Advent 2 - Luke 3:1-6
Luke’s Gospel account is unique in setting the historical context.
Luke sets the scene for us, Tiberius is Emperor in Rome, Pontius Pilate is the governor of Judea and Herod ruler of Galilee. Luke wants us to know where the power lies, so we need to pay careful attention to the next part, “during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,”
Now here is the problem, there can only be one high priest at a time, the clue is sort of in the name, high priest, singular highness. Luke places Annas first as we know because he is the father-in-law of Caiaphas, Luke is telling us where the true influence and therefore power lies.
The opening to chapter three pulls us straight into the murky world of politics and religion. It opens with what the world views as most important, power. These structures, the doings of the world, the important things, are devoid of God. Luke tells us that it’s during this time that the Word of God came to John the Baptist. The first thing John does is head out in the desert and proclaim the importance of repentance.
What’s interesting about John is that the different gospel writers frame him slightly differently. Luke wants us to know that John is not just some random person plucked from nowhere and sent on his way, but actually his lineage gives him a position and authority within the structures of the time.
In Luke 1 verse 5 we are told that Zachariah, John’s father, is a priest and a direct descendant of Aaron the first high priest. It’s possible that Luke sees John as a last of the Old Testament prophets. That the message the Old Testament proclaimed of the coming Messiah culminates in the message that John preaches of the coming Messiah, the one who was and is greater than he. John is born of priestly lineage and named by the angel Gabriel as having the spirit and power of Elijah. Ch1:17 “with the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous.”
This is significant because it mirrors almost exactly what we see in Malachi Ch 4 verses 5-6.
“Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children.”
And if this wasn’t enough to tie everything together if we turn over to Matthew 11 verse 13 Jesus himself says this,
“For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.”
Elijah is the herald of the Messiah’s arrival! Jews still to this day leave a place vacant in Seders for Elijah’s return.
We have here in Luke 3 then a juxtaposed image.
On the one hand we have the old regime, the powers that be, the significant voices in ancient Isreal, and on the other we have the incoming messianic kingdom, a new herald preparing the way of the coming Lord.
John is that very real and loud voice proclaiming in the wilderness, prepare the way of the lord.
To see this kingship of Jesus, the fulfilment of John’s early proclamation we need to skip a head a little in the gospel story to the transfiguration. Luke CH 9 verse 28 for anyone who wants to flip over to it.
In the transfiguration, arguably we could say we have the Jesus who is confirmed and crowned. We glimpse in this scene echoes of Daniel’s prophetic vision of the Son of Man coming before the ancient of days. All of Heaven cries out in praise.
But importantly what we have here in the transfiguration is three key figures.
Moses who represents the law, is present. The one to whom God presents the ten commandments and leads his people out of the wilderness. We have the old kingdom, the old covenant represented here.
Secondly, Elijah the prophet is there representing the promises God had made to his people to send to them a messiah who would lead the people out of occupation and end the four kingdom rule ushering in a new everlasting heavenly kingdom. John in essence is the both the Elijah who represents the prophetic voice and also the final prophetic voice now declaring the way of the Lord.
Both roads meet in the third person, Jesus.
The clouds cover them and like at Jesus’ baptism God’s voice can be heard ringing out again. “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him.”
The people were primed, ready and waiting for a messiah. They would have all known and understood the prophetic message of Daniel 7 and the four beastly kingdoms. They would have recognised the Roman empire to have been the fourth and final, with its large reach, and iron grip over its territories.
Yet Jesus’ kingdom accomplishes much more than just a change of leadership in natural government. The messiah came not to overturn a political occupation but a spiritual one. To fulfil the law and the promise of God.
In the fulfilment of the law Jesus ushers in a new covenant, this time not based in the blood of animals but in his blood. The emphasis of sacrifice changes. The God who provides food the weary provides the sacrifice for pardon.
The transfigured Christ is confirmation that Jesus is God’s Messiah.
But here is the really amazing thing about the entire event. Once it happens, they descend the mountain and go straight back to work. This really great, immensely important moment is sandwiched between the work of the kingdom. A bit like as when John receives the word of God his first reaction to is put in to practice what he receives.
If anything the revelation only goes to highlight how important the work of the gospel is.
So many of us in our Churches are looking for the transcendent moment, the wow factor, as if that’s what brings change. We see these moments in scripture and seek to recreate them in our lives. Yet while these transcendent moments are wonderful, and I am no doubt that God reveals himself in many ways. The most powerful, the most beautiful way God reveals himself is in the sacrifice that Jesus made.
Jesus could have spent every minute of every day as the transfigured Christ. He’s Christ the King of Kings the world is as his footstall.
Yet I am consistently drawn back the image of the stripped-down Christ, dressed modestly in a towel washing his disciples feet. Love and service.
Christ’s kingdom will never end because it is not of this world. It is heavenly and eternal, however it touches earth when we who follow him live as he did. In serving others, in living out the gospel, Christ’s kingdom is enacted on earth.
We are kingdom agents, 00Holy with a licence to love, pray and serve.
However, we interpret the Transfiguration. These things we can draw from it. Jesus is the fulfilment of both the Law and the Promise. Christ ushered in a new covenant of grace. But when the big events pass us by we are still called to live a life of service and loving others. Even Jesus after his transfiguration went back to work.
So how does this all fit into advent? John was preparing the way for the Lord. He was speaking into a world of darkness of the light that was soon to come. He proclaimed a better way, the repentance of sins and a return to obedience of God’s word.
And isn’t that what advent Is about? This penitential season, this period of time where we look deep into ourselves and prepare ourselves for when Christ returns? Are we not in this season encouraged to prepare the way of the lord in our own lives? Is John not still speaking to us today?
More than this is not John encouraging us to speak out and proclaim that Christ is coming. To prepare the way of the Lord in our generation?
We live in a world that is broken and hurting. Whenever we turn our tv’s on all we see on the news is bad news, wars, crimes, indecent behaviour, and the list goes on and on.
Well, if I might leave you with two images that bring me hope when I look at the task today at proclaiming the gospel in the wilderness.
One comes from watching the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral yesterday.
The other comes from listening to the live farewell recording for the band Delirious while writing today’s sermon.
Let’s start with the wonderful band Delirious
I was struck by the idea of the crowd joining in in the singing. Throughout the entire live album, the crowd sings and there are points where Martin Smith stops singing and all you can hear is the crowd.
The crowd sounds as if it’s in perfect tune, however I can almost guarantee, having been in a delirious crowd singing these songs, that these individuals are not in tune at all. You see one voice can sound out of place, a little flat or sharp, and then when you start to add a few extra voices these disparities become more noticeable, but there comes a point where there are so many voices that they begin to sound in tune. What I’m getting at here is do not be afraid to add your voice to the song of preparation. It might sound a little out now, but the more voices that join the better the song becomes and more inviting it is for others to join in with us.
Secondly Notre Dame. Well millions of people tuned into to witness the reopening of a building. Big whoop, right? But its more than that, the commentators focused well on the significance of the building for worship, they brought in religious commentators to explain what was going on. World leaders from every corner of the planet were in attendance. The world was drawn together to witness this great act of worship, of a rededication of space to the worship of God. That all the hard work, the effort, the fundraising all of it should point to the glory of God and not the physical building that was restored.
What I’m driving at here is that God is still at work in our world, and there are so many stories and events we can draw on to help us illustrate the Glory of God and draw inspiration and hope from.
So, this advent lets draw on the example of John the Baptist, lets boldly proclaim that the Lord is on his way!
Amen!