Malachi 3:1–4; Philippians 1:3–11; Luke 3:1–6
Introduction
I have had experiences with National Security Operatives whenever my church invited the presidency to our functions. As the Public Relations Officer, they will call for updates days before the programme. A team from the police and military referred to as advance team will always come a day or two to do surveillance of the venue. They report hours before the programme, the advance team will be present to position their men in vantage areas for security reasons. The moves vehicles, set barriers, and divert walk ways of the president route. Sometimes, they prevent other important personalities of the function until I confirm their identity before they may be allowed. All these is to prepare the way for the President and his entourage. They ensure safe passage.
So it is with the voice in today's readings. Not just for its beauty, but the work of opening a path for God’s coming. “Prepare the way of the Lord” should not understood as a sentimental language for private devotion, no, it is a public affair, urgent out cry to clear the obstacles that would prevent God’s purpose from reaching the world.
From the readings, three key points that catches my attention on what “preparing the way” requires are; prophetic critique and promise, pastoral formation and prayer, and public proclamation and repentance.
The Messenger, the Refiner, the Covenant Restorer.
Contextually, Malachi was addressing the post-exilic community, the returnees from Babylon. At this time the temple has been rebuilt, but religious life has deteriorated, laxity in worship, careless sacrifices, and social injustice. The prophet becomes the functional covenant lawsuit, pointing out to the people the covenant failures and calling on them to move back to fidelity.
Malachi announces that the LORD will send a messenger who will prepare the way (Mal. 3:1), the LORD will suddenly come to His Temple (Mal. 3:1), he will be like a refiner’s fire (Mal. 3:2) and fuller’s strong soap (Mal. 3:2). The focus is to purify the Levites and priests and make way for the restoration of acceptable offerings restored (Mal. 3:4).
Malachi's prophesy is both immediate and eschatological in nature. It addressed Levites who needed cleansing at the time, but it also points forward to the decisive coming of Jesus Christ whose coming brought a great transformation to the temple worship and covenant life. The Covenant Maker, Jesus Christ, cleansed the Temple and became the acceptable Lamb for the new covenant (Lk 22:19,20).
Pastoral Preparation
Writing from prison, Apostle Paul reflects on partnership in ministry (koinonia). His concern for the Philippians is practical and theological: their growth in love, knowledge, and holiness is preparation for Christ’s return and for effective witness now.
Apostle Paul gives thanks God for the Philippian church, prays that their love may abound in knowledge and discernment, and prays that they be filled with righteousness until the day of Christ.
Paul’s prayer (Phil. 1:9–11) shows that to prepare for the way of the Lord is not only to remove obstacles externally but to be spiritually formed, abounding in 'agapatos' (love), in 'epignosis' (full knowledge) and 'aisthesis' (moral discernment). A prepared "way" of the LORD, is "pure and blameless" life.
The apostel added that the prpepared way must abide until “the day of Christ.” Just as the National Security will not leave the road untill the President had come, so must we guard the our lives until Christ's return. This is eschatological orientation. We take note that, the life of the congregation is shaped by the hope of Christ’s coming. Precious one, our preparation to welcome the Saviour is moral, relational, and doxological.
“Filled with the fruit of righteousness” (Phil. 1:11) indicates to us that, preparation of the Lord's way leads to ethical fruit bearing, the test of our should be a source of despair but build in us lives of righteousness that come through Christ.
Let me add that, Paul’s prayer reframes “preparation” from prophetic public action to actual pastoral formation. The church’s readiness should be both relational (love abounding among Christians) and missional (being blameless in this watching world).
John the Baptist Fulfils Isaiah’s Prophecy
Luke explicitly connects John’s preaching to Isaiah 40:3–5. This is Luke’s biblical theology at work, John is the prophetic forerunner, the advance party, who prepares and announces not just an abstract future but then, immediate coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
In the fifteenth year of Tiberius, John appears in the wilderness, preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins and fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his paths.”
The wilderness setting from Luke evokes Israel’s formative moments, the Exodus, Sinai experience and draws attention to the motif of separation for God’s renewal in desolate places. Remember, God meets people on the margins 9f life, in their wilderness moments.
John’s call to repentance cannot be seen as pastoral private therapy, it was an advocacy that affects societal behaviors. "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:9). This call drew people from all walks of life into repentance (Luke 3:10-14).
I understand Luke’s explanation of the coming of Jesus as fulfillment of the prophetic expectation, and John’s preparatory role as very essential.
Conclusion
"Prepare the way of the Lord” is not a placard to be shown during Advent only, it must be the recurring posture, attitude, of the people of God. Malachi calls for purifying God’s house, whiles, John calls for repentance that reorders lives and Paul prays for love and discernment that will make the church fit for the day of Christ. All three together teach us that the road for God is not built by indifference or apathy, but by penitence, formation, and public fidelity.
To prepare is to be shaped inwardly and to act outwardly, so that when the Lord comes in judgement, there will be a people ready to receive Him.
