The Road Smooth And Straight

Mark 1:1-5 (MSG)
¹ The good news of Jesus Christ—the Message!—begins here,
² following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Watch closely: I'm sending my preacher ahead of you; He'll make the road smooth for you.
³ Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!
⁴ John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins.
⁵ People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life.

John proclaims that God is coming and that people need to get ready. There is a life change that is on its way that is new and radically different from the past. It is the life contained in the man known as Jesus, the Son of God, who has come to offer that life to all that would partake.

What does it mean to make the road smooth and straight? John preached a change-of-life, a turning away from things that serve as obstacles which separate us from God, or, as often worded, repenting of our sins. That is how we prepare to meet God, by acknowledging our weakness. John’s baptism was a public proclamation by the individual of that turning to God that leads to the forgiveness of sins. John could hear their confessions but he would not be able to grant forgiveness. But the one whose coming he proclaimed would and does.

It is for each of us to do a little road repair everyday. Potholes will appear, and if left unattended can cause great damage. Make the road smooth and straight.