Luke 3:1-22

Observations:

v. 1-2, Luke provides some historical context again to introduce John the Baptist and his reception of God’s word.

What we know:

It was the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign

Tiberius was the son-in-law of Augustus, the primary Caesar behind the Gospel narratives

Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea (foreshadowing?)

Herod was tetrarch of Galilee

A tetrarch was a title of a class of Roman provincial officials. Tetrarchs were tributary princes who were not deemed important enough to be designated kings

After Herod the Great’s death, Palestine was divided into tetrarchies among his sons (Matt 14:1–9; Luke 3:1, 19; 9:7; Acts 13:1)

A different Herod than the one we are introduced to in 1:5

Herod’s brother, Philip, was tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis

Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene

This was also the time where Annas and Caiaphas were high priests

Annas, who came to office in a.d. 6, was deposed in a.d. 15 by Valerius Gratus. He was eventually succeeded by his son-in-law Caiaphas, who served from a.d. 18–37. Annas continued to wield enormous influence, however, and was viewed popularly as continuing as high priest.

In this sense there were indeed two high priests: one who held the official office and one who wielded power behind the scenes.

Luke thus demonstrates an astute historical sense by identifying not only the actual office holder, but also the political intrigues behind the office.

John, when he received God’s word, was hanging out in the wilderness

Commentary note:

Pontius Pilate … Herod … Philip … Lysanias (3:1). After the death of Herod the Great in 4 b.c., his kingdom was divided among his three sons. Archelaus received Judea, Samaria, and Idumea (cf. Matt. 2:21–23), Herod Antipas took over Galilee and Perea, and Philip inherited Iturea and Trachonitis, regions north and west of Galilee. When Archelaus was removed from office in a.d. 6 by Augustus because of misrule (see comments on 19:14), Judea and Samaria were transferred to the control of Roman governors, known as prefects and procurators. Pontius Pilate is one such prefect, governing Judea from a.d. 26–36. In presiding over Jesus’ trial, Pilate will play a key role in Luke’s Gospel. For more on Pilate and his harsh rule, see comments on 13:1 and the sidebar “Pilate” at Mark 15:1. Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee and Perea from his father’s death until he was deposed by the emperor Caligula in a.d. 39. This is the Herod who imprisoned and eventually executed John the Baptist after John spoke out against his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife. It is also Antipas who wonders about Jesus’ identity (9:7–9) and whom Jesus calls “that fox” (13:31–32). Only Luke records that Jesus stood before Herod during his trial (23:7–12; cf. Acts 4:27). The title “tetrarch” originally meant ruler of a fourth part of a region, but it came to be used of any minor ruler. Philip, the half brother of Herod Antipas, ruled as tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis from 4 b.c. until his death in a.d. 34. Generally recognized as the best of the Herodian rulers, he died without an heir, and his territory became part of the Roman province of Syria. He is mentioned in the New Testament only here. The Philip identified in Matthew 14:3 and Mark 6:17 as the husband of Herodias and half brother of Antipas is a different son of Herod the Great. He lived in Rome and did not rule after his father’s death. The region of Abilene, over which Lysanias ruled as tetrarch, is located northwest of Galilee in Syria. The identity of Lysanias is something of a problem since Josephus mentions an individual by this name who was executed by Mark Antony in 36 b.c. While some conclude that Luke is in error, Josephus elsewhere refers to another Lysanias of Abila, who ruled at a later time; there is also inscriptional evidence for such an identification.

v. 3, John steps out on the scene, in all the district around the Jordan (river?), preaching of a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Was baptism a common practice for Israelites, as we don’t see it occur in this sense in the OT?

How was this baptism distinct from Christ’s implementation of baptism?

v. 4-6, John’s coming, upon the reception of God’s word, is God fulfilling what He had spoken through Isaiah (verse?)

v. 7-9, John preaches and warns those coming to be baptized by him, calling them broods of vipers (harsh?)

What is a proper breakdown of v. 8?

In their rhetorical response to his call to bear fruits from their repentance, why “we have Abraham for our father”?

Were they putting their identity in a tradition rather than a covenant?

John warns of a judgment already in play, as the axe is at the root of fruitless (bad fruit) trees.

v. 10, people are clearly responsive, asking what must they then do.

v. 11, it seems that John’s response was repetitive: love your fellow man.

Why this response?

v. 12-14, Luke describes two kinds of people that are in the midst of this group, tax collectors and soldiers (likely Jewish soldiers)

For the tax collectors, John doesn’t say, “taxation is theft,” but rather collect no more than what you have been ordered to

For the soldiers, they must not take money from anyone by force or put out false accusations (abuse of power), and they must be content with their wages. What do you think about, shipmates?

v. 15, John’s presence, his preaching and actions, certainly riled up a growing expectation from everyone there: is this the Messiah, the Anointed One? (clarify what a Messiah/Christ was for the Israelites)

v. 16-17, John’s response in summary, I am not.

He clarifies, I baptize you with water, but One is coming who is mightier than I. I am not worthy to even untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire

grace and condemnation? Clarify Holy Spirit and fire

He expounds further, describing the Messiah as a man at the threshing floor with His winnowing fork, separating the wheat from chaff, to take with Him His wheat and to burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire

Here is the God of love and wrath, not separate, but One and the same

This is not the Father John speaks of, but Jesus, the “good teacher,” the “guy who had nice and loving things to say.” John preaches of a Holy Messiah coming to fulfill what God has promised to His people

v. 18, With many other exhortations, he preached the Gospel to the people

This is interesting, as Christ has not yet been revealed, Christ has not yet lived out His three year ministry, He has not yet died for our sins or resurrected for our eternal life. What did this Gospel look like? (clarify)

v. 19-20, Luke points out that the preachings and teachings of John were no small matter; they in fact reached the ears of Herod the tetrarch, as he had been rebuked for his unlawful marriage with Herodias, wife of Philip his brother. (clarify this, why was this a big deal, what context do we know behind this?) We also see that Herod had done plenty of other evil things as well, and Luke notes that the cherry on top of this evil list was locking John up in prison.

Based off the other Gospels that mention Christ’s baptism, John’s imprisonment happened after the baptism of Jesus

v. 21-22, finally Jesus shows up! Again, such a small focus is given to this important moment!

Luke, who wasn’t there during the time this was all playing out, leaned heavily on those who were. It is likely that his focus was on others because of the historical testimonies he was receiving by those eyewitnesses

What we see is Jesus is baptized, He prays, and then heaven opens up with God the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus in BODILY FORM similar to a dove. There is then heard God the Father’s voice, who says, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Exegetical Idea/Big Idea:

While much focus is placed upon John, John’s highlight is only highlighting the coming of Jesus.

It is like a gigantic hype up that then climaxes at the presence of Jesus.

John’s overall warning is that of repentance and preparation, I believe, for the coming of Christ

Jesus shows up, fulfills “all righteousness” (Mt 3:15), God descends upon Him and affirms the identity of Jesus, God the Son

Big Idea: Jesus is coming and we must be ready for His return

Homiletical Idea

The Israelites have had thousands of years of exhortations to be ready for the coming of the Messiah.

Christians have had thousands of years of exhortations to be ready for the coming of the Christ.

What are you doing to be ready for His return?

Liturgical Idea

What should we praise God for? (Rejoice)

Praise God for His promise-keeping love.

Praise Him for those whom He sends to bring us to Him

What should we confess to God? (Repent)

We have indeed relied more on tradition and culture than we have on God and His promises

We have taken more than we required

We have abused our power

We have been discontent in what we are owed

We have, like Herod, tried silencing the call to repentance, rather than heed its sting and embrace its discipline

I am indeed a sinner who are no where near ready for the coming of Christ; Lord have mercy upon me and lead me on the straight and narrow

What should we ask God for? (Request)

Help us to be ready for His coming

To not rely on anything but on Him and what He has given us in the seasons of our lives

What should we lift up to God? (Sacrifice)

Praise God for giving us Jesus

What should we live out for God? (Service)

Repentance?

A lifestyle of holy preparation?

Intro:

Recap:

Luke 2:41-52, ?

Prayer

Read Luke 3:1-22,

Head- What does it mean?

(10-15 min.)

v. 1-22, John the Baptist Preaches/Jesus is Baptized

v. 1-6,

v. 1-2, Luke provides some historical context again to introduce John the Baptist and his reception of God’s word.

What we know:

It was the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign

Tiberius was the son-in-law of Augustus, the primary Caesar behind the Gospel narratives

Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea

Herod was tetrarch of Galilee

A tetrarch was a title of a class of Roman provincial officials. Tetrarchs were tributary princes who were not deemed important enough to be designated kings

After Herod the Great’s death, Palestine was divided into tetrarchies among his sons (Matt 14:1–9; Luke 3:1, 19; 9:7; Acts 13:1)

A different Herod than the one we are introduced to in 1:5

Herod’s brother, Philip, was tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis

Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene

This was also the time where Annas and Caiaphas were high priests

Annas, who came to office in a.d. 6, was deposed in a.d. 15 by Valerius Gratus. He was eventually succeeded by his son-in-law Caiaphas, who served from a.d. 18–37. Annas continued to wield enormous influence, however, and was viewed popularly as continuing as high priest.

In this sense there were indeed two high priests: one who held the official office and one who wielded power behind the scenes.

Luke thus demonstrates an astute historical sense by identifying not only the actual office holder, but also the political intrigues behind the office.

John, when he received God’s word, was hanging out in the wilderness

v. 3, John steps out on the scene, in all the district around the Jordan (river?), preaching of a baptism (ritual cleansing) of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

What Is the Origin of Baptism?

First, it must be understood that baptism is an outward proclamation of an inward conversion. In other words, baptism is a ceremonial act undertaken after a person accepts Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior. This is usually done in the presence of the church body as a public proclamation of one’s faith.

Concerning the origin of baptism, Christian theologians suggest that although Christian baptism may have been widely used by John the Baptist, baptism itself did not originate with Christians or, for that matter, with John. Jews practiced baptism as a traditional act of purification and the initiation of converts to Judaism long before the coming of the Messiah. The origins of baptism might be found in the book of Leviticus where the Levite priests were commanded to perform a symbolic cleansing in water before and after performing their priestly duties. Leviticus 16:4 tells us, “He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.” Scripture also states in Leviticus 16:23–24, “Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people.”

Although the act described in these Old Testament passages was not specifically called “baptism,” it does highlight how important and holy ceremonial (and practical) cleansing is to God. John’s “baptism of repentance” (Luke 3:3; Acts 19:4) followed this paradigm of cleansing, although the final cleansing from sin is only available through Christ, and John’s baptism was the foreshadowing of that. The significance of baptism as a New Testament ceremony is that, as believers in Jesus Christ, we are baptized into His death (Romans 6:3) and raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4 KJV). The Lord taught the significance of baptism to the extent that He Himself was baptized by John the Baptist at the start of His ministry (Mark 1:9).

The Jordan’s importance as a boundary of the promised land is found again in both Numbers and Joshua. Joshua’s crossing of the Jordan was a demonstration that:

1. the exodus was over

2. the conquest had begun

3. God remained with Joshua even as He had remained with Moses.

John’s ministry is associated with the wilderness and the Jordan River, settings the mention of which echo exodus and conquest themes rooted in the deliverance and the formation of Israel as a covenant people. Such echoes would have reverberated all the more audibly against the sounding board of prophetic figures roughly contemporary with John.

v. 4-6, John’s coming, upon the reception of God’s word, is God fulfilling what He had spoken through Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3-5)

Summarize:

Luke provides more historical context to guide his audience along in the narrative. We know what (Who) pulls John out into his ministry: God. Through these historical moments, God is working, navigating to through the frailty of time to fulfil His promises.

v. 7-14,

v. 7-9, John preaches and warns those coming to be baptized by him, calling them broods of vipers (harsh?) (Mt 3:7)

What is a proper breakdown of v. 8?

In their rhetorical response to his call to bear fruits from their repentance, why “we have Abraham for our father”?

Were they putting their identity in a tradition rather than a covenant?

John warns of a judgment already in play, as the axe is at the root of fruitless (bad fruit) trees.

v. 10, people are clearly responsive, asking what must they then do.

v. 11, it seems that John’s response was repetitive: love your fellow man.

Why this response?

v. 12-14, Luke describes two kinds of people that are in the midst of this group, tax collectors and soldiers (likely Jewish soldiers)

For the tax collectors, John doesn’t say, “taxation is theft,” but rather collect no more than what you have been ordered to

For the soldiers, they must not take money from anyone by force or put out false accusations (abuse of power), and they must be content with their wages. What do you think about, shipmates?

Summarize:

v. 15-22,

v. 15, John’s presence, his preaching and actions, certainly riled up a growing expectation from everyone there: is this the Messiah, the Anointed One? (clarify what a Messiah/Christ was for the Israelites)

v. 16-17, John’s response in summary, I am not.

He clarifies, I baptize you with water, but One is coming who is mightier than I. I am not worthy to even untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire

grace and condemnation? Clarify Holy Spirit and fire

He expounds further, describing the Messiah as a man at the threshing floor with His winnowing fork, separating the wheat from chaff, to take with Him His wheat and to burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire

Here is the God of love and wrath, not separate, but One and the same

This is not the Father John speaks of, but Jesus, the “good teacher,” the “guy who had nice and loving things to say.” John preaches of a Holy Messiah coming to fulfill what God has promised to His people

v. 18, With many other exhortations, he preached the Gospel to the people

This is interesting, as Christ has not yet been revealed, Christ has not yet lived out His three year ministry, He has not yet died for our sins or resurrected for our eternal life. What did this Gospel look like? (clarify)

v. 19-20, Luke points out that the preachings and teachings of John were no small matter; they in fact reached the ears of Herod the tetrarch, as he had been rebuked for his unlawful marriage with Herodias, wife of Philip his brother. (clarify this, why was this a big deal, what context do we know behind this?) We also see that Herod had done plenty of other evil things as well, and Luke notes that the cherry on top of this evil list was locking John up in prison.

Based off the other Gospels that mention Christ’s baptism, John’s imprisonment happened after the baptism of Jesus

v. 21-22, finally Jesus shows up! Again, such a small focus is given to this important moment!

Luke, who wasn’t there during the time this was all playing out, leaned heavily on those who were. It is likely that his focus was on others because of the historical testimonies he was receiving by those eyewitnesses

What we see is Jesus is baptized, He prays, and then heaven opens up with God the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus in BODILY FORM similar to a dove. There is then heard God the Father’s voice, who says, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Summarize:

Heart- Do I buy it?

(20-30 min)

What should we praise God for? (Rejoice)

Praise God for His promise-keeping love.

Praise Him for those whom He sends to bring us to Him

What should we confess to God? (Repent)

We have indeed relied more on tradition and culture than we have on God and His promises

We have taken more than we required

We have abused our power

We have been discontent in what we are owed

We have, like Herod, tried silencing the call to repentance, rather than heed its sting and embrace its discipline

I am indeed a sinner who are no where near ready for the coming of Christ; Lord have mercy upon me and lead me on the straight and narrow

What should we ask God for? (Request)

Help us to be ready for His coming

To not rely on anything but on Him and what He has given us in the seasons of our lives

What should we lift up to God? (Sacrifice)

Praise God for giving us Jesus

What should we live out for God? (Service)

Repentance?

A lifestyle of holy preparation?

Hands- So What? How then should I live?

(10-15 min)

Walk with God: What does repentance look like personally in your walk with God?

Keep Christ first: What does repentance look like personally when we keep Christ first?

Keep sin out of your life: What does repentance look like personally when you are keeping sin out of your life?

Personally, it is submitting to the highest good at the cost of my own pride, ego, or selfish desire.