In the first two
verses, Luke mentions no less than seven historical figures to show the exact
time and circumstances when John began his ministry. This would place his
ministry around A.D. 27-29. Luke had established for us the shadowy and gloomy
political atmosphere of Rome and Palestine at that time. Each name given from
Tiberius Caesar to Pontus Pilate, Herod, Philips, and Lysianias, tell us how
shady the political situation was. And religiously speaking, Annas and Caiaphas reveal that
the priesthood had degenerated. Annas was priest from about A.D. 6–15 and he was succeeded by his
four sons, each in turn. Eventually, it was his son-in-law, Caiaphas who was at
the helm. The priesthood of this family reveal the evil practice of nepotism
and evil concentration of power in that family.
It
was in these dark circumstances that the Word of God came to John in the wilderness,
who had been living in the wilderness for some years. His task was to prepare the way for the
coming of the Messiah. He had no modern facilities, no glossy brochure, no
expensive cloths, yet he was effective. Mark 1:6 tells us that he clothed
himself in camel’s hair and girded with a leather belt on his waist. He was so
much like a man from the wild. John did not try to impress by the way he
dressed. He was forthright and pure and brutally frank. His was an uneasy task
– the environment he ministered in was hot, dry and barren. We can see that he
had to remove obstacles to pave the way for the Savior’s coming. There were
valleys to be filled, mountains to be flattened, crooked ways to be made straight
and all flesh to be made to see the salvation of God. His was a baptism of repentance,
a sign to show one’s sorrow over sin and a symbol of cleansing from all that’s
wrong.
In
his outspoken way, John was calling the people who came to him to be baptized
to repentance. He called them a brood of vipers because they were giving the appearance
of being sincere and religious, yet were full of poison. John told them to go
and bear fruit to prove their repentance. It’s a call to live lives that’s God
pleasing. He was against superficial and self-centered lifestyle. Much more, he
was against the idea that repentance is merely saying sorry to God with no
change of mindset, and no radical change to a God honoring and pleasing
lifestyle. He told those Jews who came
to him to bear fruit that showed that change, and not to depend on the fact that
they were descendants of the godly Abraham. He reminded them that like all fruitless
trees they would be cut down regardless of the nobility of their root.
In
his call to true change, he gave a specific call to develop a moral, ethical
and generous lifestyle. Here, three groups of people were specifically identified.
The private citizens must share with others, tax collectors must not collect more
than what was allowable, and soldiers must not extort money. It’s interesting
that all three had to do with finance and material wealth. Conscious of it or
not, the way we deal with material possession and our relationship with others,
provide a clear indication of the state of our spiritual health. Apart from developing
a life that demonstrates repentance, a giving and generous spirit reveal our spiritual
well-being. We are reminded of Paul’s exhortation in Acts 20:35, that “It is
more blessed to give than to receive.”
Let’s
show genuine repentance and live a God-pleasing and a God-honoring life. There
is a need for us to rightly handle our earthly possession. For a God-honoring life
uses resources, time and substance wisely. We must seek to pave the way for
others to know Christ, and always to be ready to help others to travel on the
same highway of God’s salvation with us.
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