Luke 3

The preaching of John the Baptist (vs. 1-22)—All four of the gospel evangelists record something of John’s work; Luke mentions some matters the others do not. First, he gives us the date in verse one—and very exactly, listing several men and the regions they governed. No “once upon a time” here. The “fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” would be either 27 A.D. or 29 A.D. Augustus died in 14, but sometimes the emperor's successor would act as co-regent for a time, sort of “on the job training.” Most historians believe this is the case with Tiberius, and thus the date here would be 27 A.D.

John preached “a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (v. 3); in other words, the promise of forgiveness of sins through baptism was an inducement to get people to repent. Baptism has always been for the remission of sins. John’s work was the fulfillment of prophecy (vs. 4-6), which is a quotation from Isaiah 40:3-5.

Many people came out to hear John—“multitudes,” verse 7 tells us. John pulled no punches: “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Luke says John spoke these words to those “multitudes,” but Matthew is more specific, informing us that this bold declaration was especially for the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matt. 3:7). They had to repent, because being a Jew will not be enough for their salvation, and the time for God to act was at hand—“the ax is laid to the root of the trees”—Judaism was fixing to be come to an end (Luke 3:8-9). “What shall we do then?” the people asked John. “Love thy neighbor” was, in effect his answer: “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise” (v. 11). The tax collectors wanted to know their responsibility. Honesty was their obligation (vs. 12-13). Soldiers inquired the same thing. Don’t abuse your power, was John’s response (in principle). No doubt others asked of John what they should do to please God, but Luke here gives us a solid representation of the kind of straightforward preaching that he did. He told the people what they needed to hear and what they needed to do. Oh, for more such preaching today!

The people wondered if perhaps John were the Messiah (v. 15). He denied it. There was one coming after Him Who was much greater than he, “whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (v. 16—see my comments in Mt. 3:11 for an explanation of this). John preached much more (v. 18), but again, Luke records enough for our knowledge. He then skips ahead and mentions the arrest of John by Herod the tetrarch. John stepped on one too many toes….

In verses 21-22, Luke briefly records the baptism of Jesus and the descending of the Holy Spirit upon Him. Again, Matthew 3 has more information about this subject and is worth a repeated look.

The genealogy of Jesus through Joseph (vs. 23-38)—Luke’s genealogy is different from Matthew’s, largely because Luke apparently traces Jesus through Joseph (His “supposed” father), while Matthew goes through Mary. Both were from the tribe of Judah, but obviously would have different parents and ancestors. The lines meet in David, Judah, and Abraham. Luke, being a Gentile and writing to such, takes the genealogy all the way back to Adam, “the son of God” (v. 38). Jesus was “about 30” when He began His ministry (v. 23). If He was born in 6 B.C., which appears to be the best date given the reign of Herod the Great from 40 to 4 B.C., then Jesus would have been 32 or 33 in 27 A.D., which is “about 30.” According to the Law of Moses, a man had to be at least 30 before he could enter the priesthood (Numbers 4:3).