Kansas is often considered the flattest state in the US.  So what does this have to do with John the Baptist?  Well…he made Kansas to prepare for the Messiah.  Look at these verses:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
    every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
    the rough ways smooth.
 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”

Back in the day I didn’t know what he meant by this, until I drew a picture of this imagery.  If you fill in every valley–it will be flat.  If you level every mountain, it will be flat.  If you take every crooked road and make it straight, you will have a straight road on flat land.  If you make rough roads smooth, it will be a smooth, straight road on flat land.  Thus…Kansas.  A highway in Kansas.  🙂

What John was doing was removing the barriers that people have in coming to the Lord.  People have many misunderstandings, hurts, false beliefs, sin and other things that block their path to their Savior.  John had a ministry of working to remove those blocks so that when the Savior came, the people were ready.  In essence, making the world and everyone he came into contact with one giant Kansas.