2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT (“C”)
Q. 557: Why does the beginning of Luke’s gospel (Luke 3:1-6) give us a lot of details regarding folks we don’t really care about? (Return to INDEX page of "Didja Know?" series)
December 6, 2009
A. 557: There are a couple of things at work here. First of all, did you know that the world had no proof from any non-biblical record that there ever even existed a King David, until the mid-1990’s? A lot of non-Christians and non-Jews claimed that even Moses was just a fictitious person, like David, because outside of the scriptures (or Judeo-Christian commentary) there was no mention whatsoever in any document that said they really existed.
Luke wanted to make sure that the same claims could not be made about Jesus. So he tries to be as precise as he can about the time, place and date that the immediate forerunner of Jesus appeared on the scene. He does this by specifically mentioning names of people in very high authority. So we hear about the Emperor, the Governor, several Tetrarchs, and the Jewish High Priests. It was during their tenure of office that John the Baptist made his appearance to herald the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. All of these people being identified are real, not imagined or fictitious persons. John the Baptist and Jesus are real people, not made-up characters for a story.
Luke is also teaching us a second lesson. No human authority, whether it be the highest Roman civil dignitaries or the highest Jewish religious leaders, such as those named, will ever be powerful enough to stop God’s plan of salvation from being fulfilled. It will be God’s chosen prophets who will be the vehicles to carry out this plan, regardless of opposition. To drive home his point, Luke quotes the Prophet Isaiah: “…all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” The call to John the Baptist to prepare the way is also our call as disciples.
KNOW YOUR CATECHISM! With John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit begins the restoration of humankind, our transformation back into the image of the divine likeness. John’s baptism was for repentance; but baptism in water and the Spirit will be a new birth (CCC #720).
Deacon Paul Rooney
Mary Our Queen Parish, Omaha
(Go back to Deacon Paul's HOME PAGE)
