Luke 3
Luke begins this chapter by laying out the historical context - one that is largely lost on us, but which is precise and presumably valuable to his early readers. We do know exactly when Tiberius was emperor, which lets us but these happenings around 29 BC.
And then “the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.” I naturally associate John with preaching in the desert, but until now I hadn’t thought about how he got there. My first inclination is to say that he heard God’s call, figured out where his life was going, and set out for the wilderness. But here, it appears that John was out in the desert, doing his camel hair and locust thing, and then the word of God came to him.
I think there’s something critical here, because it occurs many times over: Elijah goes on a forty-day hike/fast to Mt. Horeb, where he ultimately witnesses God pass by the mountain. Moses spends forty days on top of Horeb, receiving the law. And in the next chapter of Luke, Jesus spends forty days in the desert fasting before he begins his public ministry. While God clearly works in each of these events in a way we don’t see today, the principle seems clear. Hearing God’s voice at times requires separation, silence, and solitude. Can God speak in other ways, through other people or through our daily activities? Absolutely. But when the task looms large ahead, we must not fail to seek the face of God alone.
