confessed their sins. They simply heard John’s call and turned from their crooked ways to walk in the path John was making straight. Yet the deeper problem remained. That is the lack of knowledge of God, a failure rooted in the religious leadership.

When John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he rebuked them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

The religious leaders of the day were called to bear fruit. It was their responsibility to fill the earth with the knowledge of God, the knowledge that leads to peace.

If the earth is full of the knowledge of God, there will be justice. Justice will lead to peace. And peace will bring hope for all peoples. The second Sunday of Advent focusses on peace. The peace that we think about and hope for is the peace that is flowing out of the knowledge of God on all the earth.

That is not the fragile peace of political settlements or the establishment of an independent security force, or the end of a genocide or apartheid. Though these are good outcomes in the world as it is. Nevertheless, Isaiah speaks of is a different peace. It is God’s peace.

This peace is possible only through the knowledge of God. The good news is that Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire is not retribution, but a refining gift to aid repentance. Repentance is about straightening God’s paths, cleansing ourselves in preparation for the coming of the Lord.

So let us commit ourselves once more to prepare the way of God by filling our lives, our communities, and our world with the knowledge of God.