In the Gospel of Luke, John the Baptizer begins to express publically...about the "One who became ...one of us"......
In chapter 3, the Roman Empire controlled the entire region...including Judea and Galilee in the nation of Israel.
The Roman Empire allowed the Jewish people and their way of life to continue, yet Roman Authority did not subject themselves to or even recognize Jewish Law. The very law of the land was...Roman Law.
The Roman Empire...had by this time in history gone from a small force out of Italy...to an Empire that controlled the entire Mediterranean Basin. The influence of the Roman way of life was not just in military presence in places like Judea, Galilee, and Jerusalem, it's greater impact was how the Romans influenced the economics of the region. Roman heads of the region began to display their own statutes, names, etc throughout the countryside. Archaeologists for example located a stone that they believe was the residence of Pontius Pilate, the governor of the region that sentenced Christ Jesus to die on a Roman cross. The inscription on the stone read: Caesarea Maritima.
The economy during the 1st century were....Roman coins. Taxes were heavy among the citizens of Israel, and they were taxed for almost everything...from sales of goods to crossing bridges. The Romans used mostly Jewish people to collect taxes, and the incentive was to collect a certain amount for Rome, anything above that belonged to the tax collector...thus hatred for tax collectors was noted in those days.
To be a Roman citizen had special privileges. In Rome, a citizen of the Empire received free grain each month, and it is recorded the taxes paid from Africa alone provided Rome with grain for 8 months of the year.
Herod, appointed as "king" of Judea, transformed Jerusalem into a trade center for the known world. He totally remodeled the Temple Solomon had originally built...for commercial and trade use.
There are numerous articles written on the impact of the Roman culture upon the Israelites, and many factions within the Jewish nation were wanting freedom from the Romans, willing to rebel in military fashion and would sacrifice all for deliverance from all the tyranny. As a result, by the time John the Baptizer and Christ Jesus arrived on the scene, the people of Israel were both hungry and desperate...for the Coming of the Messiah....as the Old Testament law had foretold.
And here lies the problem...the Messiah had indeed come....yet, He didn't fit the pattern...of the kind of Messiah they were looking for...one that would free them from the stronghold of the Romans...and give them Independence from any foreign influence.
After all, Rome had brought with her a time of peace, for by the time of Christ Jesus, Roman Peace...the "Pax Romana" had been long been operative for over 40 years...throughout the Empire.
And now John the Baptizer announces...He is here!....
Gleaning from Luke 3:7-14
" Crowds of people began to come to John the Baptizer...and they were gathered one day at the Jordan River...to be water baptized by John...and this is John's greeting to them, his opening statements with a type of righteous anger: "You who are gathered here...are nothing more than a group of poisonous snakes! You come here to be baptized because you think it is "the popular thing to do. Yet, your hearts have no intention of repenting and changing your way of thinking...or your lifestyles! You are here for one reason and one reason only...you don't want to receive any punishment...eternal punishment...just in case this God of Israel is for real!
Listen to me! To be truly water-baptized, you must do so with your hearts willing to change, your way of living willing to be changed, and your daily actions reflect the God-motives that begin to operate in your own hearts and evident in your new lifestyle.
And please...don't give me that "song and dance" about you being safe from God's judgment...because you are Hebrew...a direct descendant of Abraham. Because you are a descendant of Abraham doesn't guarantee you anything...especially when your lifestyles dishonor and disrespect the very God of our father Abraham. Don't you realize if it was just "a sheer numbers game" the God of Abraham was after, He could easily turn these very stones that are right here before you...into descendants of Abraham?
Make no mistake, God is moving...and He is moving right through this nation...the nation of Israel. Yet, He brings with Him...an ax! And now, He is about to swing His ax and sever the roots of every tree (meaning you!) that do not produce fruit...that is to say a life that honors and respects this God...the God of our father...Abraham! And remember this day!...the day you have come to be water baptized...on your terms! For because your own hearts are unrepentant, you will not escape the fire of His judgment! The results of the "trees He severs"...are the same results of those who refuse to repent...everything gets thrown into the same place...the Fire of God's judgment!"
As a result of John's response, the crowds that had gathered then asked John: " Ok John...we are hearing you...What do we need to do? How do we begin to change? How can we be water baptized with genuine and sincere hearts?"
{NOTE: The next 3 verses are awesome to me...because John's answer to the crowd's questions...did not really speak of worshipping God. John spoke of...how we treat one another. It kind of reminds me of "The Beautitudes." }
John replies to the question from the crowds: " If you have 2 shirts (commonly called tunics...one that actually covers the skin and another tunic that goes over the first tunic), give one to the poor...in other words, share what you have...to help another. Do the same with your food, share your food with others...especially with those who are hungry."
Then, the Jewish tax collectors approached John and asked him: "Ok, what should we do?" John the Baptizer then replies: " Don't collect from the innocent more than what is required of them. In other words, don't pocket money by charging people more...than what the Roman government requires."{ Interesting to me, John did not condemn them for collecting taxes or the Roman tax process in general, rather, John pointed out taking advantage of others.}
Then, some Roman soldiers asked John the same question (were they Roman soldiers?...probably not. More than likely local Jewish troops working for Herod), and asked John the same question: "Ok, we hear you...so what should we do?"
John the Baptizer replies: " Don't be forcing people to pay you to...protect them. Don't put fear in their hearts by telling them how bad the world is...when in reality you are taking advantage of their fears..to make money for yourselves. Don't take all this extra money from lies and false accusations...in fact, you need to be content with your pay...and let God bless you!"
In chapter 3, the Roman Empire controlled the entire region...including Judea and Galilee in the nation of Israel.
The Roman Empire allowed the Jewish people and their way of life to continue, yet Roman Authority did not subject themselves to or even recognize Jewish Law. The very law of the land was...Roman Law.
The Roman Empire...had by this time in history gone from a small force out of Italy...to an Empire that controlled the entire Mediterranean Basin. The influence of the Roman way of life was not just in military presence in places like Judea, Galilee, and Jerusalem, it's greater impact was how the Romans influenced the economics of the region. Roman heads of the region began to display their own statutes, names, etc throughout the countryside. Archaeologists for example located a stone that they believe was the residence of Pontius Pilate, the governor of the region that sentenced Christ Jesus to die on a Roman cross. The inscription on the stone read: Caesarea Maritima.
The economy during the 1st century were....Roman coins. Taxes were heavy among the citizens of Israel, and they were taxed for almost everything...from sales of goods to crossing bridges. The Romans used mostly Jewish people to collect taxes, and the incentive was to collect a certain amount for Rome, anything above that belonged to the tax collector...thus hatred for tax collectors was noted in those days.
Herod, appointed as "king" of Judea, transformed Jerusalem into a trade center for the known world. He totally remodeled the Temple Solomon had originally built...for commercial and trade use.
There are numerous articles written on the impact of the Roman culture upon the Israelites, and many factions within the Jewish nation were wanting freedom from the Romans, willing to rebel in military fashion and would sacrifice all for deliverance from all the tyranny. As a result, by the time John the Baptizer and Christ Jesus arrived on the scene, the people of Israel were both hungry and desperate...for the Coming of the Messiah....as the Old Testament law had foretold.
And here lies the problem...the Messiah had indeed come....yet, He didn't fit the pattern...of the kind of Messiah they were looking for...one that would free them from the stronghold of the Romans...and give them Independence from any foreign influence.
After all, Rome had brought with her a time of peace, for by the time of Christ Jesus, Roman Peace...the "Pax Romana" had been long been operative for over 40 years...throughout the Empire.
And now John the Baptizer announces...He is here!....
Gleaning from Luke 3:7-14
" Crowds of people began to come to John the Baptizer...and they were gathered one day at the Jordan River...to be water baptized by John...and this is John's greeting to them, his opening statements with a type of righteous anger: "You who are gathered here...are nothing more than a group of poisonous snakes! You come here to be baptized because you think it is "the popular thing to do. Yet, your hearts have no intention of repenting and changing your way of thinking...or your lifestyles! You are here for one reason and one reason only...you don't want to receive any punishment...eternal punishment...just in case this God of Israel is for real!
Listen to me! To be truly water-baptized, you must do so with your hearts willing to change, your way of living willing to be changed, and your daily actions reflect the God-motives that begin to operate in your own hearts and evident in your new lifestyle.
And please...don't give me that "song and dance" about you being safe from God's judgment...because you are Hebrew...a direct descendant of Abraham. Because you are a descendant of Abraham doesn't guarantee you anything...especially when your lifestyles dishonor and disrespect the very God of our father Abraham. Don't you realize if it was just "a sheer numbers game" the God of Abraham was after, He could easily turn these very stones that are right here before you...into descendants of Abraham?
Make no mistake, God is moving...and He is moving right through this nation...the nation of Israel. Yet, He brings with Him...an ax! And now, He is about to swing His ax and sever the roots of every tree (meaning you!) that do not produce fruit...that is to say a life that honors and respects this God...the God of our father...Abraham! And remember this day!...the day you have come to be water baptized...on your terms! For because your own hearts are unrepentant, you will not escape the fire of His judgment! The results of the "trees He severs"...are the same results of those who refuse to repent...everything gets thrown into the same place...the Fire of God's judgment!"
As a result of John's response, the crowds that had gathered then asked John: " Ok John...we are hearing you...What do we need to do? How do we begin to change? How can we be water baptized with genuine and sincere hearts?"
{NOTE: The next 3 verses are awesome to me...because John's answer to the crowd's questions...did not really speak of worshipping God. John spoke of...how we treat one another. It kind of reminds me of "The Beautitudes." }
John replies to the question from the crowds: " If you have 2 shirts (commonly called tunics...one that actually covers the skin and another tunic that goes over the first tunic), give one to the poor...in other words, share what you have...to help another. Do the same with your food, share your food with others...especially with those who are hungry."
Then, the Jewish tax collectors approached John and asked him: "Ok, what should we do?" John the Baptizer then replies: " Don't collect from the innocent more than what is required of them. In other words, don't pocket money by charging people more...than what the Roman government requires."{ Interesting to me, John did not condemn them for collecting taxes or the Roman tax process in general, rather, John pointed out taking advantage of others.}
Then, some Roman soldiers asked John the same question (were they Roman soldiers?...probably not. More than likely local Jewish troops working for Herod), and asked John the same question: "Ok, we hear you...so what should we do?"
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