In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
Luke is speaking in terms his main recipient of this history, Theophilus, will be able to relate to. As a Roman official, he will be acquainted with the political setting - a time of unrest, corruption and immoral intrigue. He will also recognize the names of the high priests, Annas and Caiaphas, as they represented the cause of Israel, and would appear in royal courts to represent their people. Here too he saw nepotism, and all sorts of questionable behavior. Meanwhile, down in the desert country there was this guy named John floating around, hearing and proclaiming the Word of God. Luke has already introduced John to us in the first chapter, and is coming back to us. What we will see is that John is a little weird, on the fringe of society, but what he has to say is very powerful, and necessary to set the stage for what Christ came to do. Many times we skip or skim over John to get to Jesus because he is awkward for us to deal with. But in my life and ministry I have met a few men like John who live alone, dress differently, and stick out as unusual, but who love God dearly and serve Him sincerely. They had a profound impact on my life. Let yourself be drawn to such men and women. Watch them and listen to them. You'll be glad you did.
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