The Second Sunday of Advent, December 8, 2024

Luke 3, 1–6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.”  Tiberius Caesar, the adopted son of Augustus, ruled the Roman Empire from 14-37 A.D., allowing us to date the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry to the year 29 A.D.  St. Luke also adds the reigns of Herod Antipas, his brother Philip, and Lysanias, and then the high priesthoods of Annas and Caiaphas.  The Evangelist, writing for an audience familiar with the Greek historians, carefully establishes the time at which the events he is about to describe took place.  The mention of Lysanias proves very interesting to us today, for prior to a few years ago the only Lysanias known at Abilene, near Damascus, ruled years after John’s death.  However, recent discoveries of inscriptions show that a man named Lysanias reigned at the time Luke states, thus confirming Luke’s reliability as a historian.

The year that Luke gives also tells us something significant about Johnת. Since Luke tells us that Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his ministry, we know that John was thirty years old when he began his ministry, since he was six months older than Jesus.  Now, a priest began his work in the Temple at that age.  John, the son of Zechariah the priest, would have taken his place there, but he does not.  Instead, he goes out to the wilderness and preached repentance.  He does the unthinkable: he turns his back on the Jewish priesthood.

“Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low.”  Luke quotes Isaiah 40, 4 to describe the content of John’s preaching.  Formerly, the prophets had called the people to turn away from their worship of idols or God would hand his people over to the foreign powers that threatened them.  But with these words, Isaiah announces a new purpose for repentance: the coming of God to the earth: “All flesh shall see the salvation of God.”  Luke, in his turn, uses Isaiah’s verse to show that this promise was on the verge of being fulfilled with the coming of John the Baptist.

“The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth.”  Isaiah refers to the ancient practice of preparing the road for a royal visit.  A straight road that did not go up hills made travel easier and more efficient.  Enormous labor and expense was required to accomplish this, but no effort would be spared.  Even more urgent for the Jews of the time was preparation for the coming of the one, as John himself preached, “who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3, 16).

This urgency should fill us as well for the Lord can come at any time, and at any time we may be called to go before him, hearing the solemn words, “This night your soul will be demanded of you” (Luke 12, 20).  Repenting of our sins, making a firm purpose of amendment, doing penance, and reforming our lives will entail great personal labor, but we should spare no effort in these actions for the stakes are eternal.