LUKE 3:1-38
NASB
1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was
governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 4as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,
‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.
5 ‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,
AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE [a]BROUGHT LOW;
THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;
6 AND ALL [a]FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’”
7So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say [a]to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 9Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” 11And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” 12And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13And he said to them,
“[a]Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” 14Some soldiers were
questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
15Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were [a]wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was [b]the Christ, 16John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I,
and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you [a]with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
18So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. 19But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, 20Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.
21Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well- pleased.”
23When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, [a]as was supposed, the son of Joseph, [b]the son of [c]Eli, 24the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of [a]Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of [a]Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
28the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29the son of [a]Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30the son of Simeon, the son of [a]Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of [a]Salmon, the son of [b]Nahshon, 33the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of [a]Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35the son of Serug, the son of [a]Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of [b]Heber, the son of Shelah, 36the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
3:5 [a]Or leveled 3:6 [a]Or mankind 3:8 [a]Or in 3:13 [a]Or Exact 3:15 [a]Or reasoning or debating [b]I.e. the Messiah 3:16 [a]The Gr here can be translated in, with or by 3:23 [a]Lit as it was being thought [b]Lit of Eli, and so throughout the genealogy [c]Also spelled Heli 3:25 [a]Also spelled Esli 3:27 [a]Gr Salathiel; names of people in the Old Testament are given in their Old Testament form through v 38 3:29 [a]Gr Jesus 3:30 [a]Gr Judas 3:32 [a]Gr Sala [b]Gr Naasson 3:33 [a]Gr Arni 3:35 [a]Gr Ragau [b]Gr Eber
NLT
1It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler[*] over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler[*] over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. 2Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4Isaiah had spoken of John when he said,
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming!
Clear the road for him!
5 The valleys will be filled,
and the mountains and hills made level.
The curves will be straightened,
and the rough places made smooth.
6 And then all people will see
the salvation sent from God.’”[*]
7When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 9Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”
10The crowds asked, “What should we do?”
11John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
12Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”
14“What should we do?” asked some soldiers.
John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”
15Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. 16John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize you with[*] water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.[*] 17He is ready to separate the chaff from the
wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” 18John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.
19John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[*] for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done. 20So Herod put John in prison, adding this sin to his many others.
21One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.[*]”
23Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.
Jesus was known as the son of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Heli.
24 Heli was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
Levi was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Jannai.
Jannai was the son of Joseph.
25 Joseph was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Amos.
Amos was the son of Nahum.
Nahum was the son of Esli.
Esli was the son of Naggai.
26 Naggai was the son of Maath.
Maath was the son of Mattathias.
Mattathias was the son of Semein.
Semein was the son of Josech.
Josech was the son of Joda.
27 Joda was the son of Joanan.
Joanan was the son of Rhesa.
Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the son of Neri.
28 Neri was the son of Melki.
Melki was the son of Addi.
Addi was the son of Cosam.
Cosam was the son of Elmadam.
Elmadam was the son of Er.
29 Er was the son of Joshua.
Joshua was the son of Eliezer.
Eliezer was the son of Jorim.
Jorim was the son of Matthat.
Matthat was the son of Levi.
30 Levi was the son of Simeon.
Simeon was the son of Judah.
Judah was the son of Joseph.
Joseph was the son of Jonam.
Jonam was the son of Eliakim.
31 Eliakim was the son of Melea.
Melea was the son of Menna.
Menna was the son of Mattatha.
Mattatha was the son of Nathan.
Nathan was the son of David.
32 David was the son of Jesse.
Jesse was the son of Obed.
Obed was the son of Boaz.
Boaz was the son of Salmon.[*]
Salmon was the son of Nahshon.
33 Nahshon was the son of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the son of Admin.
Admin was the son of Arni.[*]
Arni was the son of Hezron.
Hezron was the son of Perez.
Perez was the son of Judah.
34 Judah was the son of Jacob.
Jacob was the son of Isaac.
Isaac was the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the son of Terah.
Terah was the son of Nahor.
35 Nahor was the son of Serug.
Serug was the son of Reu.
Reu was the son of Peleg.
Peleg was the son of Eber.
Eber was the son of Shelah.
36 Shelah was the son of Cainan.
Cainan was the son of Arphaxad.
Arphaxad was the son of Shem.
Shem was the son of Noah.
Noah was the son of Lamech.
37 Lamech was the son of Methuselah.
Methuselah was the son of Enoch.
Enoch was the son of Jared.
Jared was the son of Mahalalel.
Mahalalel was the son of Kenan.
38 Kenan was the son of Enosh.[*]
Enosh was the son of Seth.
Seth was the son of Adam.
Adam was the son of God.
[3:1a] Greek Herod was tetrarch. Herod Antipas was a son of King Herod. [3:1b] Greek tetrarch; also in 3:1c. [3:4-6] Isa 40:3-5 (Greek version). [3:16a] Or in. [3:16b] Or in the Holy Spirit and in fire. [3:19] Greek Herod the tetrarch. [3:22] Some manuscripts read my Son, and today I have become your Father. [3:32] Greek Sala, a variant spelling of Salmon; also in 3:32b. See Ruth 4:20-21. [3:33] Some manuscripts read Amminadab was the son of Aram. Arni and Aram are alternate spellings of Ram. See 1 Chr 2:9-10.
[3:38] Greek Enos, a variant spelling of Enosh; also in 3:38b. See Gen 5:6.
The church has hit upon hard times. We live in a day in which success is king. Everything has to work well. We must always have a better year this year than last year. In the parlance of church-talk, our ministries have to be
“relevant,” which is just another word for “financially and numerically successful.” And success on those terms is all about savvy marketing.
Imagine you are the chairperson of a steering committee for a new ministry, and someone from the “Build-n-Grow” ministry marketing firm outlines the following plan of action based on five governing rules:
1. Don’t go to where the people are; make them come to you.
And should they come, don’t provide seating; make them stand. Don’t build a building; meet outside.
2. Dress unattractively.
Avoid the latest trends. In fact, look weird on purpose.
3. Speak offensively.
Insult your listeners and verbally assault your opponents. Use harsh, condemning words. Call your detractors names, like
“snakes” and “hypocrites.”
4. Rail against high-ranking officials who don’t have integrity.
Point out their lies and expose their double standards publicly.
Don’t hedge your words. Expose their sin and call them sinners.
5. Encourage your followers to follow a worthier leader.
In fact, admit your utter unworthiness by comparison.
You may not consider this strategy very competent, but the five-point plan comes straight out of John the Baptizer’s manual. The advance man for the Messiah prepared the way in just this manner. He broke every ministry- building rule, yet he enjoyed incredible success. The pontiffs and potentates of the day jailed the forerunner and eventually executed him, but Jesus called him the greatest man ever born of a woman (Matt. 11:11).
John took a simple, two-phase approach to his mission:
Phase One: Prepare the way (Luke 3:3-14).
Phase Two: Get out of the way (3:15-20).
— 3:1-2 —
You cannot separate John the Baptizer from his times. And the times were bleak. Like most ancient chronicles, Luke’s account establishes the
historical context of the narrative, starting with the most important ruler and working his way down the chain of command. These lists of rulers can appear boring because they include unknown names and describe
unfamiliar political circumstances. So, we might be tempted to skim over verses like this (3:1-2), but only to our own detriment. Luke included this information because it tells us something about the man John.
John began his ministry during a time of political fracturing in Israel.
While priests and procurators vied for power, the people desperately longed for a leader.
When John first appeared, Tiberius Caesar had succeeded Augustus as emperor of the Roman Empire. Also by this time, Herod the Great had died (AD 4), after which Augustus divided the king’s territory between three sons: Archelaus (Judea, Samaria, Idumea), Antipas (Galilee and Perea), and Philip (Gaulanitis, Auranitis, Batanea, Trachonitis, Paneas, and Ituraea).
(See map, “Israel after Herod the Great,” page 82.) Rome absorbed the rest of his territory, placing it under the direct rule of governors.
Just two years later, however, Archelaus was deposed for his cruelty and exiled to Vienna in Gaul. Therefore, his territory came under direct Roman rule through governors as well. (See comments on 2:39-40.) Pontius Pilate became the fifth governor of Judea in AD 26. Meanwhile, Herod Antipas continued to rule Galilee.
Luke names both Annas and Caiaphas when referring to the high
priesthood of the temple. Although Caiaphas officially held the office, many recognized his father-in-law, Annas, as the true power behind the office.
Annas was originally appointed high priest in AD 6 by Quirinius, but later was deposed by Valerius Gratus in AD 15. Nevertheless, he remained the acknowledged head of a vast empire of organized corruption in Jerusalem.
Essentially he was the mafia “Godfather” of the foremost crime family in the capital city. “He and his family were proverbial for their rapacity and greed.”[35] After his removal from office, he wielded power through his son Eleazar and then through his son-in-law Caiaphas. In fact, his family held a virtually unbroken line of succession though four more sons after Caiaphas, and then a grandson.
During this bleak time, after four hundred years of divine silence, “the word of God came to John” (3:2). While Jesus matured in Galilee, the Lord prepared John in the rugged wilderness of Judea.
— 3:3-6 —
John fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3-5 (quoted here by Luke) by calling on Israelites to repent and to submit to the traditional Jewish rite of baptism. Ordinarily, Gentile converts to Judaism were ceremonially washed
by immersion in water as they became, as it were, adopted children of the covenant.[36] John’s baptism of repentance required Jews to admit they had forsaken their covenant with God and to approach Him as if for the very first time. By submitting to John’s baptism, they were essentially admitting they were no better than Gentiles and needed a fresh start with God.
— 3:7-9 —
John prepared the way for the Messiah by confronting the nation of Israel for their failure to steward God’s Word and for despising their covenant with God. According to the Gospel of Mark, John looked, sounded, and acted utterly different from the religious leaders people had grown
accustomed to hearing. John didn’t dress to impress. Unlike the Sadducees, Pharisees, chief priests, scribes, and Herodians, who draped themselves in the finest linens, he “was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey” (Mark 1:6).
While the religious authorities ate the best meat from the sacrifices, John stood gaunt from ascetic living and leathery from the sun.
He asked a penetrating question: “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3:7). The “wrath” is none other than the wrath of God, which Old Testament prophets likened to fire (Isa. 13:9; 26:11; 29:6;
30:27; Jer. 4:4; 5:14; 17:4; Ezek. 21:31; 22:21; Zeph. 2:2; Mal. 3:2; 4:1-5).
Some older commentators suggest John drew upon a familiar image from his days of living in the wilderness. He described the people coming to his ministry of baptism as snakes fleeing their holes and rushing to the river before an approaching brush fire. Many had come to believe their Jewish heritage guaranteed them a place in God’s kingdom, and that having Abraham as their ancestor made them morally and spiritually acceptable before the Lord. But, as Israel’s leaders became more openly corrupt, the people began to fear the worst—and for good reason.
John also compared the people to trees that either bear fruit or do not.
The image of a tree without fruit is a picture of uselessness, and fruit growers don’t keep worthless trees. The image of fruit also illustrated the