John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.'" - John 1:23
Poker players make a straight, with five numerical cards in a row (4-5-6-7-8, for example). So why did John say this phrase?
The word "straight" in the original New Testament Greek can mean to keep things level, or head directly toward something. We think John was trying to point people of his day directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. Others of that era did the same thing:
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:12
As we prepared to write this post, we learned about a TV comedy starring a man who supposedly "saves the world." Except his show was cancelled this week, after less than one season.
The name being discussed in Acts is the same One John mentioned....
..It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but who God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. - Acts 4:10
The name of Jesus heals people. The name of Jesus brings salvation. That's putting it as "straight" as we can. Do you believe it?
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