Luke 3:2 (ESV)
during the high priesthood of
Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the
wilderness.
John, known as John the Baptist
or John the Baptizer, came on the scene in Luke 3. Two things are significant
about these first two verses of John 3. First, it takes place in a specific period
of time that can be verified. The first verse refers to the reign of Tiberius
Caesar, and the rule of Pontius Pilate, Herod, Philip, and Lysanias. We don’t
know a lot about Lysanias, but the others are all well-known and historically
verified. This is not a Tale, this is history.
Second, John’s ministry began
when “the word of God came to John.” Up until this time John had been in the
wilderness. He was an unknown. Was he living alone? Was he a part of the Essene
community, a Jewish sect who lived in the wilderness and who later hid what we
know as the Dead Sea Scrolls? We don’t know, and it is not relevant to the
story. What we do know, is that his ministry was launched when he received word
from God.
The interesting thing is that we
have both the natural and supernatural intersecting in these first two verses.
In the natural world, John ministered in a specific place and time under specific
rulers. In the supernatural world, John ministered when he received word from
God. The same is true of us today.
The church is both a natural and
a supernatural entity. It is an organization. The local church has structure,
leadership, a building, or buildings, etc. The local church is subject to local
and national laws. But it is also supernatural. It is an organism, the Body of
Christ. When the church gathers, we are in the presence of God. The sermon is
not just a preacher’s words, but we come expecting God to speak through the
pastor. When the church takes communion, it is taken in the presence of the
Most High. And when the church scatters, it takes the presence of God into the
corners of their community. Where believers are, there is God. The church is
both natural and supernatural. Let us never lose that awareness.
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