Tiberius Caesar. 
Pontius Pilate. 
Herod Antipas.
 Phillip the Tetrarch. 
Annas.
Caiaphas.

These are the names of the first century; names that define a time and place. They are examples of the power of names and what they represent.

Tiberius Caesar had been emperor for fifteen years. Tiberius Caesar was the second Roman emperor after his stepfather Augustus Caesar. Tiberius Caesar was known as one of Rome’s greatest generals, conquering the north as far as Germania, securing what would become the Roman northern frontier. He was not all that happy to be the emperor, but he knew how to use power very well.

Pontius Pilate was the fifteenth governor of Judea and was one of the longest-serving governors. That means he must have known how to keep Rome happy. The role of governor was officially a military position, but the forces he had were used more as a police force than an army. Pilate was the head of the judicial system and held the power to inflict capital punishment when he wanted to use it. He was responsible for collecting taxes, disbursing funds, and minting money. While he allowed the local religious court, the Sanhedrin, to continue in their role, he made sure that they kept him in the loop and did their part to keep the Jewish people under control and not let them stir up any trouble for him. Pilate’s role of governor was officially under the rule of the Legate of Syria, but since there was no Legate of Syria for most of his time in office, he was free to do whatever he wanted to do.

Pilate’s role was to keep the peace. To keep the Jewish people under control, whatever the cost. To demonstrate his control,   in the dark of night, Pilate had banners brought into the city, displaying the symbols of the Roman empire simply to show his authority over the Jews. He took money from the temple treasury to pay for a water aqueduct for the city, and when the people protested, Pilate’s police force came on horseback, carrying clubs. Many people died before the mobs were quieted.

Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Galilee, ruled over all of the land west of the Sea of Galilee. He was the son of Herod the Great, but he had not been the first choice as Tetrarch. While he was known as a skilled builder of cities, his behavior as a leader was questionable. He is perhaps remembered most for divorcing his wife so he could steal the wife of his half-brother. Not only was it questionable morally, since his wife was the daughter of  a neighboring king, his actions ended up leading to a disastrous war with several nearby countries. He was eventually accused of conspiracy against the empire and exiled to Spain.

His brother Phillip was Tetrarch of the land east of the Sea of Galilee. He was loyal to the Roman empire, and since there were very few Jews in the land, his control was rarely challenged. As a result, his reign was for the most part a peaceful one.

Annas had been the high priest of the temple until Pilate replaced him after a disagreement. Pilate appointed Caiaphas as high priest. It is worth remembering that Caiaphas was Anna’s son, one of five sons of Anna’s who would serve as high priest. And since a high priest ruled for life, although Caiaphas was officially the high priest, Annas continue to have significant influence. Caiaphas followed his father’s footsteps and had close connections with the Sanhedrin and with the Sadducees, the wealthy elite members of the land. Caiaphas served as high priest for eighteen years, which means he had a good working relationship with the Romans as well. That means he did what they wanted him to do.

Tiberius Caesar.
Pontius Pilate. 
Herod Antipas. 
Phillip the Tetrarch. 
Annas.
Caiaphas.

These are the names of power in the first century. And the people wondered, “How do we stand against names like these? How do we respond to the power and abuse that these names represent? How will God overcome them?”

Those were the questions being asked by God’s people in the first century. They believed that God would help them. But how? Who would God send?

They remembered God’s great armies from scripture: the battles, the miracles, the fires, the brimstone, the floods, the locusts, the frogs. They knew that one of these days, God will act. They believed that one of these days, God would raise up a man who will show once and for all what real power is all about, because after all, that those who held power must be overthrown with power.

They talked about Moses, who was raised in Pharaoh’s own house and used his position of power to free his people from oppression. They talked about David and Solomon, and how they used their power as kings to destroy enemies that threatened God’s people. They talked about the words of Isaiah and Jeremiah and all of the others who wrote about God’s heavenly armies of armed chariots of fire that would one day drive the enemy out of the land.

A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 
‘Prepare 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’s salvation.
Now, that is power! Isaiah 40:3-5 (NIV)

And they wondered who God would send this time. “Who will God send to free us? Who will God send to lead us in the great battle against those names of power that control us today? What role of power will that man come from? What God-given powers will that men bring with him?”

Herod, Pilate, Annas, Caiaphas, all knew what the people were thinking, and although they did not have the same belief that the Jewish god was going to act against them, they were determined to not allow anyone to challenge their control. The Roman empire knew how to deal with powerful threats. They had the armies, and they had the laws, and anyone who tried to act or speak against them with power was quickly silenced.

I have told you all of these things so I could read this one passage:

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar ― when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod Tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip Tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias Tetrarch of Abilene ― during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. Luke 3:1-3 (NRSV)

I gave that background so you would understand why, when God sent John the Baptist to the Jordan River, both the people of power and the people being oppressed said, “You sent who?”

The people making the trip to see John at the Jordan River expected to see power. Maybe it would be a leader of heavenly armies, or maybe it would be another Moses, using his family’s position of power to do God’s will. They expected to see the kind of power they all believed God would send to once and for all overcome those names that held the control.

Instead, they found a skinny man yelling at them from the middle of the river. Instead of heavenly armor, he wore a burlap bag with a piece of rope for a belt. Instead of a helmet of gold, his uncovered, water-soaked hair hung down his face, almost covering his wild-looking eyes. Instead of leading armies of angel- driven war chariots, he stood alone. He looked like someone who wandered the wilderness, surviving on bugs, berries, and whatever else he could scrounge-up. And that is exactly who he was.

And they all said, “You sent who?”

The members of the Sanhedrin, and the Pharisees, and other people of power who went to the Jordan River expected to see someone who might look powerful enough to be a threat. Someone with a family background with the wealth and connections to cause trouble. Someone with the appearance that would stir people into forming behind him to attack those in control.

Instead, they saw the same thing the people saw, and they all said to the imaginary Jewish God, “You sent who?”

It was one of God’s great surprises.

Every generation has their list of names that represent the power that tries to control them, that tries to keep them from becoming who God asks them to be. I am sure we could list the names of our day as well.

And each generation is challenged to decide how God wants them to act against those in control, and what they are to do while they wait for God to come. How do we wait for God to act against an oppressor?

Do we try to overcome the names of power by using the same kinds of power they use? Do we look for leaders who have the same powers? Or do we do something different? Something surprising?

I suggest we remember two things:

First, everyone looked at John the Baptizer and shook their heads in disbelief, until he spoke.

And today, more than two-thousand years after that day, we might remember the names of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod Antipas, Phillip the Tetrarch, Annas, and Caiaphas, but it is John’s name that represents the only true power that has survived.

So, it is Advent, and we wait.

We wait, knowing that one day soon, we are going to look at what God has done, and we are all going to say, “You sent who?”

Everyone will laugh.

And then that person will speak.

It is Advent, and we wait for God’s big surprise!