Luke chapter 3 is one of those readings that puts a preacher on his or her toes. Before opening with those verses, you’ll want to check a Bible dictionary for the right pronunciation. Tiberius, Iturea, Traconitis, Lysanias—names like these are easily messed up. For most people, name lists are not the most exciting reading—not the kind of Scripture passage one looks forward to hearing. So why are they in the Bible? Why this one, with so many references to leaders, both political and religious?
It’s because Luke, in his gospel, presents John the Baptist in a way different than the other gospel writers. In part, Luke wants to show that John is prophet to a world wide audience. You see, there are good reasons to go into such detail. Luke is known as the historian among the gospel writers. He is often noted as the one to pay attention to detail. In his gospel and also in the book of Acts, Luke pays extra special attention to the kinds of facts we might think of as mere historical footnotes, such as the tongue—twisting names of peoples and places. Here, Luke places John in a specific time and place. Certainly, that kind of detail helps scholars to accurately date the events that happen.
But Luke also reminds us of something else, for we have heard this kind of detail before in the Bible. Remember the introductions to some of the Old Testament prophets. Those Biblical messengers too are set in a specific historical context. Consider Jeremiah 1:1—3:
“The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. The word of the LORD came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.“
Or consider introduction of the prophet Ezekiel. In meeting him, as in the introduction of John the Baptist, we find out not only the year of a particular king, but also where the prophet was located when the word of the Lord came to him:
“On the fifth of the month—— it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was upon him..“
Imitating this familiar introduction style, Luke not only introduces John the Baptist and sets him in a particular time, he also gives John status. Luke serves us notice that John is no ordinary man, nor is he to be thought of as a mere self—promoting religious quack out in the boondocks. No, Luke copies the introduction of Old Testament prophets to tell us that John is also a prophet, a legitimate messenger, called by God. So Luke writes to give us valuable historical detail, and also to establish John the Baptist’s credentials as an authorized voice, speaking with God’s endorsement. But there is yet a third reason Luke includes all those names, and it is this third reason that I want to highlight. I focus on this third reason because it is the one which really lifts up for us a contemporary application, a new way of seeing, not only John the Baptist, but really also understanding the life Jesus Christ and his significance for our lives today.
Luke writes to set John in a cosmic context. Consider those listed names. They range wide, covering all the known world. Tiberius Caesar, was the ruler in Rome. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea, and Herod the ruler over Galilee. And the Jewish leaders, the high priests, Annas and Caiaphas, are also mentioned. Luke wants us to know that the ministry of John is not an isolated event in a far off corner of the empire. These words, the account of the ministry and message of John the Baptist, will go out to the whole world, and shake the foundations of the political and religious establishments. This too is a characteristic typical of Luke’s writing. He has a global perspective—just as we might expect of one who is writing for a Gentile audience, those Christians who consider themselves world citizens, Greek and Latin speaking, those who have been adopted into this predominantly Jewish family of God.
This global perspective is also seen in the Old Testament quote which Luke records as fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist. All the gospel writers include these words from Isaiah 40: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ’Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.“ All four. But only Luke goes on to include the verses that follow:
“Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.“
Isaiah was describing the preparation of a roadway for an approaching king. Luke sees in these words a global perspective that calls everyone to make way, to prepare the way, for it is not just the valleys and mountains of Israel that are to be leveled in preparation for the king’s arrival. No, it is every valley that is to be filled in, every mountain that must be leveled for approach of this king who is ruler then over all the nations. For “all mankind will see God’s salvation.“
John the Baptist introduces the one who will cleanse a whole world. He is the fulfillment of the messenger promise in the prophet Malachi. Malachi wrote:
“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.“ And the messenger warns that the coming cleansing will not be easy. For the promised Messiah will be like a refiner’s fire. He will burn away the impurities of his people.
That sounds painful to me!
The prophet says the Messiah will also cleanse us like a launderer’s soap; again, this is a harsh image. When we think of soap, typically, we think of gentle, sweet smelling soaps with nice names like Irish Spring and Dove. The prophet foresees a different kind of soap, a launderer’s soap. That’s the old fashioned kind of soap, like lye, an alkali, which can be harsh on the skin… When you use the old fashioned cleansers, you bring exfoliating to a whole new level—think of being scrubbed raw. That is the cleansing the prophet Malachi, and John the Baptist, warn of. Because God is at work—it is his initiative. And the work God does he does thoroughly and completely. That’s what makes this news good news.
Now, casting such a message of divine deep cleansing, one that requires complete and gut wrenching repentance, to a wide audience is problematic. You see, as long as John stays down by the river, he’s fine. People who are interested in his message will come to hear him. If they like it, they can listen to his harsh preaching, be baptized, and go home satisfied. If they don’t like it, they can just go home. But that still won’t put them out of John’s reach, because John recognizes the far reach of the arm of God and his Word. John’s not interested in running a safe little baptizing ministry down by the river. John recognizes there are no boundaries on the reach of the Word of God. Who is to repent? All. People from every valley, every mountain. All people will see their salvation.
So John publicly calls on even King Herod to repent of his sin. That’s where this introduction to John leads. We read, further down the page in this chapter,
“But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.“
Friends, the scope of the Christian faith is wider than many might think. The reaction to Christianity today is a lot like what John the Baptist encountered. When we come with our message of the coming of the Lord, we are strongly encouraged to take our little candle to burn in some small corner—and stay there.
Consider the Christmas season. Worried about offending non—Christian shoppers, some stores have pulled traditional carols from the soundtracks that grace our frenzied shopping. City Councils ban nativity scenes that have been on the front lawn of city hall for generations. If we want to celebrate our Christmas holiday, we are encouraged to do it quietly, on the side, without implying it has anything to do with anyone else. Christmas, we are told, is a private affair. But of course, this dynamic isn’t only true at Christmas time. This is also the case the rest of the year. A political candidate suggests that yes, in fact his faith conviction will have an effect on the kind of legislature he votes for or introduces. And the media pounces on this so—called violation of wall of separation between church and state. A medical missions team goes to South America to offer medical and dental care in poor villages. They also offer information in the local language about Jesus Christ, the great healer. Their ministry is labeled manipulative and disgusting.
You may remember this past summer; a group of Korean church workers was kidnapped in Afghanistan. In the first two weeks of captivity, two of the hostages were found dead. At the end of negotiations, the rest of the hostages were released. But through the time of waiting and negotiating, and especially after the hostages were released, many people asked hard questions about what the church group was doing there in the first place. In response, the church has emphasized the group’s relief work, and downplayed any missionary activity.
It’s OK to be a Christian, says the world, if you do it in your own time in the privacy of your own homes and churches. Leave the rest of us out of it. But ours is a cosmic gospel. John the Baptist knew it, and preached it. And so King Herod himself was caught up in it. Jesus taught it when he ascended to heaven, and left for us another list of names. “You will be my witnesses,“ he said. Where? “In Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.“ And Luke, the church’s first historian, records not only these words but also their fulfillment, as the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ spread throughout the empire.
So it is that this seed of repentance that sprouted on the riverbank in Galilee grew and spread throughout the whole world. In the course of the ministries of Jesus and his followers, soldiers, centurions, priests and high priests, city officials, governors, kings and Caesar himself were and continue to be swept up in the story of all stories, that of God come down to seek and to save the lost. All the lost. Wherever and whoever they are. Because gospel has a cosmic reach. It is Good News for all the world—release for the captives, healing for the sick, compassion and care for the poor, the outcast, the widow and the orphan. That’s what repentance looks like.
Here is the point, my sisters and brothers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is not a private matter. That’s the deception the world would have us believe. Is faith personal? Yes. Of course. Always. But is faith private? Is my faith none of your business? No. Never.
Not that we are called to be militant to the point of spiritual arrogance. Screaming protests at abortion clinics, holding up hate—filled banners before rock concerts, chaining ourselves to monuments of the 10 commandments—these are not gospel moments. They are knee jerk reactions that show our fear. We and the world are better off when the church lives out love. But still, we ought to be culturally subversive, standing against the Empire. We can clearly name sin as sin, whether the world likes it or not. We can talk and act and live as if the Lord we serve has a stake in this world, as if there are sheep without a shepherd, as if there are spiritually sick people in need of the Great Physician’s healing, as if we really and truly believe that what we have been given as a gift is a word of grace and forgiveness that sets people free, and that one day all mankind will see God’s salvation.
The gospel we preach has a global reach. If it is good for anyone it must be good for everyone. John the Baptist knew this. He was not interested in running a sideshow for wilderness tourists. If the message was true, it would have implications for all.
This passage from the book of Luke is a good word to the early church. They must have felt, in those early years, like a tiny seed on hard ground. Think about it. The very first Christians in Jerusalem were soon facing considerable opposition by the established Jewish hierarchy, the ruling council called the Sanhedrin. Across the eastern empire, from city to city, from Syrian Antioch around the Aegean Sea all the way to Rome itself, Christians were huddled together in small gatherings—just a few people meeting together within very large urban centers, embracing a whole new way of life, a worldview which would bring them to stand opposed to not just the religious customs of the day, but also the civic and economic laws that were the lifeblood of an Empire. So this small church was very much isolated on the margins of society. They felt small and powerless. And they were coming under more and more vicious persecution. What had they to do with the world? They had to rescue it. They had to claim it. And so they spread the gospel with conviction and joy and love.
This is a good word to the global church today. The world would like us to keep to ourselves. “Go to church,“ they might say, “and there you can sing and pray and believe whatever you like. The church can be kind of like your own little kingdom.“ But the kingdom we see includes the ground under the schools and colleges, under the national legislature, under the grocery stores and shopping malls, under the military bases, under the sports stadiums, and under the offices of the United Nations. This, all this, is our kingdom.
So I think we ought not get upset at the hearing a generic ‘Happy Holidays’ from the store clerks as we shop this Christmas season. There’s no need to write nasty letters or picket because our local store won’t play “Silent Night“ over the loudspeakers. Because it’s not the store’s job to proclaim the gospel. It’s your job. It’s my job. It’s our privilege. It’s our ministry. It’s our mission.
So we ought not be afraid to voice our ‘Merry Christmas’ this time of year. No, we need to be sure our voice is heard. What are some ways that you can do this? Perhaps you could invite some of your neighbors over for an informal Christmas party or dessert, and let them see and hear what this season means to you. You might want to invite a co—worker to your church’s Christmas Eve or Christmas morning worship service. Or maybe you could go out with your family or with Christian friends singing Christmas carols in your neighborhood. Or it may be as simple as a rightly placed word.
Peter Winn, writing in the Citizen Link Update, tells of how he was encouraged at Christmastime:
I was at the post office in the last days before Christmas. After helping me conduct my lengthy business, the pleasant, helpful postal clerk uttered what is surely her standard line: “Is there anything else I can do for you?“
I quipped, “Can you help me pay for Christmas?“
Without missing a beat, she replied, “He already paid for it.“
I was stunned. Pleased, surprised, a tad embarrassed—a strange mix of emotions. But most of all, stunned. I murmured something profound in response—like, “He certainly did“—and left.
Winn continues: “I know the Postal Service isn’t an arm of the government anymore, but still—it was the last thing I expected. A simple phrase had put everything in perspective.“
In this Christmas season, in the year 2007, under the rule of various national leaders whose rule and lives will come and go, may the universal gospel of Jesus Christ go out, in all nations, each neighborhood and every nook and cranny where people hunger for good news. And may we be the messengers.
Would you pray with me?
Prayer
Dearest Lord Jesus Christ, through your first arrival on earth, we have been given the greatest gift of gifts—freedom from sin and eternal salvation. Help us to lift our hearts above the clutter of the holiday season, and remember the hope that we have of your coming again. And in the meantime, by your Holy Spirit’s working in us, may we be glad carriers of the gospel to all we meet. In your name we humbly and joyfully pray, Amen.
Everett Vander Horst
Everett Vander Horst is the senior pastor at Shawnee Park Christian Reformed Church, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He and his wife Christa have been married for 14 years, and have 3 children: Laura (10), Eric (7) and Jason (5). A Canadian, Everett grew up on a dairy farm in southwestern Ontario. After graduating from Calvin Theological Seminary in 1996, he and Christa moved to British Columbia where Everett was ordained as pastor in the Telkwa Christian Reformed Church. They took the call to Shawnee Park CRC in 2001. When he is not pastoring, Everett enjoys digital photography, fishing as well as building toys and furniture in his basement woodshop.
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