Can I have some Peace of that

In the second week of Advent we may engage with Luke 3:1-6; it is the alternative passage from the Gospel. In Europe, the tensions with Ukraine and Russia are ratcheting up; in the USA, the debate on the Presidential ‘pick’s for his cabinet team is increasing in fervour. When, at such a time at this, all of us are seeking peace. “Can I have some peace of that?”

“And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings”

from the poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by William Butler Yeats, 1890

The opening lines of Luke Chapter 3 can so easily be ignored as ‘window dressing’, as we seek the glitzy part of the Christmas story – where’s the baby? From the Greek, it reads:

“In (the) year now fifteenth of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (while) governing Pontus Pilate of Judea,
and being Tetrarch of Galilee (was) Herod,
and Philip the brother of him being Tetrarch of Iturea and of Trachonitus of the country,
and Lysanias of Abilene being Tetrarch,
at the time of the High Priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
came the word of God to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.“

There is so much detail here, where the story that follows can be connected to other documents. When people say that the Bible is fable, we can relate this to the actual context of the world then – this is exciting to me.

I have tried to graphically illustrate the times that these characters were in a position of power. Caesar Augustus’s reign ended around 13/14AD with illness and then death, leading onto Caesar Tiberius taking over. Caesar had orchestrated that Judea and the surrounding areas were governed by puppet leaders, or Tetrarchs: leaders of 1/4 of the whole area. Hence Pilate is mentioned, Herod Antipas and Philip. Oddly, Lysanias is also mentioned by Luke. This is odd as: (1) his reign was 40-36 BCE, far too early to be relevant, and (2) Josephus, the historian of the time, didn’t mention Lysanias in the period of Tiberius. Which brings us to the High Priests.

Annas was High Priest until 15 AD, whereupon, his son, Caiaphas took on the role. However, like many dynasty’s of today, the father figure may still have significant influence – was Luke highlighting this?

Anyway, so in the 15th year of Tiberius’s reign would put us in the region of 27-29 AD. There is a span of years with the actual date of becoming Emperor: death of Augustus and the formal ceremony accepting being the Emperor, and the way that Roman’s classified dates. Luke is trying to give us a picture of the political machinations at play at that time. The Jews were ruled by a foreign power but, themselves were impacted by competing sects: the Qumran community, the Essenes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and Zealots – not forgetting frequent false messiah figures which stirred thought of insurrection.

Who were the political positions of the time?

Pharisees: We can work as Jews to preserve and establish our own religious traditions in the midst of the unwelcome Roman influence;
Sadducees: We can partner with the Romans to maintain our religious and social status;
Herodians: We can partner with the Romans to maintain our political dynasty;
Essenes: We should completely withdraw from the polluting Roman influence and go live in the desert to pursue religious and moral purity; and
Zealots: We should kill the Romans and take back Judea for the Jews.

And then comes along John…

John the Baptist (JtB) arrives, in that period 27-29 AD, proclaiming a call for peace, not of vengeance, fighting but ‘can you see God on your journey?’ Agreed, as a policy statement, it is a bit thin of actual policies – but there is that bit about repentance. To turn away from our current path.

Our current path is one where we seek to be entangled with the negativity of the world, where our social media feeds are heavy, dripping with accusations and condemnations of the other person. Our news media is populated with sensational headlines, looking to engage us with what people may have done wrong – often with no evidence.

John declares ‘Prepare the Way of the Lord’. “The Way” became the name of the early movement of Jesus followers. “The Way” is how we may choose to live our lives. Perhaps it isn’t a long straight path that we seek, but even the meandering track of life that we currently lead: yes, meandering, but going with God, listening to God. As we pray, we listen to what God is saying to us, directing us. So, the meandering path becomes straighter over time. Possibly as we start to not look for the negativity which may be offer, but see beyond the hype and schmaltz of the commercial season, and see what really is important in our lives. And peace may be that.

That voice crying in the wilderness may be the one who is so desperately seeking peace, whether they are in a war environment, or struggling for food and warmth.

Where do we find peace today? Where are we looking?