Luke roots the story of John the Baptist in history by
telling us who was in charge of what at that time. The
list includes the Roman emperor, the Roman governor of
Judea, the Ituraean ruler of Galilee and his brother who
ruled parts of Syria. It ends with a little-known ruler of
Abilene, a territory northwest of Damascus, and two of the
high priests in Jerusalem. At first reading the list seems a
tedious prologue to John’s ministry, full of obscure names
that are hard to pronounce. Luke has a good reason for
including it, however—one that goes straight to the heart
of his Gospel.
If we were to spread out a map of the world in ancient
days and stick red pins in the locations where the powerful
governed, we would have a canvas that stretched from
Jerusalem to Rome. It would include Judeans, Syrians,
Greeks, and Romans. It would include the most powerful
military leader on earth, as well as the most powerful
religious leaders in Judaism and all the people who lived
under their rule.
Luke points out that the story he is about to tell applies
to all the above. It is not a local story about a Hebrew
charismatic who founded a new sect of Judaism. It is a
universal story about a divine savior who came to change
the world. Luke quotes the last line of Isaiah’s prophecy as
his theme: “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Before the church ever existed, the gospel was given to
all people. To this day the church exists for those who do
not belong to it.

By Barbara Brown Taylor from The Upper Room: 60 Days of Prayer for General Conference