Second Sunday of Advent

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.

Just in case you weren't sure, Luke makes it very, very clear. Jesus lived, once again, in a particular time and place. I wonder sometimes why Luke bothers. It seems like big trouble to go through to write down such historical specifics when that isn't the most important thing about Christ.

But there is meaning here. Tiberius, in his fifteenth year, was already in exile away from Rome and the de facto head of state, Sejanus, was busy doing what all such folk do: eliminating his competition. Luke mentioning this fifteenth year not only puts the timing at around AD 29, but also to make the subtle inference that the mighty were being cast from their thrones, just as Mary proclaims to Elizabeth in his first chapter in her Magnificat.

More than this possible allusion, though, Luke mentions the other smaller heads of state because they are characters that play key parts later in the gospel story. Luke is writing post-resurrection, of course, looking backward. Pontius Pilate is familiar to any Christian, in our era or when Luke was writing. The Herod listed here is not Herod the Great from the stories of the stargazers coming to find the messiah--this is his son Herod Antipas, who is depicted in history as rather vile as well. This is the Herod who brings about the death of John the Baptist and then also is integral in the events preceding the death of Christ. And of course the high priests Caiaphas and Annas are depicted in the gospels as the ringleaders intent on silencing Jesus and bringing him up on charges. Mentioning these men brings forth strong feelings, I'm sure, for those who already know the ending. It's like being introduced to Senator Palpatine in the prequels of the Star Wars saga and knowing what's coming.

And the last line. The word of God comes to John in the desert. The word of God doesn't come to Tiberius in Capri or Annas at the Temple. John in the desert. John the son of Zechariah, not the prefect or tetarch or governor or mayor of anywhere. While all these men were ruling their mean little kingdoms or abandoning their responsibilities or taking more power than they deserved, the word of God comes to John. In the godforsaken desert.

The more I ruminate on the Gospels the more I start to realize that God isn't anything like what we expect. Happily, of course.