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Luke 3

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The Ministry of John the Baptist Begins 1–6

1
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judæa, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituræa and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ​
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in the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ​
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And he came into all the region round about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins; ​
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as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight. ​
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Every valley shall be filled, And every mountain and hill shall be brought low; And the crooked shall become straight, And the rough ways smooth;
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And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. ​

John Preaches Repentance and Judgment 7–14

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He said therefore to the multitudes that went out to be baptized of him, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ​
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Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. ​
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And even now the axe also lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. ​
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And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then must we do?
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And he answered and said unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath food, let him do likewise. ​
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And there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said unto him, Teacher, what must we do? ​
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And he said unto them, Extort no more than that which is appointed you.
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And soldiers also asked him, saying, And we, what must we do? And he said unto them, Extort from no man by violence, neither accuse any one wrongfully; and be content with your wages. ​

John Points to the Messiah 15–20

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And as the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether haply he were the Christ; ​
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John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but there cometh he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire: ​
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whose fan is in his hand, thoroughly to cleanse his threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire. ​
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With many other exhortations therefore preached he good tidings unto the people;
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but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done, ​
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added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.

The Baptism of Jesus 21–22

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Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that, Jesus also having been baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, ​
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and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. ​

The Genealogy of Jesus 23–38

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And Jesus himself, when he beganto teach, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, ​
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the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
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the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
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the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
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the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ​
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the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
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the son of Jesus, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
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the son of Symeon, the son of Judas, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
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the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ​
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the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
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the son of Amminadab, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
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the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
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the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
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the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
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the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
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the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Luke 3

Verse 1

fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar — Luke dates by the emperor, then by rulers of the land: Pilate (hegemoneuo, to act as ruler) and three tetrarchs (tetrarcheo, from the ruler of a fourth part). Pilate is the governor of Matt 27:2; Herod is the one who bound John (Mark 6:17).

Verse 2

the word of God came unto John — Rhema, an utterance. The formula is that of the prophets: 'the word of the LORD came unto Jonah' (Jonah 1:1). 'In the wilderness' answers Luke 1:80, where John 'was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel'. For Annas and Caiaphas, see John 18:24.

Verse 3

baptism of repentance for the remission of sins — Metanoia is a change of mind issuing in reformation; aphesis, 'remission', is release or pardon, the word of Luke 1:77, 'by the remission of their sins'. Paul later calls it 'the baptism of repentance' (Acts 19:4).

Verse 4

The voice of one crying in the wilderness — This is Isa 40:3, which John applies to himself: 'I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness' (John 1:23). Phone is the voice, boao a shout. 'Paths' is tribos, a worn track. Luke continues the quotation through vv.5–6 (Isa 40:4–5).

Verse 6

all flesh shall see the salvation of God — This closes the quotation from Isa 40:5, 'all flesh shall see it together'. Soterion is salvation, the neuter noun from the word for deliverance, the word of Simeon, 'mine eyes have seen thy salvation' (Luke 2:30), who called the child 'a light to lighten the Gentiles' (Luke 2:32).

Verse 7

O generation of vipers — Gennema is offspring, echidna a poisonous snake. Matt 3:7 records the same words to 'many of the Pharisees and Sadducees'; Christ uses them himself (Matt 12:34; 23:33). 'The wrath to come' (orge) is the judgment of vv.9, 17.

Verse 8

fruits worthy of repentance — Axios, of equal weight with. The fruit is that of the Spirit (Gal 5:22): love, joy, peace. Descent is no shelter: 'We have Abraham to our father' is answered by God raising 'children unto Abraham' (egeiro, to rouse up) from stones.

Verse 9

the axe is laid unto the root — Axine, an axe, laid at the rhiza, root; 'now' (ede) is 'already'. 'Hewn down' is ekkopto, cut out, the word of the owner's verdict on the fruitless fig tree, 'cut it down' (Luke 13:7); the vinedresser then pleads for one more year (Luke 13:8–9).

Verse 11

two coats — Chiton is the tunic worn next the skin; 'impart' is metadidomi, to give over a share. The command echoes Isa 58:7, 'when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him', and the apostle John's 'whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need' (1 John 3:17).

Verse 12

publicans — Telones, a collector of public revenue, here with the crowd at the baptism. 'Master' is didaskalos, teacher. Luke records that the publicans, 'being baptized with the baptism of John', 'justified God' (Luke 7:29), while the Pharisees murmured of Christ, 'This man receiveth sinners' (Luke 15:2).

Verse 14

Do violence to no man — Diaseio, to shake thoroughly, hence to intimidate for gain. 'Accuse any falsely' is sykophanteo, to act as informer (source of 'sycophant'). 'Wages' is opsonion, a soldier's rations and pay. The soldiers (strateuomai, those on campaign) are told to keep their calling honestly.

Verse 15

mused in their hearts — Dialogizomai, to reason through; the people were in prosdokao, expectation, of 'the Christ' (Christos, the Anointed). John's denial is on record: 'I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him' (John 3:28; cf. John 1:19–20).

Verse 16

with the Holy Ghost and with fire — 'Mightier' is ischyros; the 'latchet' (himas) is the sandal strap. The baptism with the Spirit is promised again by Christ: 'ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence' (Acts 1:5), and recalled by Peter (Acts 11:16).

Verse 17

Whose fan is in his hand — Ptyon, a winnowing fork that tosses threshed grain so the wind drives off the chaff (Ps 1:4). Halon is the threshing floor, apotheke the granary, asbestos 'unquenchable'. The same sentence stands in Matt 3:12; Christ's own harvest picture is in Matt 13:30.

Verse 19

being reproved by him — Elencho, to convict or expose a fault. The reproof is reported in Mark 6:18: 'It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.' Herod the tetrarch is the Herod of v.1; Herodias was the wife of his brother Philip (Matt 14:3–4).

Verse 21

and praying, the heaven was opened — Proseuchomai, to pray to God; Luke names Jesus at prayer here and at other times (Luke 5:16). Anoigo, 'was opened', is the word for opening up; the sight is given to John, who bore record of the Spirit descending (John 1:32).

Verse 22

a bodily shape like a dove — Somatikos (bodily) eidos (appearance): the Spirit is seen, as John testified, 'like a dove' (John 1:32). The voice, 'Thou art my Son', takes up Ps 2:7; eudokeo, 'well pleased', is the verb of the Father's voice at the transfiguration (Matt 17:5).

Verse 23

about thirty years of age — Archomai, 'began': thirty was the age at which service in the tabernacle began (Num 4:3). 'As was supposed' is nomizo, to reckon by custom, as the Nazareth hearers asked, 'Is not this Joseph's son?' (Luke 4:22). Matt 1:16 names Jacob as Joseph's father; the two lists are traced differently.

Verse 27

Zorobabel… Salathiel — The list passes through the two names that also stand in Matt 1:12, 'Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel'. Here Salathiel is called the son of Neri. Zorobabel (Hebrew Zerubbabel) led the return from Babylon in the line of David.

Verse 31

Nathan, which was the son of David — Nathan was born to David at Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:14; 1 Chr 3:5), as was Solomon, through whom Matthew traces the line: 'David the king begat Solomon' (Matt 1:6). Luke's route to Jesus runs through David's son Nathan; 'the house of Nathan' is named in Zech 12:12.

Verse 38

which was the son of God — The list ends with Adam, whom 'the LORD God formed… of the dust of the ground' (Gen 2:7), a son by creation, and stands directly after the Father's word 'Thou art my beloved Son' (v.22). Paul sets 'the first man Adam' beside 'the last Adam' (1 Cor 15:45).