Beside God’s altar in ancient Jerusalem, there was an organizational chart carved into the wall. The High Priest Caiaphas oversaw worship, but over him was the quasi-king Herod, who kept all of Judea in line. The Herodian dynasty answered to Pontus Pilate, the Roman-appointed governor of the province. Pilate, in turn, answered to Caesar, whom many worshiped as a god. These men were political through and through. They considered their own raw ambitions first, the needs of the empire second, then third the taxation and appeasement of the people they governed, then, lagging in fourth place, the will of God. This is why Luke, at the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, provides us with a list of these politicians in two places (Luke 2:1-2, 3:1-2), before he tells us that the son of God is not one of them. Further, John the Baptist, who announces the coming Kingdom, resides far from them. The prophet is a voice crying out in the wilderness, having nothing to do with these scoundrels.
That voice in the wilderness fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, who said:
Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
-Luke 3:1-6
Isaiah lived when the secular and religious institutions that God’s people had trusted in fell apart. The temple and its priesthood were destroyed. The king was put in chains and dragged away to Babylon. Society’s watchmen abandoned their posts. There was no justice or security to be found. So, God’s salvation would have to begin in the wilderness and lead the people home. The well-traveled roads provided by the secular and/or religious state don’t go where the people need them to go.
The Babylonian captivity had the same effect on institutional trust in ancient Israel that Watergate, the Moral Majority, and the January Sixth Insurrection, had on us. We too will need to begin in the wilderness and find a new way home.
I am reminded of the words of Godspell:
When wilt thou save the people?
Oh God of mercy, when?
Not kings and lords, but nations,
Not thrones and crowns, but men!
– Godspell music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, 1971
On the wilderness road, we will find justice, peace, and security. But, to leave our current chaotic interstate, we must repent of two sins:
First, we have idolized our populist presidents and social influencers as if they are gods. No! They are not our messiahs.
Second, we have forsaken our true identity as God’s children. Like the people of Babel, we seek to make a name for ourselves by joining political parties and attending rallies. This is not the way of salvation.
The wilderness path requires us to walk together so that justice, prosperity, and healthcare are provided for all. We must resist evil wherever we find it. We must honor diversity and respect those who differ from us. The kingdom of God is among the people.