Luke 3:1-2    Who Get's the Message?

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     Here Luke starts a key part of his Gospel by locating the time carefully within the rulers of the day, the best way to mark a calendar at that time. To make it specific, he names the important figures from the top down. First, Tiberius Caesar, in his 15th year. Then come three other regional authorities, including Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea and Herod Antipas, his brother Philip, and Lysanias. Finally, Annas and Caiaphas are mentioned who are sharing the role of  high priest for the Jews.

    In doing this, Luke magnifies the irony: that the highest power, God, gave his message to a lone prophet who lived in the desert as an ascetic. “The Word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the desert.” John, the loner, the weird ascetic who wore the lowest kind of clothing, a coarse cloth made of camel’s hair, and ate a minimal diet, mainly locusts and honey, got the message. All the “important” people were much too busy to be waiting for God to speak. John was waiting. He waited and yearned for God to speak. He made himself available to God with no distractions.

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     Lord, help me to give time every day to listen for your word. To not hurry through my prayers but to leave room for the silence of the desert. And for the whisper of your Spirit to bring to my mind the most important word for my day, to know your will.