1 - A Time of Preparation

As he did when he began the Nativity story, Luke began the narrative of Jesus ministry by attempting to provide a historical setting. But he was quite mistaken about specific details. His references in 3:1-2 do not fit into a period of less than five years, from 25-30 CE. Moreover, he named two high priests, Annas and Caiaphas as holding that sacred office simultaneously. That was impossible in the Jewish tradition.

This last puzzle remains despite considerable ingenuity being expended to resolve it. The best guess is to regard Luke’s collation of several names of Roman governors, puppet kings and the two high priests as his way of setting his account of Jesus’ ministry as being of public significance. As Sharon H. Ringe stated in her excellent study of the Gospel which will guide our study, “He establishes the relevant context of his account as the double system of authority - Empire and temple - that prevailed in Palestine.” (Ringe, Sharon H. Luke. Westminster Bible Companion Series, 1995.)

Another feature of Luke’s style similar to the birth narrative was his way of telling of John the Baptist prior to but in parallel with significant incidents in the life of Jesus. But that went only for a preparatory period until John had baptized Jesus and was imprisoned by Herod Antipas (3:20-22).

Apparently John carried on his prophetic ministry only near the Jordan River in the region of Judea. Recent archeological research has located two possible sites, one on the western bank of the river in Israel and the other on the eastern bank in Jordan. This wilderness location has theological significance because it brings to mind the ancient tradition of Israel’s forty years wandering and testing prior to crossing the Jordan to the Promised Land “as a new people, chosen and precious to God.”

The Baptist’s preaching of “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” recalled the prophetic words of Isaiah 40:3-5. Baptism, however, was not part of Jewish tradition. They practiced repeated ritual bathing as a sign of moral and spiritual cleansing. Total immersion in baptism symbolized the reorientation of one’s life to the will and purposes of God. It did not yet mean the entry into a new religious institution as it became later in the history of the Christian church.

John's preaching also included a significant measure of divine judgment. Almost every prophet proclaimed that in the Old Testament. John’s utterance of it were still too strong a condemnation for many to hear. He countered potential objections by denouncing even their heritage as Abraham’s descendants. When the crowds asked him for an alternative, he gave them very clear directives reminiscent of the social justice proclaimed by the great 8th century BCE prophets Amos, Micah, and Isaiah.

When people wondered if he was the Messiah, John gave a clear distinction between his role and that of “the one who is to come”: the Holy Spirit.