Mid-century illustration of an oil lamp and an open scroll on a table, disciples talking by the sea of Galilee

John 1:23 · World English Bible

John 1:23 Meaning He Said

He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

What does John 1:23 mean?

Having laid down every identity, he finally names himself as nothing more than a voice, a sound pointing beyond itself to something greater. He does not claim to be the truth.

From the Ego v. Being reading below.

John 1:23 through 1 lens

The same verse, read by one tradition.

EGO & BEING

Ego v. Being

Having laid down every identity, he finally names himself as nothing more than a voice, a sound pointing beyond itself to something greater. He does not claim to be the truth. He clears the way for it.

This is what your life becomes when the ego grows quiet. You stop making everything about yourself and become a clear channel through which something deeper can move. To make the way straight is to remove the inner obstacles, the resistance and the mental noise that block presence. When those are gone, awareness flows without hindrance, and that is how you prepare the ground for what is real.

Ego v. Being lensGo deeper in the app

Ego v. Being lens

Live John 1:23 today

  1. Clear one small inner obstacle before noon. The resentment you keep rehearsing, the reply you keep drafting in your head. Set it down and see how much quieter the next hour is.
  2. In one conversation today, let the other person finish completely before you speak. Take out the interruptions, the agreeing noises, the point you were holding, and just leave the road open for them.
  3. When you are stressed and about to get sharp with someone, do not push the feeling down and do not aim it at them. Breathe once, let it pass through, and say the plain thing you actually meant.

What is currently in the way between you and the people in front of you?

The same truth in other traditions

Sufism · Rumi

The reed flute cries because it was hollowed out. Only what has been emptied can carry the music through.

Tao Te Ching 48

In learning, something is added each day. In the way, something is dropped each day, until there is nothing in the road and everything moves freely.

Zen

A cup already full cannot be poured into. Empty it first and then there is room for anything.

Mid-century illustration of Jesus teaching the crowd on a hillside above the sea

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