“make his
paths straight”
-what does this mean? How is “his path” made straight? How do we “make his paths straight”? Is it fair to say that we are expected to
straighten out our lives by walking the path he outlined?
-John’s
exhortation was largely ignored, at least by the prevailing culture shaping
contingent of society. The recognized
Jewish leaders, the “in crowd” did not change the trajectory or the substance
of their lives. Perhaps the humble group
of John’s disciples lived with a higher level of attention to righteousness and
spiritual matters -they more
conscientiously walked the straight and narrow path.
“there
standeth one among you whom ye know not”
-why
did the people not know the Savior, the light of the world, when he stood right
amongst them?
-they
were not looking
-they
were not paying attention
-the
Savior was not abnormally noticeable
-they
were too busy
-they
were expecting something else (as the Messiah)
Is it, therefore, terribly odd that people don’t
readily accept the gospel light today due to the very same reasons listed
above.
-we sometimes talk about “hiding in
plain sight” or phrased as it often is in the scriptures, “having eyes to see,
they see not”. This mortal blindness to
spiritual, ethical or moral things appears to be a common characteristic of the
natural man and of the temporal estate.
Are we caught up in this same mortal condition? Why is it that we cannot see the reality of
things (things as they really are) even to the degree that if God stood among
us, we would not recognize Him? This is
the most damning self-indictment there is.
“he is
mightier than I”
-there
is a beautiful testimony of the Aaronic priesthood buried in this
declaration. Clearly John is drawing
attention to the superlative might or power of the Savior but he is also
acknowledging that he is mighty, that he has legitimate and significant
power. We should never diminish the
power held by a righteous man of the Aaronic priesthood. He has power greater and more lasting than
the kings and rulers of the Earth. For
that matter, a woman of virtue and faith possesses great power as she also
connects herself into the powers of heaven.
Yes, the Christ is the mightiest, but John –as a legitimate bearer of
the Aaronic priesthood- possesses mighty power.
This is the power to change the eternal trajectory of men and women, to
open the gates of the father’s kingdom and set them on the road to their
unfathomable eternal destiny. This is
might indeed!
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