Luke 3:1-6 Commentary

Comments, Questions, and Observations

With his list of the powerful, Luke establishes us well under the thumb of Roman rule. From Caesar and his representatives in Palestine and the surrounding regions, to the Roman supported high priests, there can be no doubt who is in charge in Jerusalem.

The infamous Roman road system was not yet built this far out on the outskirts of the Empire, but the words put upon John the Baptist from the prophet Isaiah call to mind a different kind of symbolic road. When the Old Testament prophet spoke the words, they were a source of comfort to the exiled: Yahweh was headed back to Jerusalem. It was a promise that the holy city would be their home yet again; that their exile would end and they would be their own people in their own place again.

As John the Baptist preaches his baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, the situation is similar yet different. The Jewish people of John’s time are not in exile, but they are not in charge of themselves either. The thought that Yahweh was coming to deliver them from the regime would be a welcome one.

But things are different yet similar. The road being prepared is still the work of the Almighty and it is still a road of redemption; but instead of the people getting their homeland back, they are meant to be making themselves the home for God.

John was doing a new thing with his baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. There were baptism-like experiences throughout the Jewish community (as well as among the Gentiles), but John’s emphasis was different. The baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins called its participants to commit to a way of life by turning away from their previous way. John’s emphasis was not about a national religious or ethnic identity or even geopolitics, but on personal responsibility and accountability.

It is a good word that even when you feel like you’re at the bottom of the stack, even if you don’t have any social or political capital to move the needle even a little bit towards a brighter future, you can still prepare the way for the Messiah who will overturn everything and establish a new heaven and new earth.

Or, as the mid-twentieth century hymn opens, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” John’s baptism was both a prayer and a commitment to act. John’s baptism was the way the people strengthened themselves in order to withstand the temptations and struggles that surrounded them in their daily lives (the stuff the Gospel lectionary had us thinking about last week). John’s baptismal waters woke them up and kept them alert to the presence of God. And John’s baptism in the Jordan prepared them to take the path to freedom through regular repentance and forgiveness.

During Advent, we remember that even though we face hardships as we wait for the Messiah to return, we are not without hope or a plan of action. During Advent we hear the call yet again to make room for, prepare our hearts for, and to bear Christ in our lives. Doing so requires our repentance, and even more so, requires the grace-filled forgiveness of God. Forgiveness is cut from the same divine power as valleys being filled, mountains being made low, bends being straightened and rough ways made smooth.

And in God’s gracefulness, God allows us to be part of its riches by giving us ways to participate in it. When we practice repentance, we come to know how deep and wide God’s loving forgiveness is; we feel the distance we’ve put between ourselves and God close as God draws us close. When we practice repentance and receive forgiveness, we receive it by the Holy Spirit who empowers us to live in power and truth and faith. Repentance is preparation that makes space for more of God’s will to be done in each of us, as it is in heaven.

So when we heed John’s call and prepare, we’re doing much more than passively waiting for our military deliverer to establish a new world order that will benefit us. We are becoming that very Kingdom here on earth, agents of peace and reconciliation for the Prince of Peace and King of kings. We are through whom “flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Amen.

Textual Point

John is fulfilling and carrying on the prophecy from Isaiah 40, and some scholars point to an Exodus motif for the way the Scriptures speak of the exiled nations following Yahweh home to Jerusalem. This aligns well with John the Baptist’s choice to baptise in the Jordan River—the last threshold the Israelites crossed as they ended their wilderness wanderings and entered the Promised Land.

Illustration Idea

I live in Vancouver, BC where preparations are already underway to host part of the FIFA World Cup in 2026. The estimated cost to the host cities has bloated to double what it was just two years ago; seven soccer matches here in Vancouver are now coming at a 581 million dollar price tag. Projected revenue is expected to offset about $400 million of that cost with the rest being billed by our mayor as a “month-long commercial” for the city and improved infrastructure for the community. (Read more in this article.) When it comes to our own personal preparations for the Messiah, we don’t usually commit to the grandiosity of a city hosting the World Cup! But what if we were as unabashed about it as Mayor Ken Sim? After all, in his words, it’s a “massive, massive opportunity.”