Baptism's Crossings
Tony Nester
Luke 3:15-17;21-22, Isaiah 43:1-7
If you had been there that day when Jesus was baptized, you would have sensed the turmoil that John was stirring up at the Jordan River. ''The people,'' reports Luke's Gospel, ''were filled with expectation'' and ''questioning in their hearts'' if John was their promised Messiah (Luke 3:15).
Was freedom on the horizon? Was God about to move? Had the Messiah arrived? Expectations rose higher with every baptism. John said the Messiah would baptize with fire, and people were ready for the fuse to be lit.
Luke clues us in on why these baptisms were so controversial in the opening verses of Chapter 3. Each clue he gives steps up the tension.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius.
Fifteen years of Tiberius! The Roman Empire is now a dictatorship of Caesars instead of the republic based on democratic ideals. It's running now on pure power, ever since Julius Caesar, then Augustus, and now Tiberius seized power by the force of their feared legions armed with helmets, shields and short daggers.
How long is this Godless empire going to oppress God's people? The resentment is simmering everywhere.
... when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea.
Israel is a conquered people. Pilate rules Judea, and his soldiers enforce Roman ways and laws upon the Jews. There is a resistance movement. There are zealots who plot terrorist attacks, and bandits like Barabbas who steal back some of what Rome takes from the people through heavy taxation.
... and Herod was ruler of Galilee.
Herod Antipas served Rome as a compromised Jew. He was the son of a Jewish King, but his father had married an Arab woman-and only the children of Jewish mothers are considered authentic Jews. Herod was also compromised by his decision to curry favor with Rome. He built a city and named it Tiberius in honor of the Emperor. The Jewish people never accepted him as one of their own. This is the same Herod who or ...
Tony Nester
Luke 3:15-17;21-22, Isaiah 43:1-7
If you had been there that day when Jesus was baptized, you would have sensed the turmoil that John was stirring up at the Jordan River. ''The people,'' reports Luke's Gospel, ''were filled with expectation'' and ''questioning in their hearts'' if John was their promised Messiah (Luke 3:15).
Was freedom on the horizon? Was God about to move? Had the Messiah arrived? Expectations rose higher with every baptism. John said the Messiah would baptize with fire, and people were ready for the fuse to be lit.
Luke clues us in on why these baptisms were so controversial in the opening verses of Chapter 3. Each clue he gives steps up the tension.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius.
Fifteen years of Tiberius! The Roman Empire is now a dictatorship of Caesars instead of the republic based on democratic ideals. It's running now on pure power, ever since Julius Caesar, then Augustus, and now Tiberius seized power by the force of their feared legions armed with helmets, shields and short daggers.
How long is this Godless empire going to oppress God's people? The resentment is simmering everywhere.
... when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea.
Israel is a conquered people. Pilate rules Judea, and his soldiers enforce Roman ways and laws upon the Jews. There is a resistance movement. There are zealots who plot terrorist attacks, and bandits like Barabbas who steal back some of what Rome takes from the people through heavy taxation.
... and Herod was ruler of Galilee.
Herod Antipas served Rome as a compromised Jew. He was the son of a Jewish King, but his father had married an Arab woman-and only the children of Jewish mothers are considered authentic Jews. Herod was also compromised by his decision to curry favor with Rome. He built a city and named it Tiberius in honor of the Emperor. The Jewish people never accepted him as one of their own. This is the same Herod who or ...
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