Luke 3:15-38 - Mighty and Magnified

Today there are an estimated 8 billion people in the world. During Jesus’ time there was an estimated 200-250 million. Both are pretty big numbers. Obviously there are many more today. But as we look at the scores of people over the centuries we can’t help but overwhelmed. There have been countless people who have accomplished amazing things. There have been men who have risen to power like Alexander the Great who conquered much of the known world in only a short time. There have been men like Albert Einstein who impressed the world with his intellectual abilities. There have been men like Benjamin Franklin who impressed the world with his inventing and electrical abilities.

With a world history full of giant figures such as these, how can a simple carpenter from the rural town of Nazareth stand out? As we have already discussed, his birth was so simple that He was laid in a glorified feeding trough. Yes, we went through some of the amazing prophesies of His future as a baby with Simeon and Anna and His incredible interchange with the rabbis in the temple at twelve years of age. But from the age of twelve until we see Him back on the pages of Luke around age 30 there hasn’t been anything of note that the Gospel writers recorded.

All of that is about to change though. Our Scripture today puts a spotlight on the Messiah. John the Baptist along with the Gospel writer Luke are about to magnify the might and glory of Jesus Christ. We are going to see that although He is fully human - one of the many billions that have walked the earth - He is much more than just that - He is mightier than all and He is above all.

Join me as we read today’s Scripture:

Read Full Scripture:

Luke 3:15–23 ESV

As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison. Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,

Prayer

Today we will see two overarching attributes of Jesus Christ that we should recognize. The first is…

I. We Should Recognize That Christ is Mighty (15-20)

In verse 16, John the Baptist refers to Jesus as mightier than himself. The Greek word for mightier given here is ischyros (ees-he-rose) which means strong, powerful, and champion. During this first point we are going to see that Christ outshines all the rest. The first that Christ is outshines is…

Christ is Mightier Than John and All Other Men (15-16)

Luke 3:15–16 ESV

The people noticed something different about John. Obviously, we know he was a prophet. But by the power of his words and his miraculous birth to two aged Levites, there was some thought beginning to develop that he might very well be the Messiah.

John addressed this by quickly diverting all attention from himself to Jesus. He humbly acknowledges that he isn’t even worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals. This was quite a humble statement for him to make. Only the lowest of slaves had the duty of removing their master’s shoes to clean them. If you recall, back in John’s day, they walked along dusty roads and would have had extremely dirty feet after traveling.

He then proceeds to show the huge chasm between Jesus and himself by differentiating their baptisms. He compares the baptism that he is doing with the baptism that Christ will bring. Baptism here is used more metaphorically to comparing the difference in power and authority between John and Jesus’s work.

John’s preaching and work was to prepare the way for Christ. He was to call the people to repentance and prepare a people ready for the Lord.

Jesus was coming with power and authority. The work that Jesus was bringing came with the power of the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Obviously we know that the Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles and fell at Pentecost (See Acts 2). The Holy Spirit fills all true believers in Christ. The Holy Spirit bestows spiritual gifts and illuminates the Scriptures for believers. All of us who follow Christ are only able to follow because of the work that the Holy Spirit does within us. It is through His power that we can do the works that He has prepared beforehand for us to do (Ephesians 2:10)

But what about the fire that John mentions? Commentators are divided on the direct application of this here. Some say that John refers to a refining fire. See 1 Peter 1:7

1 Peter 1:7 ESV

so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Fire is sometimes used in refining terms in the Bible when discussing believers. The metaphor here speaks of gold that is tested by fire. The fire is used to burn off the impurities and makes one more pure and more like Christ. God often uses trials in our lives to refine us.

However, the fire mentioned in Luke 3:16 is most likely referring to the fire of judgment on unbelievers. The reason that this is the most likely correct interpretation comes in the context of this Scripture as seen in the next two verses where we see that…

Christ is Mightier Than the Chaff (17-18)

Luke 3:17–18 ESV

His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.

Obviously we see fire here clearly referring to the fires of Hell for the unbelievers.

A while back we discussed what the process of winnowing was, but let’s readdress it here to help see the illustration that John is providing about the judgment of Jesus.

Here we see pictured an example of winnowing. The grain would have wheat grains surrounded by a husk material called chaff. The winnowing fork would be used to toss the wheat and chaff up into the air. While in the air, the chaff would blow away while the edible and good wheat would fall to the ground.

Winnowing was done because chaff is indigestible to humans. It may make you feel full when eating it, but it provides no nutritional value. A diet full of chaff in the first century would lead to a life that didn’t last very long.

This is why the Bible refers to chaff as unbelievers. The pure wheat would be gathered and placed into the barn - meaning that we who are in Christ are placed under His eternal protection and grace. We are destined for heaven and will spend eternity with Him.

Yet the chaff, or unbelievers, have a much different fate. We see that the chaff is gathered and is burned with an unquenchable fire. The word unquenchable here refers to the eternal nature of Hell. It can also be translated inextinguishable. The Greek word for unquenchable is actually asbestos which is where get the English word asbestos which is spelled exactly the same way. The material asbestos was termed such because it is highly fire resistant and seems to never fully be burnt up. In the same way, there is no end to the burning of the chaff or unbelievers. Interestingly, we now know that asbestos is also a cancer causing agent and can also lead to lung disease and scarring.

How terrifying is this illustration.

Unbelievers are compared to chaff - no nutritional value and gathered to be burned.

The burning of unbelievers is unquenchable or inextinguishable.

Unquenchable in Greek is asbestos which now refers to a material known to cause cancer and lung disease.

Brothers and sisters, I pray that everyone here is wheat. I pray that you are prepared to be gathered into the barn of heaven and not thrown into the unquenchable fire. There is only one way to avoid such a fate. And that is by repenting and placing your faith in Jesus Christ alone. He is mighty to save my friends.

We have seen that Christ is mightier than John and all other men. And now we have seen that Christ is mightier than the chaff.

Jesus Christ, being the mightiest of all, came to separate the wheat and the chaff.

Jesus uses a similar analogy in Matthew 13:24-30 in his parable of the weeds and the wheat. Many of us who know the KJV may remember it as the parable of the wheat and the tares!

Jesus tells us of a parable where a man plants wheat but his enemy sows weeds afterward. The servants desire to fix this injustice immediately but the master says the following:

Matthew 13:29–30 ESV

But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

That is where we are right now my friends. The weeds are growing and winding all through the wheat plants. We see weeds everywhere we look. But one day, Christ will separate the wheat from the chaff or the wheat from the weeds and we who are in Christ will be gathered into His barn in protection while those who oppose Him will be cast into Hell.

Next we see that Christ is…

Christ is Mightier Than Herod and All Earthly Rulers (19-20)

Luke 3:19–20 ESV

But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.

We see here that the truth of John’s preaching led to a problem for him. There is an important lesson there for us to learn as believers. We may, like John, suffer for preaching the truth and believing the truth. But despite bad outcomes that might arise, we still need to stand for the truth.

You see, John got himself in trouble because he was called to speak out against evil. And one of those evil things that he spoke out against was what Herod did to his brother Philip by taking Philip’s wife as his own. Herod, in retaliation to John’s outspoken condemnation, locked John up in prison.

After a seemingly short time ministering and preaching, John’s ministry would be over. Just like Jesus, John would be murdered very early after starting his ministry.

Luke does not give us the entire account here, but he does reference John’s fate in chapter 9.

Luke 9:7–9 ESV

Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he sought to see him.

We are given more information from Matthew and Mark about the death of John the Baptist. Herodias’s daughter, Salome, who was the daughter of Herodias and her ex-husband Philip, danced for Herod at his birthday gathering. Herod promised Salome whatever she wished and her mother prompted her to ask for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. John was then beheaded and his righteous life was cut short.

Moving forward into Herod’s life, it seems that Herod has the upper hand on Christ as well as Jesus nears the crucifixion.

Luke 23:6-12 tells us that Jesus was sent to Herod by Pontius Pilate. Herod treated Christ with contempt, mocked Him, arrayed Him in obnoxious clothes, and sent Him back to Pilate.

Jesus is ultimately crucified under the rule of Pilate in the jurisdiction of Herod.

But we see afterward that Christ is still mightier than Herod.

Herod Antipas, who we just mentioned was in charge when Christ was crucified, did suffer an ill-fate when his nephew, Herod Agrippa I took control in AD 37. Herod Antipas ended up deposed and banished. Herod Agrippa I was then given the territory of Herod Antipas.

And ultimately we see that Christ is mightier than all earthly rulers as He sovereignly rules. This is made crystal clear when the instrument of judgment He used against Antipas becomes the object of His wrath in Acts 12:21-23

Acts 12:21–23 ESV

On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

Agrippa sees the power and authority and blessing that he has recieved as his due to his own greatness and misses the fact that everything is from God. He is struck down dead immediately.

My friends, Christ is mightier than all.

After seeing how great and mighty that Christ is, Luke goes on to urge us to…

Scripture References: Acts 2, Ephesians 2:10, 1 Peter 1:7, Matthew 13:24-30, Luke 9:7-9, Luke 23:6-12, Acts 12:21-23

II. We Should Recognize That Christ is to be Magnified (21-38)

If you recall, I relayed an illustration that my friend, Pastor Josh Bailey, gave me. Christ is not so small as to need magnified by a microscope. Instead, he is so vast and large that we need a telescope to zoom into parts of His greatness. Like the universe that seemingly has no end, so is Christ’s glory that can never be fully magnified.

As we seek to magnify Christ, we first see that…

Christ is Preeminent - Fully God and Above All (21-22)

Luke 3:21–22 ESV

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

We have recently discussed the two natures of Christ. That He is both fully God and fully man. Here we see the truth of Christ being fully God on display for all to see.

Jesus’ baptism makes it clear that Jesus is most certainly fully God. The heavens are opened - the Holy Spirit descends, and the Father speaks. The entire Trinity is present at once for this glorious occasion.

Before diving in, I’m sure many might ask why Jesus needed baptized. There are many theories on this. Some ranging from Jesus confirming the ministry of John to others that state that it showed that Christ identified with the people He would save. What we do know is that Christ needed no cleansing from sin. He was sinless. And what we also know is that Christ did this to fulfill prophesy. See Matthew 3:14-15

Matthew 3:14–15 ESV

John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

John understands that Christ is sinless. Who is John to baptize Jesus? But Jesus asserts that He is to be baptized in order to fulfill all righteousness.

Luke 3:21–22 ESV

Looking back at our Scripture we also see the entire Godhead present at one time. God is one God but three distinct persons. This account clearly illustrates that God is One God, 3 Persons, and not limited by space and time. God is in complete unity here. The Trinity is a difficult doctrine to wrap our heads around. However, as we have stated before, if God was a God that we could completely understand - He wouldn’t be glorious enough for us to worship.

In Christ’s baptism the Holy Spirit descends on Him in bodily form, like a dove. This is often characterized in pictures as an actual dove falling upon Jesus. The word ‘like’ here makes this a simile which is a comparison. Luke is comparing the descending of the Holy Spirit to the gracefulness of a dove. We aren’t actually told what the physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit was as He descended upon Christ.

But what we do know is that this event was a type of inauguration. Christ would be beginning His earthly ministry. The Father and the Holy Spirit testify that Christ is the second Person of the Holy Trinity. There is no doubt here regarding Who Christ is - that He is the Messiah - the Son of God.

Although we must never forget that Christ is fully God, we also must see that…

Christ Has a Genealogy - Fully Man and Able to Give His Life for Us (23-38)

Luke 3:23 ESV

Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,

Time would fail us to go into detail of the genealogy listed in the following verses. But we will hit a few important teachings and understandings of this genealogy that is included by Luke.

If one compares the genealogy of Luke to the one given at in Matthew 1, it becomes obvious that there are some differences. The most obvious one is that Luke goes all the way back to Adam while Matthew goes back to Abraham. This is likely because Matthew is focused on a Jewish audience and wants them realize that the Jews are children of Abraham and that Christ comes through this line as their Messiah. Luke, on the other hand, goes all the way back to Adam to show that salvation was not only offered to the Jews but to all! As we see in Genesis 3:15

Genesis 3:15 ESV

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

As we have mentioned before - here is the protoevangelium - or first Gospel. After the Fall, God promised a Messiah that would come make things right again. A new and better Adam would come to save the world.

The next thing we notice is that there are differences in the lineages after David. Many liberal Bible scholars have pointed to these differences to attack the inerrancy of Scripture. There have been a few responses to combat this attack, but the most obvious and likely answer is that Luke provides Mary’s genealogy and Matthew provides Joseph’s. See Luke 3:23

Luke 3:23 ESV

Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,

Jesus was the supposed son of Joseph. Joseph is listed here because of Jewish custom listing the male headship. However, Heli, is most likely the father of Mary and not Joseph. This would explain the fact that both Mary and Joseph are of the line of David but that they have different lineages thereafter.

This makes sense contextually as well. Matthew, in his account of the birth of Jesus, seems to tell the account more from Joseph’s perspective as he tells of the dream of Joseph to take Mary as his wife. See Matthew 1:18-25. While Luke appears to give more of an account of Mary’s perspective as he writes of her being visited by the angel Gabriel, going to visit her relative Elizabeth, and providing us the words of her Magnificat or Song of Praise. Luke also gives us even more insight into the heart of Mary as he states that Mary treasured things in her heart about Jesus at times (Luke 1-2).

All of this is provided to remind each of us that the Word of God is true and accurate. The most important thing for us to understand from this genealogy of Christ is that He is not only fully God as we discussed above, but He is also fully man. He is a man with a genealogy. His roots can be traced all the way back to David, Abraham, and Adam. This is necessary because He had to be fully man in order to die for our sins. God cannot die but man does. This understanding of Christ being both fully man and fully God is pivotal for a proper understanding of Christ’s work on the cross for our salvation.

We mentioned that Luke also took the genealogy back to Adam. By going back to Adam we are reminded of Adam’s failures. Genesis 3 highlights his failure of leadership and resisting temptation. But Luke wants us to know that we can take heart my friends. The new and better Adam has arrived. And as we will see next week - this Adam does not fail the temptation test!

Scripture References: Matthew 3:14-15, Matthew 1, Genesis 3, Luke 1-2, Genesis 3

Conclusion:

I pray that after today’s message, you see that Christ is mightier than all. There is no one who can stand against His power and glory. And I pray that you have seen that He is to be magnified - being both fully God and fully man. We have seen Christ’s earthly ministry inaugurated. Great things are coming as we continue through Luke’s Gospel. We will see many amazing miracles and powers from Christ. This is just the beginning! But before the fireworks of Christ’s ministry start, there remains a trial next week. Christ will be tempted in the wilderness. Join us next week as we continue our journey through the Gospel of Luke.