First Reading: Malachi 3:1-7b
1“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. 5Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. 6For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.”
Psalm 66:1-12
1Be joyful in God, all you lands; sing the glory of his name; sing the glory of his praise. 2Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you. 3All the earth bows down before you, sings to you, sings out your name.” 4Come now and see the works of God, how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people. 5He turned the sea into dry land, so that they went through the water on foot, and there we rejoiced in him. 6In his might he rules forever; his eyes keep watch over the nations; let no rebel rise up against him. 7Bless our God, you peoples; make the voice of his praise to be heard; 8Who holds our souls in life, and will not allow our feet to slip. 9For you, O God, have proved us; you have tried us just as silver is tried. 10You brought us into the snare; you laid heavy burdens upon our backs. 11You let enemies ride over our heads; we went through fire and water; but you brought us out into a place of refreshment. 12I will enter your house with burnt offerings and will pay you my vows, which I promised with my lips and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble.
Second Reading: Philippians 1:2-11
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Gospel: Luke 3:1-20
1In 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, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” 7He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 9Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” 15As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 18So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. 19But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, 20added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
You Sent Who?
Tiberius Caesar. Pontius Pilate. Herod Antipas. Phillip the Tetrarch. Annas. Caiaphas. These are names we’ve heard many times, and these are the names of the first century; names that define a place and time. These are names we hear each Advent and Christmas season, and they are examples of the power of names and what they represent.
The first on our list is Tiberius Caesar, he had been emperor for fifteen years at the time of Jesus’ birth.
Tiberius Caesar was the second Roman emperor after his stepfather Augustus Caesar. Tiberius Caesar was known as one of Rome’s greatest generals, conquering the north as far as Germania, securing what would become the Roman northern frontier. He wasn’t all that happy to be the emperor, but he knew how to use power very well. Another of the more familiar names we hear each year, especially during Holy Week, is Pontius Pilate.
Pilate was the fifteenth governor of Judea and was one of the longest-serving governors. That means he must have known how to keep Rome happy. The role of governor was officially a military position, but the forces he commanded were used more as a police force than an army. Pilate was the head of the judicial system and held the power to inflict capital punishment at will. He was responsible for collecting taxes, disbursing funds, and minting money. While he allowed the local religious court, the Sanhedrin, to continue in their role, he made sure that they kept him in the loop, and did their part to keep the Jewish people under control and not let them stir up any trouble for him. Pilate’s role of governor was officially under the rule of the Legate of Syria, but since there was no Legate of Syria for most of his time in office, he was free to do whatever he wanted to do. Pilate’s primarily role was to keep the peace.
Rome expected Pilate to keep civil order, which meant keeping the Jewish people under control, whatever the cost. To demonstrate his control, in the dark of night, Pilate had banners brought into the city, displaying the symbols of the Roman empire simply to show his authority over the Jews. He took money from the temple treasury to pay for a water aqueduct for the city, and when the people protested, Pilate’s police force came on horseback, carrying clubs. Many people died before the mobs were quieted. The next name is also familiar since we hear it mentioned periodically, especially in connection with John the Baptist.
Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Galilee, ruled over all of the land west of the Sea of Galilee. He was the son of Herod the Great, but he hadn’t been the first choice as Tetrarch. While he was known as a skilled city planner and builder, his behavior as a leader was questionable. He is perhaps remembered most for divorcing his wife so he could marry Herodias, the wife of his half-brother. Not only was it questionable morally, it was questionable politically, since his former wife was the daughter of a neighboring king. His actions ended up leading to a disastrous war with several nearby countries. He was eventually accused of conspiracy against the empire and exiled to Spain. The next name on our list is his brother Phillip, a name less familiar to us.
Herod’s brother Phillip was Tetrarch of the land east of the Sea of Galilee. He was loyal to the Roman empire, and since there were very few Jews in the land, his control was rarely challenged. As a result, his reign was for the most part a peaceful one. The next two names I mentioned were not political rulers per se, they were Jewish religious leaders, and they served as Temple High Priests.
Annas had been the High Priest of the temple until Pilate replaced him after a disagreement. Pilate then appointed Caiaphas as High Priest. It’s worth noting that Caiaphas was Annas’ son, one of five sons of Annas who would serve as high priest. And since a high priest was supposed to serve for life, although Caiaphas was officially the High Priest, Annas continued to have significant influence. Caiaphas followed in his father’s footsteps and had close connections with the Sanhedrin and with the Sadducees, the wealthy elite members of the land. Caiaphas served as high priest for eighteen years. He obviously had a good working relationship with the Romans, which meant he did what they wanted him to do.
Tiberius Caesar. Pontius Pilate. Herod Antipas. Phillip the Tetrarch. Annas. Caiaphas. These are the names of power in the first century. And many people wondered, “How do we stand against names like these? How do we respond to the power and abuse that these names represent? How will God overcome them?” At times we all ask questions like these, just as those were the questions being asked by God’s people in the first century.
Like every nation who has lived under heavy handed leadership, the Hebrew people were looking for someone to deliver them. For the Jews, they had long believed that God would help them. The question was how? They knew the prophecies of old, passages telling them of a “Righteous Branch of David”, the promised Messiah. But who would God send? They longed for a leader to come and deliver them from the hand of those in power, both from the political realm and from the puppet religious leaders.
The Hebrew people remembered God’s great armies from scripture: the battles, the miracles, the fires, the brimstone, the floods, the plagues brought upon Egypt including the swarms of locusts, and the frogs. They trusted that one of these days, God would act. They believed that one day soon, God would raise up a man who would show the leaders of their day, once and for all, what real power is all about, because, after all, those who held power, must be overthrown with power. The coming Messiah would, in their minds, be a man of influence, power, and action. They remembered the promise given through the prophet Isaiah.
In the 9th chapter of Isaiah we read, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this” (vs. 6-7). And when they pictured this coming savior, the leaders of old came to mind.
They talked about Moses, who was raised in Pharaoh’s own house and used his position and influence to help free God’s people from oppression. They fondly remembered the prophet Elijah who slew the 450 prophets of Baal and took on the corrupt king Ahab and queen Jezabel. They remembered kings David and Solomon, and how they used their power as rulers to destroy the enemies that threatened God’s people. They discussed at length the writings of the prophets like Malachi and Jeremiah and all the others who wrote about God’s heavenly armies of armed chariots of fire that would one day drive the enemy out of the land. All this anticipation came to a head when a new preacher entered the scene, John the Baptist.
When John appeared in the desert, the people couldn’t help but hear the words of Isaiah, “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation (40:3-5). Think about the mental picture these words brought to the people’s minds. For those living under Roman rule, these words of hope filled them with anticipation of liberation. They quietly questioned, who would God send this time to free us from oppression?
“Who will God send to free us? Has the time come they asked, and is this promised deliverer walking among us now? Who will God send to lead us in the great battle against those names of power that controlled them? What role of power will that man come from? What God-given powers will that men bring with him?” Herod, Pilate, Annas, Caiaphas, all knew what the people were thinking, and although Herod and Pilate didn’t share the same belief that the Jewish God was going to act against them, they were determined to not allow anyone to challenge their control. The Roman empire knew how to deal with powerful threats. They had armies, and they had the laws, and anyone who tried to challenge their power was quickly silenced.
I’ve given you all this information just so I could reread this one passage: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar ― when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod Tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip Tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias Tetrarch of Abilene ― during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness” (Luke 3:1-3). I provided the historical background so you would understand why, when God sent John the Baptist to the Jordan River, both the people of power and the people being oppressed said, “You sent who?”
The people making the trip to see John at the Jordan River hoped to see power. Maybe it would be a leader of heavenly armies, or maybe it would be another Moses, using his family’s position of power to do God’s will. They expected to see the kind of power they all believed God would send to, once and for all, overcome those names that held the control. However, many were surprised, and quite possibly disappointed, at what they saw.
Instead of a man of stature, they found a hermit yelling at them from the middle of the river. Instead of heavenly armor, he wore clothing made of Camel’s hair, with a piece of leather for a belt. Instead of a helmet of gold, his uncovered, water-soaked hair hung down his face, almost covering his wild-looking eyes. Instead of waving a sword and leading armies of angel-driven war chariots, he stood alone. He looked like someone who wandered in from the wilderness, surviving on bugs and honey, whatever else he could scrounge up. And that’s exactly who he was, a religious man, a prophet, a fire and brimstone preacher, not a military leader. So, the people questioned God repeatedly, “You sent who?”
The members of the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, and other people of power, who went to the Jordan River, expected to see someone who might look powerful enough to be a threat. Someone with a family background of influence, someone with wealth and connections, a person who could really cause trouble for those in charge. They expected to see someone with a commanding appearance that would stir people into forming an army to attack those in control. Instead, they saw the same thing the people saw, and they all said to the God of the Jews, “You sent who?” To say the least, John the Baptist was yet another of God’s great surprises.
Every generation has their list of names that represent the power that tries to control them, that tries to keep them from becoming who God asks them to be. I’m sure we could list the names of our day as well. And each generation is challenged to decide how God wants them to act against those in control, and what they’re to do while they wait for God to come. This question now comes to us: how do we wait for God to act against those we see as oppressors?
Are we called to try to overcome the names of power by using the same kinds of power they use? Do we look for leaders who have the same powers? Or do we do something different? Something surprising? Let me make three suggestions: First, everyone looked at John the Baptizer and shook their heads in disbelief, until he spoke.
And today, more than two-thousand years after that day, we might recognize the names of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod Antipas, Phillip the Tetrarch, Annas, and Caiaphas, but it’s John’s name that represents the only true power that has survived.
As we’ve learned from Jesus’ coming, God doesn’t always act in the way we would expect. God doesn’t always come with heavenly armies to destroy our enemies. Instead, He comes humbly to call all people to Himself. And He has left this job of calling all to repentance, to serve those in need, and to make disciples to us. This is the business of the kingdom, not overthrowing those in positions of power. So, in this season of Advent, we wait, and we continue the work Jesus tasked us with when He returned to the Father. The second suggestion is to watch and be ready.
As we recall those events two millennia ago, we’re called in this Advent season to watch for the signs of Christ’s return, and we’re called to be ready. We wait, knowing that one day soon, Jesus will return and when He does, all things will be made right. The leaders of this world will ask in fear, “You sent who?” But all will see Jesus when He returns to judge the living and the dead, and will come to be with us forever. But until that time, we wait, we remain prepared and watch, and the final suggestion, we pray.
Finally, we need to pray for all in authority. St. Paul, in 1 Timothy chapter 2, writes, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (vs. 1-4).
In this season of anticipation, we’re called to wait, to watch and be prepared for Jesus’ return, and to pray for our governmental leaders. For the faithful, it’ll be a time of great joy when Jesus returns and reconciles all things to Himself, and He will reign forever and ever in justice, and we will be at peace.
Amen