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In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar\u2014when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene\u2014during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: \u201cA voice of one calling in the wilderness, \u2018Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God\u2019s salvation\u2019\u201d (Luke 1:1-6).

When coastal people are warned that a tsunami or hurricane is on the way, the wise ones prepare or evacuate. Imminent danger needs urgent action. That\u2019s the kind of work John the Baptist was doing. People believed John and came to him for baptism.

What was the emergency, and how would being plunged into the Jordan help people to avoid danger?\xa0 Luke\u2019s introduction to the story of John the Baptist gives us the context to answer these questions. Its a story of oppression and misery that was building up to explosion point. The social tension was like that in the USA during their last presidential election.

About 25 years earlier the Roman emperor had sent a governor to Judea to enforce Roman rule against constant unrest. The current emperor, Tiberius, was a ruthless tyrant who was worshipped as a god in parts of the empire. Herod\u2019s sons had Roman permission to rule in Galilee, but they were barely holding onto power. Rome had taken direct control of Judea, including Jerusalem. But every sign of Rome\u2019s power rankled the Jews.

The family providing the high priests at the time wasn\u2019t fairing much better. Many Jews considered them in bed with the Romans. Even though various resistance movements had been brutally put down revolt was in the air. Everybody knew things couldn\u2019t go on as they were. Something had to happen. But what?

Devout Jews longed for a new word from God bringing Israel out of slavery into a new freedom. The old prophets had spoken of a time of renewal, through which God himself would come back to them. Details of the renewal were sketchy, but when a fiery young prophet appeared in the Judaean wilderness, telling people that the time had come, they were ready to listen.

Baptism, plunging into the river Jordan, was a powerful sign of this renewal, reminding them how God brought their ancestors through the Red Sea, through the Sinai wilderness, then through the Jordan into the promised land. Now they were in slavery again \u2013 in their own land! \u2013 and wanted a new Exodus to bring them to freedom.

The prophets had declared that this slavery was the result of Israel\u2019s sin, worshipping idols rather than their one true God. The new Exodus, when it happened, would deal with this as well. The way to escape slavery was to \u2018return\u2019 to God with heart and soul; that is, to \u2018repent\u2019. \u2018Return to me, and I will return to you\u2019, Malachi had said (3:7). Hence John\u2019s agenda: \u2018a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.\u2019

John was doing what the prophet Isaiah had said: preparing a pathway for the Lord himself to return to his people. This was the time. Rescue was at hand. But the people were not in good shape. Baptism was part of the ritual Gentiles had to undergo if they wanted to convert to Judaism, so John\u2019s summoning of Israel to baptism speaks for itself. There was a national crisis at hand, but John called each person to search their own hears.

And so, it has been through the ages, all spiritual renewal begins with a turning away from what is hindering our obedience. If John were to come down your street with his megaphone, what would he be saying to you?