Luke 3:1-20

Applebury's Comments

The Ministry of John the Baptist
Scripture

Luke 3:1-20 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitius, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the region round about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins; 4 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.

5

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;

6

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

7 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? 8 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. 9 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. 10 And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then must we do? 11 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. 12 And there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said unto him, Teacher, what must we do? 13 And he said unto them, Extort no more than that which is appointed you. 14 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.

15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether haply he were the Christ; 16 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: 17 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.

18 With many other exhortations therefore preached he good tidings unto the people; 19 but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother's wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done, 20 added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.

Comments

the reign of Tiberias Caesar.If the outstanding thing that happened in the reign of Caesar Augustus was the birth of Christ, we may safely say that the outstanding thing that happened in the reign of Tiberias was the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea during that eventful period of history. His claim to fame depends upon the fact that he presided over the trial of Jesus. Although he tried to wash his hands of responsibility in the case, he finally acceded to the demands of those who clamored for His death and gave orders for Him to be crucified.

Herod, also known as Antipas, was tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. The kingdom of Herod the Great was divided after his death and Antipas became ruler of a fourth part of it. That's why he was sometimes called Herod the tetrarch (Matthew 14:1). Not only is he known for his infamous deed of having John the Baptist beheaded, but also for the fact that he had some small part in the trial of Jesus.

Lysanias, though not related to the Herods, was tetrarch of the territory that lay to the north of the Sea of Galilee and east of Mount Hermon.

the highpriesthood of Annas and Caiphas.Actually there was only one office of high priest. But through Roman manipulation the high priesthood of Annas had been given to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, and both men were looked upon by Jews as high priest. This is not the first time that the Mosaic law of succession had been set aside. According to that law, at the death of the high priest the oldest son was to be consecrated to the office. Evidently some did not accept the idea of having another appointed high priest during the lifetime of one whom they had recognized as their high priest. It may be that it was for that reason that the Jews led Jesus first to Annas when they brought Him to trial before their court (John 18:13). But before they took the case to the Roman governor, they met with Caiphas and then decided on the course of action in presenting their case to Pilate.

the word of God came to John.John is acknowledged in every way as a prophet of God. God's word came to the prophet while he was in the wilderness. The same formula is used to describe the Old Testament prophets, for it is said that the word of the Lord came to them, that is, their message was not their own, it was from the Lord.

Luke had to use a very cumbersome method to affix a date to the birth of Christ and to the ministry of John. He began with the Caesar, then told of the local rulers and finally gave the names of those who were filling the office of high priest of the Jews. Now a simple number that recalls the year of Our Lord significantly takes the place of the system Luke used.

baptism of repentance unto remission of sins.Repentance is the decision that leads to a change of conduct. Through the preaching of John, the people were convinced that they needed to change their way of life and came to John to be baptized for the remission of their sins.

Isaiah the prophetThe prophecy of Isaiah introduces the ministry of John the Baptist, and another word from the same prophet introduces the ministry of Jesus (Isaiah 40:3-6; Isaiah 61:1-2). While Matthew gives especial attention to the fulfillment of prophecy by Jesus, Mark and Luke do not neglect the matter. Paul also shows how the gospel is rooted in the Old Testament Scriptures, that is, the gospel of God which he promised afore through his prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his Son (Romans 1:2-3).

The voice.When the Jews sent a deputation from Jerusalem to John to ask, Who are you? he replied, I am not the Christ. They asked, Are you Elijah? He said, I am not. They tried again, Are you the prophet? He said, No. With no success with the suggestions they had made, they said, Who are you, that we may give answer to those who sent us? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said. See John 1:19-23.

Their questions were based on Deuteronomy 18:15; Psalms 89:3-4; and Malachi 4:5. John answered them by quoting Isaiah, because it was his message and not his person that was of importance. In this he differs from Jesus, for who He was and what He taught were of great importance. A little later, John explained this to his disciples by saying, He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).

Make ready the way of the Lord.John's task was to get the people to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord. In the figure of Isaiah, this was like making a straight path for the Lord. Let the valleys be filled and the mountains be leveled and the curves straightened and the rough places smoothed. They would have to repent of their ways and be baptized for the remission of their sins.

All flesh shall see the salvation of God.All peoples, not just the Jews, were to see the salvation God sent to them in the person of His Son. When Theophilus read this, he must have been deeply grateful that the grace of God had extended to the Gentiles too. Luke stressed the point again as he closed the letter by saying that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem (Luke 24:47).

the multitudes that went out to be baptized.The size of the crowds might have flattered some preachers, but not John. He greeted them with words intended to shock them into action. Repent! Make ready the way of the Lord! Generation of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? You are a tree that has not been producing fruit; and like that tree, you are about to be cut down. Change your minds about your sinful ways and start producing righteous fruit.

We have Abraham to our father.Since they were the descendants of Abraham, it was easy for them to assume that they were children of God. When they argued the same way with Jesus, He plainly told them that they were not Abraham's children because their attitude toward the Son of God proved that they were children of the devil. See John 8:31-44.

God is able of these stones.Why didn-'t God turn the stones into Abraham's children? Why didn-'t He create people who were incapable of anything except faith and obedience? Evidently God wants those to be His children who will be like Abraham in faith and obedience because of their love for God. This, of course, calls for sinners to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins and as an indication of their love for the Lord to conduct themselves as intelligent people who want to glorify the heavenly Father by living a life of faith and purity.

the axe also lieth at the root of the trees.God was ready to destroy the fruitless trees. Sinners who were not producing the fruit of righteousness to the glory of God were facing certain doom unless they changed their minds about the issue of sin. Jesus also likens the nation of Israel to a tree that failed to produce fruit (Luke 13:6-9). He also called on the people to repent. Jesus pronounced judgment on a tree that had no fruit on it although it did have leaves (Mark 11:12-25). The miracle seems to be a portent of what was about to happen to a nation that was getting ready to crucify the Son of God.

When then must we do?John was an effective prophet. Little good is accomplished by telling people what to do before they are in a frame of mind to be advised. John's stern warning brought the people to the point where they wanted to do something to avoid the destruction that awaited them. The same thing happened on the day of Pentecost. Peter produced the evidence that let the people know that they were guilty of having crucified the Son of God. Because they were pricked to the heart by his message, they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? Acts 2:37.

John was ready with the answer to the multitudes. He said, He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and do likewise with food, This was not to encourage laziness, but rather to encourage concern for those who are really in need. The progress of the gospel is hindered today, not because God has not provided food for all the people of the world, but because we lack the ability and perhaps the willingness to properly distribute it. Christianity prompted the early Christians to share with any who had need (Acts 2:45) and even to feed a hungry enemy (Romans 12:20).

publicans to be baptized.The tax collectors were usually classed as sinners because of the common practice of taking advantage of their office by collecting more than authorized. But they were not all like that. The apostle Matthew reminds us that he was a publican (Matthew 10:3). Zacchaeus, a chief publican, is known for his desire to see Jesus (Luke 19:1-10). There is no indication that Matthew ever abused his office, but Zacchaeus seems quite willing to admit that he may have been guilty of doing so. John gave the general order to the publicans: Extort no more than that which is appointed you.

And soldiers also asked him.There is no way of knowing whether these soldiers were in the service of some local government or of the Roman emperor. We do not know whether they were Jews or Romans. But John's message was so striking that these military men came to ask what they were to do.

Luke gives the account of at least three other military men who were attracted by Christ and His gospel: (1) the centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant (Luke 7:2); (2) the centurion who commanded the soldiers who carried out Pilate's order to crucify Jesus (Luke 23:47); (3) Cornelius, the centurion to whom Peter preached the gospel (Acts 10:1).

John's instructions to -the soldiers were directed toward things that were common problems of soldiers of that day. They were not to use violence for the sake of getting money; they were not to become informers with intent to injure the innocent or to gain personally from such activity; they were to be content with their wages. The soldier who was content with his wages wouldn-'t be trying to force people to give him money or informing on others for the same purpose.

the people were in expectation.It had been a long time since Israel had a prophet living in their midst. When John came, there was a strange stirring in their hearts, wondering if this could be the Messiah. They had been taught about the days of David and the glory of the reign of Solomon. Perhaps they were now dreaming of a Messiah who would free them from the Roman yoke. It is possible, on the other hand, that some were tired of their sins and were wondering if John could be Christ who would lead them back to the glory their nation had once known. But John pointed them to Jesus and the salvation with which He would satisfy the longing of those who wanted to do the will of God.

I indeed baptize you with water.John baptized in water, not with it. He immersed the people in the Jordan river. To translate with water is to suggest the action of sprinkling or pouring, neither of which are suggested by the word baptize.

This immersion in water was for the remission of sins. John came, who baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins (Mark 1:4). Repentance preceded the baptism, and without it baptism was meaningless. The same thought is suggested in Matthew's account: I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance (Matthew 3:11). This does not say that they were baptized so that they could repent, but that they were baptized with regard to repentance, that is, the repentance that John had demanded of them.

John was sent from God (John 1:6) and we may assume that the baptism he preached was commanded by God. It was for the remission of sins, but like all other provisions under the Old Covenant for remission of sins, it anticipated the sacrifice of Christ that actually blotted out sin (Hebrews 9:15; Romans 3:25-26). We may safely assume that the Jews whom John baptized continued to offer the sacrifices required by the law of Moses.

Of the three thousand who were baptized on the day of Pentecost under the New Covenant, no doubt, many had been already baptized into John's baptism. On that day they were baptized in the name of Christ for the remission of sins in order to be in the body of Christ (Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:27). Apparently, after the day of Pentecost, all who had been baptized by John were also required to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. See Acts 19:1-7.

he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire.John baptized in water; Christ would baptize in two elements: (1) the Holy Spirit, that is, in the power of the Holy Spirit; and (2) in fire.

John explained this with the illustration of the threshing floor. The gathering of the wheat into the granary is like the thing that would be accomplished by those baptized in the Holy Spirit. The burning of the chaff is like the baptism in firethe destruction of the wicked in hell (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

Jesus also explained the baptism in the Holy Spirit when He spoke to the apostles just before His ascension (Acts 1:4-5; Acts 1:8). They were baptized in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and as a result of it they were able to tell the people what to do to be saved (Acts 2:1-4; and Acts 2:37-38).

The tongues parting asunder, like as of fire which appeared in connection with the baptism of the apostles in the Holy Spirit should not be confused with the baptism in fire. That phenomenon, together with the sound like the rushing of a great wind, attracted the attention of the people. Then the apostles who were all filled with the Holy Spirit spoke to them in the people's own native languages.

With many other exhortations.One papyrus roll was not enough to tell all that John said or did. Luke was saving space for those events in the ministry of Jesus that he wanted to tell Theophilus about. See how he made use of this expression in reporting the events of the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:40).

Herod the tetrarch.This wicked son of a wicked fatherhe had slain the babes at the time of the birth of Jesuswas reproved by John for the evil things he had done including his marriage to the wife of his half brother, Philip I. For this, John was shut up in prison and before long was beheaded.