Recently on a trip to west Tennessee there was some construction taking place at the Natchez Trace where it crosses over highway 412. Traffic always slows down a bit, but the travel continued, and the five of us preachers from the West 7th congregation found ourselves in the small town of Linden. As we went through town and were about to drop down the hill, one of those pilot cars that precedes a wide load almost pushed us off the road making sure we were out of the way when the next big rig came through with one of the I-beams used for construction at the Natchez Trace. As if that wasn’t enough to get our attention, another one of the pilot cars drove even more erratically forcing us off the road. As we got by him we could see why he was driving the way he did. The next few trucks carrying more I-beams came around the curve at the bottom of the hill taking up both lanes with no reservations. Those pilot cars were trying to prepare the way for what was to come, and they had gotten our attention!
It reminds me of John the Baptist preparing the way for the coming Messiah. In Mark 1:2-3, Mark uses a passage from the prophet Isaiah to show that John would indeed prepare the way for Christ. John fulfilled his ministry which led to Christ being baptized by him in the Jordan, beginning His ministry and eventually dying on the cross for the sins of the world. The paths were made straight because John prepared the way. Unlike the pilot cars for the wide loads on the road, John wasn’t forcing people off the road. Instead, he made sure people could walk the straight path.
The next time you see one of those pilot cars driving ahead of the wide load, take time to reflect on the work of John the Baptist who paved the way before the Christ.
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