From the artist:

John the Baptist cries out from the wilderness, willed by the vision of a world where the crooked will be made straight and the rough places made smooth. In this passage, we see how the poetry of this vision translates into the practical.

Crowds, compelled by John’s message, gather around him. I imagine his passion spewing out of him in a frenzy of inflammatory statements and doomsday predictions, his words strategically designed to stir the heart and incite action.“What then must we do?” Different groups step forward, eager and yet afraid of what this new way of life might require.

John’s responses are particular. There is no one-size-fits-all to justice-making. Each group must resist the ways they are tempted to perpetuate systems of inequity. Soldiers must resist ruling with intimidation and threats, preying upon the poor.Tax collectors must resist embezzling funds.Those with more than enough must resist hoarding their resources. Bearing good fruit requires pruning one’s life of power, wealth, and resources acquired at the expense of others.

When I read this text, I visualized the act of both giving up and receiving, for when we let loose of that which binds us to systems of power and oppression, we allow space for others to thrive.We fear that letting go will lead to scarcity. Instead, God promises a restored earth, one where all are fed, all are made well.The mountains will fall and the valleys will rise up—then and only then shall all the ends of the earth truly know what the salvation of God feels like.

—Lisle Gwynn Garrity