What does Luke 3:2 mean?

Luke makes several references to major political figures, to establish a timeline for his account (Luke 1:5; 2:1–2). In the prior verse, that included the various heads of government who ruled at the time (Luke 3:1). Here, he points to the top religious leaders of Israel.

Originally, Israel's high priests served until death, passing the role to a son. Rome did not prefer to leave anyone in power for too long, however, so they occasionally forced new men into the position (John 11:49). Despite official status, former high priests, such as Annas, were still called by that title. During the public ministry of Christ, Annas' son-in-law Caiaphas was the official, Roman-recognized high priest (Matthew 26:3).

After this list of impressive, famous, well-connected people, Luke makes a pointed remark. God's message did not come to these worldly figureheads; it came to the son of a simple priest who lived alone in the desert (Luke 1:13, 80). This reinforces the idea that the world's definition of importance is irrelevant to God (1 Corinthians 1:18, 26–27).