At first glance, today’s readings seem preoccupied with evildoers: the arrogant in Psalm 119, the corrupt leaders in Isaiah, the false teachers in 2 Peter, and the moral wilderness into which John the Baptist cries. It can feel as if the writers are congratulating themselves for being righteous while condemning others. But if we listen carefully, we hear something more searching—and more uncomfortable.
Psalm 119:49–72 is not the prayer of a self-satisfied saint. It is the cry of someone who is afflicted, mocked, and tempted to despair. The psalmist does not claim moral superiority; instead, he clings to God’s word because it is all he has. “This is my comfort in my trouble,” he says. God’s law is not a weapon against others—it is a lifeline that keeps him from losing his way. The focus is inward: What shapes my heart when I am wounded or angry?
In Isaiah 9:8–17, the prophet exposes a deeper problem than wicked individuals. The real danger is collective self-deception—leaders and people alike insisting, “We will rebuild,” while refusing to turn back to God. The repeated refrain, “For all this his anger has not turned away,” is not about divine cruelty; it is about divine persistence. God keeps speaking because God refuses to give up on a people who will not yet face the truth about themselves.
2 Peter 2:1–10 warns against false teachers, but again the emphasis is not on spotting villains “out there.” The danger lies in voices that sound religious while quietly reshaping the gospel to excuse greed, power, and self-indulgence. The passage invites sober self-examination: Which voices am I trusting? And how do they shape the way I live, love, and treat others?
Then Mark 1:1–8 reframes everything. John the Baptist does not divide the crowd into righteous and unrighteous. He calls everyone to repentance. His message assumes that no one arrives ready for God’s kingdom. The good news begins not with pointing fingers, but with making room—through humility—for the One who is greater than we are.
The Word That Levels Us All
Together, these Scriptures speak powerfully to our day. We live in a time of outrage, blame, and moral certainty—where it is easy to define ourselves as righteous by identifying someone else as the problem. But these readings insist that God’s word does something different. It levels us, strips away our illusions, and calls us back—not to superiority, but to faithfulness.
The real dividing line is not between “good people” and “bad people.” It is between those willing to be corrected by God’s word and those who harden themselves against it.
That is good news. Because it means that God’s purpose is not condemnation, but transformation. The wilderness cry still sounds: Prepare the way of the Lord. And the way begins, now as then, with honest repentance, attentive listening, and trust that God is at work—starting with us.
A Prayer
Gracious God,
When Your word confronts us, we are tempted to turn it outward rather than inward.
Give us the courage to listen deeply, to repent honestly,
and to be shaped by Your truth rather than our certainties.
Prepare our hearts for Your coming,
and teach us to walk humbly in the way of Christ.
Amen.
The Curious Pilgrims 