Lesson 9- Luke 3:10-30 The Plan for New Followers

What Comes next? 3:10- 15

English Standard Version (Chapter 3)

10 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”

12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ,

“What shall we do?” This is a reasonable request from a passionate follower. What is truly the next step? This is not a few hardy souls. The King James version recounts them as “multitudes” and this English Standard Version in verse 10 says “crowds.” So, we are talking a lot of warm bodies. It is also referred to when talking about a crowd pressing in close. This really the start of a great move of God as John accelerates his ministry in Jesus name! It is a radical departure from when ministry is performed only by the Levitical class/clan. It is a move that touches all age and stereotypes. We can gather from the text that the people who are making life changes are greatly comprised of the general population, tax collectors, and soldiers. Nothing is mentioned of the Rabbi’s and priests believing like we see in ministry after the resurrection of Jesus. John B’s response in answer to the question is not so much of prayer, temple worship and fasting as it is in action to help others.

John gave two possibilities to start, “If you have clothes, and if you have food...” then the next step is to share. The tax collectors and soldiers were repenting and they are told by John to Collect only what they legally have to collect and to not shake down the people by extortion, false accusation, and stealing( be content with your wages.) These are radical instructions but according to the message, lives were being changed. Yes, people can and will change when the challenge is real and satisfying.

Romans 6:1- 4 asks a very similar question to “What shall we then do?” The unwritten thoughts from Luke now appear in Romans. “If we have repented, how should we live from here on out if it is a new day?”

English Standard Version (Chapter 6)

6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

The questions, “ what shall we do, and how then shall we live?” are very similar in focus. They both suggest a new path and a turning from where they have been. And that is the new life in Christ that John the Baptist was preparing the people for and that is what Paul was telling the Gentiles and Jews. Jesus has changed the landscape! The path is new!

Which brings us to the

Verse 15 then asks another question we must answer, “Is John the Messiah - The Christ? There answer is “no.” In their hearts, something is different and they see and feel it. No longer are the masses left out of Gods plan, they are God’s plan. Even from this perspective, if John is only paving the way, then there is already a whole lot of paving going on! (And here you thought I was going to write “a whole lot of shaking going on!” But alas I didn’t write that.) The idea is the expectation in the hearts of the people in verse 15 was a groundswell and cultural/ religious earthquake that came in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord!

God’s Plan is Wrapped up in Someone Mightier than John, Luke 3:16- 20.

English Standard Version (Chapter 3)

16 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. 17 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.”

18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. 19 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, 20 added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.

John was able to get himself out of the picture as the promised Messiah in 4 very simple terms. Those terms were an inferior

1. baptism, John could only baptize with water, not the other stuff.

2. might, the coming one is mightier than John.

3. service, John is not worthy to untie the sandals of the Messiah, the Christ

4. judgement. John did not bring judgement. Only the man on the throne can do that. The fire part of the baptism of the coming One is about judgement, not Holy Spirit power. The Holy Spirit is one part of the message but the fire in this passage is strictly related to judgement.

The context shows in clear language about coming judgement. The winnowing fork (or shovel), the threshing floor, gathering of wheat into the barn through the sifting out of the chaff all gives that picture of the day of Judgement. Unquenchable fire is always a reference to the lake of fire that burns with fire and brimstone forever and ever.

Let’s be clear. John the Baptist is not the Messiah. But he did preach with unusual power and authority and he used the methods of begging and pleading for his warnings to the crowd. He probably would not have been a hit in the preaching crowd where you have to “feel good about yourself” no matter what. John made people uncomfortable and so much so that they were repenting and being baptized.

Herod Goes After John, Luke 3:19, 20.

Herod the Jewish King, goes after John because he had been reproved by him for incest and other evil things he had done. John’s [reaching and truth telling gets him locked up by Herod in prison. This not the kind of prison where you arrive with designer clothes and gym bags. It was a prison with a cold hard floor that was underground. This prison was not just about justice, it was more for revenge, like with this thing going on between Herod and John.

The Beloved Son. 3: 21, 22

English Standard Version (Chapter 3)

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 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.

John obviously baptised Jesus as we read elsewhere. But here things are happening so fast that the timeline seems to be a bit off. It is written as though everyone knew what the correct order was. Jesus was baptised and it was an awesome event. The heavens were opened as they prayed, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus along with a voice from heaven as he came up out of the water. The Holy Spirit was in a bodily form like a dove. In other words, it was flying gracefully through the air and was entirely visible to the onlookers. The Voice was God the father as He proclaimed, This is My Beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. The moment of truth had arrived in response to all of the questions about who will be the Christ, where will He be, and who shall we look for. This is it!. God does not get much plainer than this. We still proclaim today. This is Jesus Christ. He is the one you’ve been waiting for!