NOTES for Luk 3:1-20

The beginning of John's preaching of repentance is tied to a historical date, giving us the opportunity to relate the events of the Gospel to occurrences that attracted far more attention from contemporaries and later from historians. Endless wars are being fought, empires rise and fall, and rulers ascend thrones, while in the midst of impressive bloodshed a wandering preacher calls sinners to repentance. Yet not much time will pass before the wars and reigns dissolve into the darkness of the ages, while darkness will be unable to overcome the memory of John's preaching, which seemed so inconspicuous.

The chronological points of reference are mentioned for more than just the contrasting perception of events. People, who tend to plunge into one extreme or another, are accustomed to choosing one thing only, either the temporal or the eternal. But the biblical view brings the apparent extremes into harmony, recognizing the importance of both the eternal and the temporal. Yes, the temporal is valuable too, but it acquires special value where it meets the eternal.

John denies that he is the Messiah; he is carrying out a ministry that must fit within the bounds of his own time. But he prepares the coming of the One who will reveal the face of eternity in the midst of the temporal world.