I lived in California’s Mojave Desert before GPS and cell phones, and I often hosted friends who were novice hikers but eager to explore the rugged area. They occasionally ventured into the wilderness without a map, ignoring my warning about its dangers. Sometimes they wandered into a box canyon—a dead end and a treacherous place with its intense heat and steep canyon walls. Hikers must quickly turn around to find a safer path.

The throngs following John the Baptist are stuck in a spiritual box canyon. Their lives have come to a dead end, and they seek a different way of living. In John’s message they recognize a path to a new beginning as he exhorts them to turn from their sins, ask for forgiveness, and have their sins washed away. But beyond this traditional rite for remission of sins, John offers something different. He prepares his followers for a prophet greater than he, who will bring them a new message and who will be the message. John prophesies that what they have been waiting for—the time when God will pour out God’s Spirit on all of Israel—is imminent. The baptism with the Holy Spirit that Jesus offers will remit past sins and empower his followers to enter into a radically new way of living that he will teach and demonstrate.

When we’re trapped in our own box canyons, the way out is to admit that we can’t save ourselves. In recognizing that our path leads nowhere, we can turn to God and seek forgiveness from God and from those we’ve hurt. We can ask the Holy Spirit to motivate us to change and empower us to grow in our love of God, others, and ourselves.