John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
John’s mission was twofold:
- witness to the coming Messiah (John 1:7,19,29)
John 1:7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.
John 1:19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! - get the people ready for the Messiah (this verse John 1:23)
John was not an important person like the Christ, or Elijah, or the Prophet; he was just a voice, and a voice with only one thing to say. The content of what he had to say was not extensive because his function “was not to teach ethics, but to point men to Jesus.” (Morris 137) He was to “make straight the way of the Lord,” a quote from Isaiah. Is 40:3 This paints a picture of clearing away the obstacles on a road so as to make passage easier. John prepared the way for Jesus to come.
Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.It is significant to compare the difference of words used to describe Jesus and John. Jesus was “the Word” (Logos) and John was “a voice” (phone). John was content to be just a voice because the message he had to give was much greater than he.