John the Baptist’s influence was growing. According to the Fourth Gospel, some of the Jewish leaders went out to the wilderness to quiz him, wanting to know if he was the Messiah, or the reincarnation of Elijah, or the prophet Moses had foretold long ago. John denied being any of these and pointed forward to Jesus instead, without naming him. Still, it’s not surprising that the people themselves had begun to wonder if John was the Messiah (3:15-17).

As Luke begins chapter 3 (vss. 1-3), the spotlight shifts from the boy Jesus to the adult John the Baptist, preaching a message of repentance given to him by God in the wilderness. But before narrative what John said and how people responded, Luke sets up the social and political context. It’s as if to say that the wilderness isn’t just a place on the map.

Luke’s is the only gospel to tell us something of Jesus as a boy. He has one story to tell, framing it with two verses (vss. 40 and 52) which declare in general terms how Jesus grew physically and in wisdom and favor. We’ll examine the story itself (vss. 41-48) more closely in subsequent episodes. Here, we pause to note again the exemplary piety of Joseph and Mary—in anticipation of a story that is eminently relatable for any parent who has ever lost track of a child.