The Advent season has begun! Our calendars are up on our fridges or pantry doors. Lights will begin showing up on our neighbors houses. Trees will be decorated in our living rooms. Travel plans will be made, gifts bought and wrapped… There is so much preparation required to celebrate the birth of Christ…
This is a good thing; preparation is an important theme in our observance of Jesus’s birth. In several traditions involving Advent Candles, the first candle, sometimes called the prophecy candle, represents hope. We are reminded of the hope that the Old Testament prophets gave the people: the Messiah would come.
As you may know, each of the four gospels gives us a different perspective on the Advent – the coming of Jesus Christ. Only Matthew tells us about the magi from the east. Only Luke tells us about the shepherds. John and Mark don’t give us much detail at all! But one thing that all four gospel writers include is the essential role that John the Baptist played in the Advent. In Luke 1:76, before either Jesus or his older cousin John is born, we learn that John has a role to play; John will be called “a prophet of the Most High; for [he] will go on before the Lord to prepare a way for him…” In Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, and John 1 we learn that this is a fulfillment of two prophecies: Isaiah 40:3-5 and Malachi 3:1. Isaiah tells us that a voice in the wilderness will cry out: “Prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.” Malachi tells us that before the Messiah comes, he will send his messenger, who will “prepare the way” for him.
That phrase, “prepare the way,” is fascinating. Although the phrase itself does not attract too much attention from Christian scholars or pastors, it received an awful lot of attention from Jewish rabbis! And the attention it received was not due to its occurrence in two messianic prophecies. No, it was deemed a critical phrase because of its occurrence in Deuteronomy 19:3 – a text describing the ancient Hebrew cities of refuge.
The Israelites were commanded by God to prepare a total of six cities that were to be a refuge for people who were guilty of killing someone accidentally – in our modern parlance, “without malice aforethought.” Such men and women were guilty of taking another person’s life and as such, their own was forfeit. But if they fled to a city of refuge, they would remain there in perfect safety until the death of the high priest – at which time they were free to return to their homes in peace – freed from guilt and the fear of judgment. In this text about these cities, Deuteronomy 19:3 says, literally,’ “prepare the way.” Some translations say, “Build roads.” The Levites (the priests) were in particular tasked with the supervision of the six cities of refuge and the maintenance of the roads. They were given the sacred job of making it as easy as possible for people to flee to safety.
This is how the Jewish rabbis understood Deuteronomy 19:3:
“The court is required to build direct roads to the cities of refuge, to keep them in repair and to have them made wide. All obstacles and obstructions must be removed from them — — in order not to delay an escaping person, as it is written: “You shall prepare the road” (19:3). Refuge, refuge was written on each crossroad, so that the homicides could know where to turn.”[1]
“The standard width of a public thoroughfare is sixteen cubits. A road leading to one of the cities of refuge must be at least thirty-two cubits wide. Rav Huna said: What is the verse from which this is derived? As it is written with regard to the cities of refuge: ‘You shall prepare for yourself the way… so that every manslayer may flee there. Instead of simply stating ‘a way,’ the verse states ‘the way,’ to indicate that the road must be twice as wide as a standard public thoroughfare.”[2]
“The mishna continues: And roads were aligned for them from this city, i.e., all cities, to that city, i.e., they would pave and straighten the access roads to the cities of refuge, as it is stated: ‘Prepare for you the road… that every murderer may flee there.’”[3]
“Refuge was written on signs at every crossroads marking the path to a city of refuge, so that the unintentional murderer would identify the route to the city of refuge and turn to go there. Rav Kahana said: What is the verse from which this is derived? “Prepare for you the road” meaning: Perform for you preparation of the road.”[4]
Although these texts come well after Isaiah and Malachi, consider what they tell us about what Isaiah meant when he said, “Prepare the way; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.” This is the road building that John the Baptist was concerned with. John was focused on removing all obstacles from the road before you so that you could run straight to the Savior.
And how did he do this? How did he help the people of God prepare for Advent? He preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 3:2.
This year as we prepare for Christmas, let’s do this greater preparation. Let’s remember that no matter what obstacles lay before us, the gospel invitation of Jesus to confess our sins and put our faith in him as the Savior of sinners is sufficient to clear the road! Let’s remember that no matter what a person may have done in their life, there is a divine ministry that can clear their path too. What is keeping you from Christ this Christmas season? It is nothing that repentance and faith cannot kick to the curb! And you can build up the road for others as well. This Advent season be sure to let folks know that you have “Good news of great joy for all the people… this day a Savior has been born. Let’s prepare the way.
Your Pastor
Bob Bjerkaas
N.B. The painting included above is an oil on copper painting by Annibale Carracci: St John the Baptist, ca. 1600. The darkness of the painting suggests the need for the greater light of Jesus. In typical form, John the Baptist is pointing the way to the Messiah.
[1] Mishneh Torah 8:3.
[2] Bava Batra 100a.
[3] Makkot 9b.
[4] Makkot 10b.