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The Father's Steps in Preparing the Way for Jesus

The concept of God the Father preparing the way for Jesus Christ is deeply rooted in biblical prophecy and its fulfillment, particularly through the ministry of John the Baptist. This preparation involves divine foreknowledge, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the establishment of a spiritual and moral readiness among humanity [4, 9].

One of the most direct prophetic statements regarding this preparation is found in Psalm 85:13, which declares, "Righteousness will go before Him to prepare the way for His steps" [1]. John Gill interprets this "righteousness" as potentially referring to John the Baptist, who served as the forerunner for Christ, going before him to prepare his way [9]. The New Testament explicitly links John the Baptist's ministry to Old Testament prophecies about preparing the way for the Lord. Mark's Gospel begins by quoting the prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make the paths straight before our God" [8]. This echoes Isaiah 40:3, which speaks of a messenger preparing a highway in the wilderness for Israel's God [10]. Matthew Henry notes that this preparation involves repentance and faith among God's people [11].

John the Baptist's role as the forerunner was to announce the coming of the Messiah and to call people to repentance [14]. Luke 1:17 states that John "shall go before him, in the spirit and power of Elijah,—To turn the hearts of fathers unto children, and the unyielding, into the prudence of the righteous, and to prepare, for the Lord, a people made ready" [5]. This passage highlights John's mission to foster spiritual reconciliation and moral transformation, making people receptive to Christ's message. Easton's Bible Dictionary defines a "forerunner" as someone who goes before another, and specifically identifies John the Baptist in this role for Jesus [2]. His preaching of "the baptism which goes with a change of heart" was a direct act of making ready the way for Jesus [3].

The preparation for Jesus' coming is not merely a historical event but also encompasses God's eternal plan. According to 1 Peter 1:2, believers are chosen "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ" [4]. Augustine, in his Homilies on John, discusses this divine foreordination, noting that God "chose us before the foundation of the world," not by actual calling at that time, but by predestination [13]. This suggests that the Father's preparation for Jesus' arrival and the salvation he brings was an eternal decree, actualized through historical events.

The imagery of "preparing the way" often involves making paths straight or clearing obstacles. In the context of John the Baptist, this meant addressing the spiritual and moral condition of the people. Augustine, commenting on Psalm 85, connects preparing the way for God with the confession of sins: "Prepare the way of the Lord: let that righteousness go before, of confession of sins" [15]. This implies that human repentance and acknowledgment of sin are essential components of the "way" being prepared for God's presence. John's ministry, therefore, was not just about announcing Jesus, but about cultivating a spiritual environment where Jesus could be received [14].

The significance of John the Baptist's lineage also underscores the divine preparation. He was of priestly descent through both his father, Zacharias, and his mother, Elisabeth, who was of the daughters of Aaron [6]. His birth was foretold by an angel, and he was consecrated as a Nazarite from birth, indicating a special divine appointment for his preparatory role [6]. His life in the wilderness further prepared him for the "wonderful office" to which he was called [6].

The Father's steps in preparing the way for Jesus can be understood as a multi-faceted divine initiative:

The concept of "making ready" (Chun, in Hebrew [7]) is central to this preparation. It implies an active process of clearing obstacles and establishing conditions conducive to the arrival of a significant figure. In the biblical narrative, this preparation was not merely logistical but profoundly spiritual, addressing the moral and spiritual state of humanity to receive the Savior.

Sources

  1. Psalms “Psalms 85:13 (BSB) — Righteousness will go before Him to prepare the way for His steps.”
  2. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Forerunner — John the Baptist went before our Lord in this character (Mark 1:2, 3). Christ so called (Heb. 6:20) as entering before his people into the holy place as their head and guide.”
  3. Acts “Acts 13:24 (BBE) — For whose coming John made ready the way by preaching to all the people of Israel the baptism which goes with a change of heart.”
  4. 1 Peter “1 Peter 1:2 (NASB) — according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.”
  5. Luke “Luke 1:17 (Rotherham) — And, he, shall go before him, in the spirit and power of Elijah,—To turn the hearts of fathers unto children, and the unyielding, into the prudence of the righteous, and to prepare, for the Lord, a people made ready.”
  6. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: John The Baptist — was of the priestly race by both parents, for his father, Zacharias, was himself a priest of the course of Abia or Abijah, (1 Chronicles 24:10) and Elisabeth was of the daughters of Aaron. (Luke 1:5) His birth was foretold by an angel sent from God, and is related at length in Luke 1. The birth of John preceded by six months that of our Lord. John was ordained to be a Nazarite from his birth. (Luke 1:15) Dwelling by himself in the wild and thinly-peopled region westward of the Dead Sea, he prepared himself for the wonderful office to which he had be”
  7. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Chun — making ready”
  8. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 1: Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus — CHAP. X.--PROOFS OF THE FOREGOING, DRAWN FROM THE GOSPELS OF MARK AND LUKE. (part 6): commence his Gospel narrative: "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way.(10) The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make the paths 426 straight before our God." Plainly does the commencement of the Gospel quote the words of the holy prophets, and point out Him at on”
  9. Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 85:13: Righteousness shall go before him,.... The incarnate Saviour, the increase of our land, and fruit of the virgin's womb; and righteousness may be put for a righteous person, as Aben Ezra interprets it; and may design John the Baptist, a holy and just man, Mar 6:20, who was the forerunner and harbinger of Christ, went before him, and prepared the way for him, Luk 1:76. and shall set us in the way of his steps; the business of John the Baptist being not only to prepare the way of Christ by his doctrine and baptism, but to guide the feet of his people into the way of p”
  10. Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 3:3: 3:3 Isaiah had spoken of a messenger preparing a highway in the wilderness for Israel’s God to return to the land (Isa 40:1-11). John’s ministry prepared the way for Jesus’ arrival (see Matt 11:10; cp. John 12:41).”
  11. Isaiah (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Isaiah 40:3: The time to favour Zion, yea, the set time, having come, the people of God must be prepared, by repentance and faith, for the favours designed them; and, in order to call them to both these, we have here the voice of one crying in the wilderness, which may be applied to those prophets who were with the captives in their wilderness-state, and who, when they saw the day of their deliverance dawn, called earnestly upon them to prepare for it, and assured them that all the difficulties which stood in the way of their deliverance should be got over. It is a good sign t”
  12. Luke (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Luke 1:17: before him--before "the Lord their God" (Luk 1:16). By comparing this with Mal 3:1 and Isa 40:3, it is plainly "Jehovah" in the flesh of Messiah [CALVIN and OLSHAUSEN] before whom John was to go as a herald to announce His approach, and a pioneer o prepare His way. in the spirit--after the model. and power of Elias--not his miraculous power, for John did no miracle" (Joh 10:41), but his power "turning the heart," or with like success in his ministry. Both fell on degenerate times; both witnessed fearlessly for God; neither appeared much save in the d”
  13. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 7: Augustine — Homilies on John — ON THE SAME PASSAGE. (part 2): if He make them not Himself. He has made them therefore in the way of fore-ordaining them; He has yet to make them in the way of actual elaboration. Just as the Gospel plainly intimates when He chose His disciples, that is to say, at the time of His calling them; (1) and yet the apostle says, "He chose us before the foundation of the world," (2) to wit, by predestination, not by actual calling. "And whom He did predestinate, them He also called;" (3) He hath chosen by predestination before the foundation of the world, H”
  14. Acts (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Acts 13:23: 13:23-25 Paul here moved to the theme of his message: Jesus, one of David’s descendants, was God’s promised Savior of Israel. The Messiah’s way had been prepared by John the Baptist, who insisted that Israel needed to repent . . . and turn to God and be baptized. John was a humble servant who simply cleared the ground for the one whose coming he announced.”
  15. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 8: Augustine — Exposition on Psalms — PSALM LXXXV.(2) (part 12): a way for God, that God may come unto thee: there make for Him a way, in confession of sins. Therefore John too, when he was baptizing in the water of repentance, and would have men come to him repenting of their former deeds, spoke thus: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight."(2) Thou didst please thyself in thy sins, O man: let that which thou wast displease thee, that thou mayest be able to become what thou wast not. Prepare the way of the Lord: let that righteousness go before, of confession of sins:”
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