Luke 3:1-22

The ministry of John is narrated by all four Evangelists. Peculiar to Luke are: the chronological notice (Luke 3:1), which points out the exact position of the main gospel facts on the wide platform of universal history; he quotes the fuller quotation from Isaiah (Luke 3:4-6), and Several particulars exemplifying John's teaching (Luke 3:10-14). Matthew and Mark pass at once to the announcement of the coming of the Messiah, but Luke prefaces it with a description of the state of expectation prevalent among the people (Luke 3:15) answering to the fuller account of John (John 1:19-25). The imprisonment of the Baptist and the cause of it are mentioned here (Luke 3:19-20) to complete the account of John's activity; the baptism of Jesus and the Divine attestation which accompanied it, coming last (Luke 3:21-22) as most important and as a resumption of the main thread of the history. On the character and mission of John the Baptist, see on Matthew 3:1-12.