Unwrapping the Names of the Messiah:
Prince of Peace
Malachi 3:1-4 and Luke 3:1-6
Second Sunday of Advent
December 8, 2024
I was acutely aware when I read this scripture in Luke that I had remembered very little of these names, many of which are hard to pronounce and probably what has resulted in them being skipped with most beginning the reading at verse three, “He went into all the region.”
It is apparent to me, however, that in skipping verses one and two that we leave out a very important part of history.
History is something that I have come to appreciate as I have gotten older, and it is hard to ignore when you see how the present events are reflected in our history.
I’m sure you have heard the phrase, “We just need to let by-gones be by-gones.”
While this may be true, it is important to look at history so we better understand what has brought about other events that have occurred or are occurring.
Knowing this, I want to spend just a moment in the history of the first couple of verses of Luke so that we can better understand what is about to happen, and why it is happening.
Luke starts out with, “In the fifteenth year.” When we think about just that first part of this verse, there is notable knowledge in that something has been happening for 15 years. That’s a long time! Luke wanted us to know that what had been happening had been happening for a very long time.
The Emperor Tiberius had been ruling for 15 years. He was the second emperor to Rome being the adopted son of Caesar Augustus. He ruled during Jesus’ late adolescent and adulthood, and appointed Pontius Pilate as governor of Judea.
Both of these men were cruel and oppressive rulers, and as we all remember, Pontius Pilate was the one who presided over the trial of Jesus leading up to the crucifixion. He insulted the religious sensibilities of the Jewish people.
Then we have Herod, who was ruler of Galilee throughout Jesus’ ministry, and the one who had John the Baptist beheaded.
Herod’s brother Philip was ruler of Ituraea (Itch-u-rea) and Trachonitis (Track-o-night-is), believed to be an area of modern-day Palestine and Syria.
These two brothers were sons of Herod the Great, which would take us even further back in history of cruel and oppressive rulers.
Lysanias (Lie-sane-us) was the ruler of Abilene, modern-day Lebanon, who served during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, both in the high priesthood leading up to and during Jesus’ ministry.
Caiaphas was a Sadducee and Annas, his father-in-law, was considered the high priest of the Jews, however, high priests during this time were installed and removed by Roman rulers.
Wow! That is a lot of information in two verses when we take time to break it down and don’t run away from those difficult names!
There is a very important message in all of this history, and the repeated theme with all of these rulers is cruelty and oppression, for 15 years, and it was really for a longer period of time than is mentioned here in Luke when we delve further into history, which we won’t do today.
Let’s take just a minute to consider the cruelty and oppression that was happening in this 15 plus years. A special movie produced by Martin Scorsese is being advertised on television titled, “The Saints,” highlighting historical Christian saints like John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene and others.
I cannot even stand to hear the commercials or watch the clips. The sounds of swords being drawn, people being whipped and beaten. It’s horrific. And to think this was a reality lived by the people during the time leading up to and during the life of Jesus.
So having this awful, horrific vision, let’s pick up at the end of verse two of Luke with the story most of us are familiar with, and perhaps now with a little better understanding of a message being delivered by a man in the wilderness. A message of salvation.
At the end of verse two Luke writes, “the word of God came.” Those words make me smile. There’s comfort in this statement.
“The word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.
The wilderness, an unfavorable place of weeds and bushes. He wasn’t bringing a message from a palace or temple, but from the wilderness.
John’s parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were devout followers of God. Righteous and obedient followers of God, yet Elizabeth remained without children, until she was blessed by God with a child that would become a prophet for the coming of “The Lamb of God.”
John the Baptist did not come out of the wilderness quietly. He came ‘crying out’ to the world about salvation that was to come for people longing to be rescued from horrific situations. A world that longed for peace.
Isaiah calls Jesus, the one to come, “Prince of Peace,” so why does John the Baptist introduce him as “The Lamb of God?”
Let’s look back at Isaiah 53:7.
‘7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its
shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.’
When Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, he was sent before Annas and then to Caiaphas, the high priests, and when questioned, Jesus said nothing. Scripture says, ‘when questioned, Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.’
Jesus remained silent and humble like a lamb so that he could fulfill the word of God; the prophesy by Isaiah, and the prophesy by John the Baptist.
Jesus was and is the Prince of Peace. He was a prince from the direct line of David, although not a prince of wealth, he brought salvation to a people needing a light in the darkness.
Malachi talks about the refiner using fuller’s soap. This was a natural plant product used to clean and whiten cloth in ancient times. It was used to remove dirt and oil from wool, and then is itself beaten or stamped to remove impurities.
The refiner would know he had achieved pure silver by seeing its unmistakably pure glowing light.
There is no purer glowing light than that of our Lamb of God, our Prince of Peace, the one that came to free the people of God from cruelty and oppression, just as he still does today, and will do in the future.
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, has come, is coming, and will come again.
To God be the glory!
(Silent Reflection)