Path To Paradise II

Prepare The Way

Rudy continued his lecture:
"Our Lord and Savior's ministry is linked to that of John the Baptizer. Biblical history shows that John was preaching in around the area of the Jordan River when Jesus came to him to be baptized. Now, here's a question for everyone, but Wendell. How are John and Jesus related? I'll give extra credit for the correct answer," Rudy wrote out the question on the chalkboard, and then waited for an answer.
The children grew quiet again. Some thumbed through the copy of the Bible in front of them. Others whispered answers amongst themselves. Wendell bit his lip so as to not blurt out a response.  Cana shrugged, stretched his long legs out in front of him, crossed his arms and resumed his nap.  The students discussed a plausible answer. In a few moments his sister raised a hesitant hand. 
"Yes, Gabriella, tell us please."
"John and Jesus were cousins, because their mothers, Elizabeth and Mary were related,"
"Perfect.  Correct, there's an old tradition that holds that Mary's mother, Anna, was married to a man named Heli.  Anna had a sister who was mother to Elizabeth. Now on with the ministry of Jesus.  He began his ministry in the spring of 29 CE.  Herod Antipas, as you may recall from our study of Ancient Rome, was ruler in the area of Galilee and Perea during this time, and Tiberius Ceasar was emporor in Rome.  Can anyone remember the prophecy  regarding John's purpose?"
Wendell's hand shot up.  Rudy shook his head. 
"We've heard enough from you today Wendell.  Somebody else can give an answer,"
The boy whined and slumped into his seat.
"Come now, you students can't let Wendell do all the work.  We covered this in the chapter about prophecy a couple of months back.  Where is the prophecy and what does it indicate about John's role?"
"This is so easy," Wendell muttered.
"It's easy when a person bothers to prepare," Rudy replied.
He pushed the sleeves of his shirt back up to his elbows and scanned the students. The fire crackling in the hearth over warmed the small schoolroom, making it feel like a wool sweater on the hottest summer day. Cana's snoring rose with the heat in the air. Rudy's ire flashed. He pushed the heavy dictionary off his desk again.
"Cana, wake up!"
The boy opened one dark eye.
"Stand up!" Rudy snapped.
Cana's other eye popped open.  His eyebrows arched high like two bridges.
"What?"
"You heard me, stand up,"
Cana came to a straight sit in his chair. He looked around at the other students. They, in turn, threw anxious glances at each other.
"What for?" He asked.
Rudy stood over Cana's desk.
"Well, I thought it might help you stay awake. Kind of hard to sleep while on your feet. Stand, please."
Cana rose slothful like.
"Now, can you please explain John the Baptizer's role in the ministry of Jesus,"
The youth shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed.  He gave Rudy a bored look and answered the question.
"From what I remember he prepared the way for Jesus.  He gathered disciples.  Something else that happened thousands of years ago,"
Rudy scratched his head and crossed his arms.
"Cana, has it ever occurred to you that you are in a history class?  History is about the past.  This particular past we are studying directly relates to us.  One day you will teach this to others,"
Cana leaned slightly forward on the balls of his feet.  He was Rudy's six foot height.  His brown eyes met Rudy's own.
"This is a class every student must take.  My preference is current events, life under the New Scrolls.  When our creator resurrects the dead I can worry about teaching them about the past. For now, the time we live in is what matters—our generation, our ways,"
Rudy began pacing the floor anew while countering Cana's point. 
"Ah, our generation...our ways?  You know, my mother has a saying, 'there's lots of blood in the ground.'  That means the price to have the peaceful world we live in now has come at great cost. First, and foremost God's own son gave his life that we might have the eternity we are blessed to live now.
Then there were the human beings who died for their faith. Some died by violence and others had the good fortune to pass away peacefully, and still others died in spiritual darkness, not having an opportunity to learn about our creator.
There were religions of old who discouraged and even punished those who read the scriptures in the severest ways, by torture or brutal death, such as being burned alive with the Bible tied around the person's neck.
Masses of people were kept illiterate, and only a small group, or religious class who could read  would interpret holy writings for those who had no education. The scriptures were also kept in languages that eventually died out. This lead to not only lack of biblical knowledge, but pagan thought, began to replace the truth of what was in God's Word. One example would be the teaching that there was an eternal burning hell where the souls of those who were evil went after they died. But the spiritual darkness was only one aspect of life in times past, there was also war, disease, famine, and the end of one's natural short life that a person had to contend with.
So, Cana it is important to know this history well, because these masses will be resurrected and we will have a lot to teach them.
You are however, correct in saying that John prepared the way for Jesus. If the class would turn to the book of Malachi 3:1 Cana will do us the pleasure of reading this prophecy,"
Rudy handed the boy a copy of the Bible that lay on his desk. He waited as Cana thumbed through the thin pages until he found the appropriate place. He read the scripture in a flat tone.
Malachi 3:1
"Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will clear up a way before me.  And suddenly the true Lord, whom you are seeking, will come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant will come, in whom you take delight.  Look, he will certainly come, says Jehovah of armies."
Rudy explained the fulfillment of the scripture, as he walked the path that separated his class into two parts. 
"Jesus himself told his followers that this was a prophecy about John and the role he would play in God's plan.  John preached repentance and forgiveness to the Jews and those who had converted to Judaism.  From this group, all kinds of people came to John for baptism, among them, harlots, and tax collectors who were considered on the lowest wrung of society.  In the fall of 29 C.E. Jesus came to John to be baptized.  John resisted this at first, feeling he was too sinful to perform such an act for someone as righteous as Jesus.  However, Jesus insisted that the baptism be carried out as directed, and so it was accomplished this way.  When Jesus rose from the water God's own voice came  from the heavens, confirming that Jesus was his son and that he beloved and approved of by God.  From this point Jesus' ministry began and grew. John's ministry decreases in that his disciples go on to follow Jesus. He had indeed fulfilled his role to prepare the way for Jesus."

Credit: John Sloane art