The One God Uses

Scripture Reading: Luke 3:1-2

Luke is often referred to as a historian. You can see why when you read verses like this. He gives us a lengthy list of political and religious leaders:

Tiberius Caesar

Pontius Pilate

Herod

Philip

Lysanias

Annas

Caiaphas

While it is true that Luke is giving us the historical setting and timeframe for the ministry of John the Baptist, I think he might also be making a spiritual point. After giving us this lengthy rundown of who sat in the political and religious seats of power, Luke says, “The word of God came to John the Son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”

The Scriptures often talk like that about God’s word. It personifies it. It comes to people. And to whom did the word come? Not to any of these aforementioned people. It came to John the son of Zechariah. Not to a notable or powerful person of the world, but a heretofore unknown young man, the son of a priest.

And where was John when the word came to him? Not in the palaces of kings or governors. Not in the rooms where the deals are struck, and the levers of power are pulled. In the wilderness. Where John was alone, his only companions being wild beasts and bees.

It has always been God’s modus operandi to choose the weak things of the world to confound the strong, and the foolish things to confound the wise. God doesn’t choose many mighty and noble. The word went to John, not them, and God uses John, not the Caesars, governors, or priests to change the trajectory of human history by pointing the world to Jesus and saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”