College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Luke 3 - Introduction
Butler's Comments
Chapter Three
THE FORERUNNER OF THE SON OF MAN
IDEAS TO INVESTIGATE:
1.
To what history are we alerted by the listing of the Roman and Jewish rulers (Luke 3:1-2)?
2.
How could there be a baptism for the forgiveness of sins before Pentecost (Luke 3:3)?
3.
Did John get his idea to immerse people in water from Isaiah (Luke 3:4-6)?
4.
Why did the Jews put so much emphasis on their descent from Abraham (Luke 3:7-9)?
5.
What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16)? Is it for all believers?
6.
If Jesus was perfect, why was He baptized by John the Baptist (Luke 3:21-22)?
7.
Why trace Jesus-' ancestry back to Adam (Luke 3:38)?
Applebury's Comments
CHAPTER THREE
Outline
A.
Luke gives a brief account of the ministry of John the Baptist (Luke 3:1-20).
1.
He told when it occurred in relation to the civil and the religious rulers (Luke 3:1-2).
a)
He named the civil rulers of the time and gave their territories.
(1)
It was in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberias Caesar.
(2)
Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea.
(3)
Herod was tetrarch of Galilee.
(4)
Herod's brother Philip I was ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis.
(5)
Lysanias was ruler of Abilene.
b)
He named the two high priests of the Jews: Annas and Caiaphas.
c)
He indicated the place of John's ministryThe word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
2.
He told about John's message (Luke 3:3-9).
a)
He preached the baptism of repentance for remission of sins.
b)
In so doing, he fulfilled what Isaiah had written (Isaiah 40:3-5).
(1)
John's was the voice of one crying in the wilderness.
(2)
That voice said:
(a)
Make ready the way of the Lord.
(b)
Make his paths straight.
(3)
Obedience to that voice would cause:
(a)
the valleys to be filled and the mountains to be brought low,
(b)
and the crooked paths to be straightened and the rough places to be smoothed.
(c)
And all people would see the salvation of God.
c)
He rebuked the multitudes and warned them about the thing they were facing.
(1)
He called them offspring of vipers and asked, Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
(2)
He told them to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.
(3)
He warned them not to rely on the fact that they were descendants of Abraham, for he said, God can make these stones into Abraham's children.
(4)
He likened Israel to a fruitless tree that was about to be cut down and burned.
3.
He told what John said when the multitudes asked, What then shall we do?
a)
To the multitudes, he said, Let the one who has two coats or food share with the one who has none.
b)
To the publicans, he said, Collect no more tax than what is ordered.
c)
To the soldiers, he said,
(1)
Don-'t force money out of anyone,
(2)
Don-'t accuse anyone wrongfully,
(3)
Be content with your wages.
4.
He told how the people reacted to John's ministry (Luke 3:15-17).
a)
They were in a state of expectation, wondering if John were the Christ.
b)
John explained his relation to Christ by telling about his baptism and the two baptisms Christ would administer.
(1)
John, who acknowledged his inferiority to Christ, said, I baptize in water.
(2)
Christ would baptize in the Holy Spirit and in fire.
(a)
He explained baptism in the Holy Spirit with the illustration of gathering the wheat into the granary.
(b)
He explained baptism in fire as the burning up of the chaff.
5.
He gave a brief statement of the further activity of John (Luke 3:18-20).
a)
With many other exhortations he preached good tidings to the people.
b)
He rebuked Herod for having married his brother's wife, and was imprisoned because of it.
B.
Luke told about the baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:21-22).
1.
He was baptized when all the people were coming to have John baptize them.
2.
He was praying during His baptism.
3.
The heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form, as a dove.
4.
A Voice from heaven said, Thou art my beloved son; in thee I am well pleased.
C.
After having presented the evidence to prove that Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man, Luke gave the list of His ancestors (Luke 3:23-38).
1.
Jesus was about thirty years old when He began His ministry.
2.
Those who didn-'t know the facts supposed that He was the son of Joseph.
3.
To overcome this erroneous supposition, Luke traced the ancestry of Jesus through Nathan to David and Adam, then added, the son of God.
Summary
With this chapter Luke completes the evidencewith the exception of the account of the Temptationthat presents Jesus as the Son of God and the Son of Man who is ready to begin His ministry. He begins with a brief account of the ministry of John, then tells of the baptism of Jesus, and closes the chapter with the genealogy of Jesus.
John came with his stirring message at a time when all the people were in expectation, wondering if he could be the Messiah. But he was not the Christ; he was the prophet of God sent to tell the people to make ready for the coming of the Lord. He had a harsh message, for they were sinners. They were like valleys that had to be filled, mountains that had to be leveled, and curves that had to be straightened so that their lives might be suitable for the Lord. They were a fruitless tree that was about to be cut down. He commanded them to repent; he baptized them in the Jordan for the remission of their sins.
John's message bore fruit. Crowds flocked to hear him from Jerusalem and the surrounding country. He baptized them as he saw that they were heeding his command to repent. Tax collectors came asking what they should do; soldiers wanted to know what to do. His answer was simple and direct: Repent and let your lives show that you have changed from your evil ways.
But John directed them to Jesus. He said, I baptize you in water, but the One who is coming after me will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire. By the baptism in the Holy Spirit He was to enable the apostles to tell men what to do to be saved and like wheat be gathered into the granary. But those who will not respond to their message will, like chaff that is burned up, be destroyed when Christ comes again.
Luke gave only a summary of what John did and taught. Among the many things which he did, John reproved Herod the tetrarch for the evil he had done, including his marriage to the wife of his brother. And for this, John was put in prison.
The climax of the evidence that presents Jesus as Son of God and Son of Man ready to begin His public ministry, came at the time of His baptism. John baptized Jesus because He said it was right to do the thing that God approves, and also that he might see the sign that shows Him as Son of God. At the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the Father said to Him, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Not until this evidence had been presented was Luke ready to tell about the ancestry of Jesus. He traced the line from Jesus all the way to Adam and to God.
One more incident belongs to this section of Luke's story and that is the account of the temptation of Jesus which is in chapter four. It shows that Satan was unable to shake the evidence that proves that Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man.
Questions
1.
What was the most important event, from the Christian's point of view, in the reign of Caesar Augustus?
2.
For what things do we remember Herod the tetrarch?
3.
How did it happen that both Annas and Caiaphas were high priests at the same time?
4.
What is the significance of the statement that the word of God came to John?
5.
What is meant by baptism of repentance?
6.
What was the purpose of John's baptism?
7.
How does Isaiah's prophecy fit the condition of John's time?
8.
Why is John called the voice of one crying in the wilderness?
9.
What Scriptures did the Jews have in mind when they asked if John was the prophet or Elijah?
10.
How was John to prepare for the Lord?
11.
What is there in the prophecy of Isaiah that indicates that the Gentiles were to share in the salvation through Christ?
12.
What was John's attitude toward the multitudes who came to hear him?
13.
Why did he liken them to a tree about to be cut down?
14.
What did he mean by saying that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham?
15.
What did John tell the crowds to do? the publicans? the soldiers?
16.
What does Luke say about the attitude of the people at the time of John's appearing in the wilderness?
17.
Why should we say that John baptized in water rather than with water?
18.
How could John's baptism be for remission of sins?
19.
Into what two elements was Jesus to baptize?
20.
What was the purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit?
21.
What is the baptism in fire?
22.
With what illustration did John explain the two baptisms?
23.
Why was John imprisoned?
24.
Why was Jesus baptized?
25.
What did the descent of the Spirit on Jesus mean to John?
26.
What was Jesus doing when He was being baptized?
27.
What is the significance of the fact that the Voice of God spoke at the baptism of Jesus?
28.
Why did Luke wait until this point in his narrative to give the genealogy of Jesus?
29.
How are we to understand the statement that Jesus was the son of Joseph (as was supposed)?
30.
How account for the difference between Luke's list and Matthew'S?
31.
Why did Luke trace the genealogy to Adam?
32.
What is the connection between the temptation of Jesus and what was said about Him at the time of His baptism?