“1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
7 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
10 And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" 11 In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" 13 He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." 14 Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."
15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." 18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. 19 But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, 20 added to them all by shutting up John in prison” Luke 3:1-20.
When John began to preach in the wilderness people were attracted to his message. Israel saw him as a prophet, and such a person had not been sent to Israel for nearly 400 years. Like prophets of old John did not predict the future but called the people to look at their lifestyles and change. He called them to turn from their sinful ways and experience the mercy of God. While John the Baptizer’s message was universal, the urgency of his message was not – for the Messiah was coming – and soon. True to a major Lukan theme, John was the fulfillment of the Scriptures. The Prophet Isaiah (see 40:3) spoke of a “voice shouting in the wilderness” who would prepare people for the coming Messiah.
We see Luke giving detailed and researched data about the time when the Messiah was to come. Tiberius, the Roman Emperor, reigned from 14 – 37 AD, and his 15th year would have been 28 AD. Pontius Pilate, Governor of Rome, was responsible for the Judean Region from 26-36 AD. Pilate was always in conflict with the Jews during his reign. He was known to be greedy and inflexible. Herod, ruler of Galilee, was Herod Antipas. Philip, his half-brother, were both sons of the cruel and feared Herod the Great who had been dead for more than 20 years. Philip ruled for a long period, from 4 BC to 39 AD. All of these leaders were subject to Rome and all had pretty much equal power. Their main responsibility was to keep the peace, which helps us understand their behavior in the Gospels.
We also see Luke refer to Annas and Caiaphas, two high priests in Jerusalem at the time of the birth of Jesus. Usually there was only one high priest, but the Roman government had assigned their own high priest. Annas was the religious appointed high priest who rules from 6 – 15 AD. Caiaphas, son-in-law of Annas, was assigned high priest by Rome, and he served from 18 – 36 AD. But Annas probably served as the real high priest, a life term, according to Jewish customs.
Given this level of detail by Luke, the certainty of time in which Jesus was born reflects Luke’s desire to make sure you understood that Jesus was real, and that He was really the Messiah. How much “proof” do you need in your life to know that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world? Given the years of reflection that we have had – added to the certainty provided by Luke, why do we not respond as we should?
As we head into the New year make this your prayer, then:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
Help me to live with You every day, knowing that you are the only real truth in my life, and it is You I wish to follow faithfully in 2025.
From the Bible:
“3 A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God’” Isaiah 40:3.
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