Luke 3:2

Luke 3:2, in plain English

While Annas and Caiaphas served as high priests, God's word came to John, Zechariah's son, out in the wilderness—far from the religious establishment.

Why it's here

God didn't send His message through the official religious leaders. He spoke to a man in the desert, showing that God's plans often bypass human institutions.

Who's speaking

Luke records the moment God called John to his prophetic ministry.

Where it sits in the story

The high priests had the titles, but John had the calling. God's word came to the wilderness, not the temple—a powerful reminder that God speaks wherever and to whomever He chooses.

The scholarly reading

During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God's word (rhēma theou) comes to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. The prophetic formula echoes Jeremiah 1:1-2 and other prophetic commissions.

Language and setting

The dual naming of high priests reflects the political reality: Annas was deposed by Rome but retained influence through his son-in-law Caiaphas, the official high priest. John's wilderness location fulfills Isaiah 40:3.

Voice

Luke identifies the religious leadership and records God's call to John.

Significance

God's word bypasses the high priests in Jerusalem and finds Zechariah's son in the desert. The true prophetic voice emerges not from religious institutions but from the wilderness.

1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

3He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,

4as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.

Read all of Luke 3 — John the Baptist doesn't just call for repentance — he gets specific. Tax collectors, soldiers, and crowds all hear what it costs to change.