Luke 3-4

Luke 3 - 4 JOHN THE BAPTIST PREPARES THE WAY – LUKE 3:1-22 GOVERNOR/TETRARCH/HIGH PRIEST – What we know: Based on Tiberius Caesar’s reign, his 15th year would have been 28AD. Pontius Pilate was Governor over Judah from 26AD-36AD. Herod (which is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great), was given the northern part of his father’s territory and he ruled that from 4BC – 39AD. This is the same Herod that imprisons and kills John the Baptist and also the same Herod that is involved in Jesus’ trial. High Priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas is an odd statement because there is only one high priest. Annas was High Priest from 6-15AD and his son-in-law Caiaphas was High Priest from 18-36AD (during the time period Luke is focusing on). Annas was most likely mentioned because of his influence. The High Priest would be significant because they preside over the Sanhedrin, the ruling body for the Jews. BAPTISM – John is the first person we see baptizing in scripture, which is why he is called John the Baptist. It is not a formal name like “John the Catholic, John the Lutheran, or John the Methodist.” This literally means that he baptized. PREACH A MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE FOR FORGIVENESS – One thing that Luke emphasizes in both Luke and Acts is this preaching a message of repentance for forgiveness. We see John do it here, Jesus does it, and we see the early Church focuses on “preaching,” “repentance,” and “forgiveness.” An important note here: Luke often stresses God’s acceptance of sinners (which makes sense since he is writing to Gentiles that might feel unworthy). That being said, Luke is insistent that repentance (leaving sin and pursuing a life of serving God) is at the heart of Jesus’ message. Jesus accepts sinners who repent. JESUS’ BAPTISM – Jesus baptism only gets a couple verses in Luke, but we see the important parts in those few verses. Jesus is baptized, He is praying, He receives the Holy Spirit as He prepares to begin His ministry, and God recognizes Him as His Son. In Acts, we will see a very similar thing. The Disciples will meet and pray as they wait for God’s Spirit and at that time they will receive a Baptism by the Holy Spirit as they prepare to begin ministry. GENEALOGY OF JESUS – LUKE 3:23-38 NOTES Luke 3 - 4 ADAM – Luke’s genealogy goes all the way back to Adam. This is important because Luke is writing to Gentiles. He is not writing to sons of Moses, He is writing to all men (sons of Adam). Also, Luke refers to Adam as the “son of God.” This is a title often used for Jesus in Luke-Acts. It shows that both Adam and Jesus did not have an Earthly father, but instead that they were “born of God.” DAVID – Matthew and Luke have conflicting genealogies from Jesus to David. Both show that He is of the line of David and the rightful King, but different paths to get there. Because of this, and because of Luke’s inclusion of many women in his Gospel, it is tradition that Luke tells Mary’s genealogy and Matthew tells Joseph’s. THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS – LUKE 4:1-13 HOLY SPIRIT – After His baptism, Jesus is now described as “Full of the Holy Spirit.” From this point on, everything that we see Jesus do is going to be as He is filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus, when He does miracles and defends against temptation it is with the limitations of humanity (because He is incarnate), but He does them “Full of the Holy Spirit.” This is an important and it is something that Luke shows us through Christ and then through the Early Church in Acts. PURPOSE – The Spirit leads Him into the Wilderness for 40 days, but there is no direct reason in the gospels for why He went into the Wilderness other than to be tempted. Since we know that He went without food, it is often assumed that He was relying on God through the Spiritual Disciplines of Fasting, Prayer, Meditation, etc. so that He was equipped to defend against Satan’s temptations by using the sole strength of God. ISRAEL – Israel was God’s chosen, His elect. Israel continued to disobey God and turn from Him. This 40 day episode is quite parallel to Israel’s wandering in the wilderness, except Jesus endures each temptation remaining faithful and obedient. DEUTERONOMY CONNECTION – Moses final book is Deuteronomy. He writes it as he is preparing to die and the Israelites are preparing to enter into the promised land. It is a recap of their wanderings and instructions to remain faithful. Deuteronomy 6-8 specifically follows the 10 commandments and talks about obedience to God, being a chosen people, and remembering God. The three things that Jesus quotes in defense against Satan come from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:13, 6:16. To give proper perspective of what Jesus is doing in the wilderness look at Deuteronomy 8:2-6. OPPORTUNE TIME – This concludes with Satan leaving Jesus until an opportune time. We see Satan again entering Judas (Luke 22:3) as he prepares to betray Jesus. NOTES Luke 3 - 4 JESUS BEGINS HIS MINISTRY IN GALILEE – LUKE 4:14-44 FAVOR TO FURY – As Jesus begins His ministry, Luke shows a theme that leads to the cross. People accept Jesus at first with favor. They like the salvation He is offering and the power He is displaying. But somewhere along the way, their favor turns to fury. HEAL YOURSELF – For the people of Nazareth, it seems to be Jesus’ comments on “Physician heal yourself.” Because in this, Jesus tells them that there have been many powerful men that have come before and done miracles and healings, but not everyone was healed. That wasn’t the point of their presence. Jesus came not to heal (primarily), but to minister. To preach the Good News. Notice Luke 23:39, when the criminal is asking Jesus to save himself it is because he is also wanting Jesus to save him. Jesus might have been referencing this mentality. You want to see my power so that I can use my power for your earthly benefit. I will use my power, but it will be to bless the world in ways that you are not perceiving. NOTES