There is nothing recorded after Jesus’ 12th birthday for about 18 years. Then we see God putting his salvation plan into place by calling John into service.
Do you sometimes feel that your life is on standstill; that God has forgotten you? Consider the silent years of John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ, which in fact were not static but preparation for the times ahead. Both of them were now age thirty.
The timing is well documented in Matthew 2.
It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests.
And finally, God sent a message to John who had been living in the wilderness. John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him! The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. Then all people will see the salvation sent from God.’
(Luke 3:1-6, NLT)
Do not be dismayed if your life seems to be at a standstill. You are in very good company.
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