A 5-day per week study.
March 17 – Reading Luke 3:1-20
Read and believe in Jesus.
“…the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.” Luke 3:2b
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The Gospel according to Luke 3:1-20
The last we heard of John the Baptist was in Luke 1:80: “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” Well, that day has come. The Word of God came to him, and John was ready. He immediately obeyed.
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Vss. 1-6.
Luke sets up the scene in detail for the brief ministries of both John and Jesus, naming the current Caesar (Tiberias), the governor of Judea (Pontius Pilate), the tetrarch of Galilee (Herod), as well as three other rulers in areas around Judea and Galilee. He also tells us that there were two high priests, both of whom would sentence the Savior to death (Annas [the powerful one] and his son-in-law, Caiaphas).
The scene is set. History awaits.
God’s word stirs John, the prophet-like-Elijah, from his recluse (possibly with the Essenes, who might have hidden the complete book of Isaiah in pottery in a cave, known as the Dead Sea Scrolls).
Luke inserts John’s marching orders from Isaiah 40:3-5. “A voice crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord’.” “…and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
And so, John went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
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Vss 7-9.
Crowds came out to him to be baptized, and John was not gentle with them.
“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (This he said to the religious leaders, according to Matthew 3:7.)
“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not BEGIN to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham!”
“The axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
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Vss. 10-14.
His fiery words put “the fear of God” into his listeners, and they asked him for help.
“What then shall we do?” they begged him. John answered by telling them to love others. “Whoever has two tuics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
“Teacher, what shall WE do?” begged the tax collectors when he’d baptised them. “Collect no more than you are authorized to do. (Tax collectors could collect any amount over the required amount for Rome and keep it for themselves.)
Even Roman soldiers came to John with repentant hearts. “And we, what shall we do?” John told them not to extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and to be content with their wages.
And so, John’s preaching began to soften the hearts of all kinds of people for the coming of Jesus. He was indeed preparing the way.
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Vss. 15-18.
His message was so different from what the people heard in the synagogues that they began to wonder if John wasn’t the Messiah himself. But he set them right quickly.
“I baptize you with water, but He who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. HE will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. HE will gather the WHEAT into the barn, but the CHAFF He will burn with unquenchable fire.”
So with these and many other exhortations, John preached “good news” to the people.
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Vss. 19-20.
But….. Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by John for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and other wicked things (John wasn’t afraid to hurl scathing reproofs even at a petty king!), locked John in prison. (And later had him killed.)
What a short-lived ministry John had. But he was a flame for God, a messenger to prepare the way for the coming of the Son of God. Jesus had great words about him, which we’ll see later. (Matthew 11:9-15, if you want to take an early peek.)
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Morning Meditations 