On the previous Sunday, the first Sunday in Advent, we considered a passage taken from the stream of Luke’s discourse on the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the signs of the end, warnings about the coming persecutions, the Great Tribulation, and finally the gospel passage about the coming Son of Man (all from Luke 21). The text included: “People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” (Luke 21:26-37). To our modern mind, a rather odd choice for the first Sunday of Advent. But then our modern minds think of Advent as the gateway to prepare for Christmas. And therein lies the problem. As explained previously, Advent begins in the shadow of the celebration of Christ as King of the Universe. Considering that, suddenly the reading for the first week of Advent makes sense – we are to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus, what the prophets called “the day of the Lord.”

At the same we are also to prepare for the first coming of Jesus, born in Bethlehem, the answer to a whole range of prophetic promises that there would come a day when the Lord Himself would come (cf. Ezekiel 34) and born to us would be Savior. This is where Luke begins his gospel story. He continues the biblical history of God’s dealings with humanity found in the Old Testament showing how God’s promises to Israel have been fulfilled in Jesus and how the salvation promised to Israel has arrived. To that end, after the opening Prologue (1:1–4), Luke provides two chapters called the Infancy Narrative (1:5–2:52) which includes well known passages we will indeed encounter during the Weekday Mass readings leading up to Christmas. Those passages include:

• The Announcement of John the Baptist’s Birth (1:5–25) to Zechariah
• The Announcement of Jesus’ Birth / Annunciation (1:26–38)
• Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth / Visitation (1:39–56)
• The Birth of John the Baptist (1:57–80)
• The Birth of Jesus / Nativity (2:1-20)

There are several other stories about Jesus as a child and then Luke closes the beginning with: “growing Jesus advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (2:52). We turn the page and read the solemn declaration: “… the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.” (3:2)

Locating Our Story. In Luke’s gospel, we last saw John as a maturing boy in the wilderness, awaiting his public appearance to Israel (1:80). He is still in the wilderness but now at the threshold of his public ministry. He is the “son of Zechariah,” a reminder of the awe-inspiring intervention of God leading to the birth of a son to Zechariah and Elizabeth, too old to have children. The mention of Zechariah also ushers back into view the promises to Zechariah from Gabriel and Zechariah’s own celebration of God’s eschatological visitation, both underscoring John’s role in the restoration of Israel (1:14–17, 68–79). With a single verse, “the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert,” Luke has laid the groundwork for his depiction of the adult John: he is the one foretold, the divine gift whose birth has already brought honor to his parents, the one who was be “prophet of the Most High” (1:76), a role he now fulfills.

With the adult John introduced into the narrative, we then await Jesus, the One designated “Son of God” (1:35)—an identity to be affirmed by the Lord (3:21–22), confirmed by Jesus’ heritage (3:38), acknowledged by the devil (4:3, 9), and whose identity becomes the very mission of Jesus (4:1–13).

As Joel Green (159-160) points out, in just a few verses, the narrative content woven together in the first chapter of Luke, appear in our account:

• the wilderness;
• the on-going reference to Isaiah 40 which proclaims God’s universal salvation;
• The universality of God’s desire that all be saved;
• the role of John as one who prepares the way;
• the activity of the Holy Spirit; and
• repentance and forgiveness of sins.

Image credit: John the Baptist Preaching | Pietre Lastman | 1219 | Chicago Museum of Art | PD-US