Luke 7:24–28 | Jesus Explains John the Baptist

Sermon on Luke 7:24–28 for the morning of Sept. 11, 2016. 

Last week, we encountered an episode where the disciples of John the Baptist came and asked Jesus a very pointed question on his behalf. They asked him, “Are you the coming one, or do we look for another?” (Lk 7:19–20). This seemed to us to be a very odd question to be coming from John the Baptist. He faithfully preached of the coming of the kingdom of God. He faithfully called the nation of Israel to repentance (Lk 3:3–18). He birth was even announced to his father, Zacharias, by the angel Gabriel (Lk 1:13–17). John even witnessed the Holy Spirit coming down from heaven alighting on Jesus confirming that Jesus is the Messiah (Jn 1:32–34). However, when John the Baptist was in prison and began to doubt the ministry and identity of Jesus, Jesus did call the mind any of these events. He did remind him of how he witnessed the Holy Spirit descending as a dove upon Jesus. Jesus instead points to the fact that the words concerning the ministry of the Messiah were being fulfilled by Jesus Christ. This point is necessary in our understanding of the text as we continue into the next section in the Gospel of Luke. This point is going to carry over as we see Jesus identify the ministry of John the Baptist. The main point of last week and this week are parallel to each other. Last week we saw that Jesus is fulfilling the passages of scripture that talk about the Messiah and His kingdom. This week we will see that John the Baptist fulfills the passages of scripture that talk about the one that will prepare the way of the Lord (Lk 7:27). These two points are working in tandem together. Taken together we should see that word of the prophets are being fulfilled. The words of Isaiah on the Messiah are being fulfilled (Is 26:19; 29:18–19; 35:5–6; 61:1–2). The words of Malachi about the one who prepares the way of the Lord is being fulfilled (Mal 3:1; 4:5–6). Both of these taking place and transpiring as the prophets have foretold proves this: God’s program of salvation is taking place. God has come to bring salvation to His people. God is doing as He promised. The kingdom of God is at hand. The people of Galilee were getting to be a witness of the promises of the New Covenant be fulfilled. They were getting to watch a new dispensation be set up. They got to see how God was going to save His people. No other generation had, or would see the same events. They were a unique and blessed generation to see the promises come to life before their eyes. But we will examine next week how the people reacted to the words of Jesus.

What They Did Not Go to See (Lk 7:24–25)

Jesus, in His artistic fashion, helps the crowd to realize the significance of John the Baptist by forcing them to think through what it was that caused the people to come out in the desert in the first place. We should recall that the majority of John’s ministry was done near the Jordan river near the wilderness area. So it not like going to see John was on the way to the market. Something attracted the people to him. Jesus starts with some rhetorical questions that imply an obvious negative answer. The rhetorical questions are supplied to help the people think through and answer why they went into the desert.

Lk 7:24. The first rhetorical to answer why they went into the desert is, “A reed shaken in the wind?”. The understanding of this question can be understood in two separate ways, one as a metaphor, the other in a literal sense. If we were to understand this as a metaphor, it would be one of how John was not a wavering, or spineless preacher. John was certain in his convictions and in his preaching ministry. Marshall explains that, “The shaking of reeds in the wind was proverbial (1 Ki 14:15), and the metaphor suggests a wavering or easy-going person.”[1] Matthew Henry explains how this would be fitting,

He was a man of unshaken self-consistence, a man of steadiness and constancy. He was not a reed shaken with the wind, first in one direction and then in another, shifting with every wind; he was firm as a rock, not fickle as a reed. If he could have bowed like a reed to Herod, and have complied with the court, he might have been a favourite there; but none of these things moved him. [2]

While it is fitting to say that John was unmoved, this metaphorical sense of the rhetorical question does not seem to fit the present context. We just saw how John was struggling in faith with understanding if Jesus really is the Messiah. Also the next rhetorical question, which is parallel to this one, is meant to be understood in a literal sense. No one purposely walks into the desert just so they can watch a reed being shaken by the wind. The thought is ludicrous and absurd. Absurd answers are typical for rhetorical questions.

Lk 7:25. The second rhetorical question asks if they went into the wilderness to see a man dressed in soft clothing. “The combination ἱματισμός and ἔνδοξος refers to expensive clothing, probably made of wool or soft linen.”[3] This is quite the opposite of John the Baptist. He is described as being clothed in camel’s hair and a leather belt (Mt 3:4). In fact, Jesus even points out that the wilderness is the last place to look for a person that is dressed in glorious apparel. If you want such a person you should look in palaces, not deserts. Therefore, there is an obvious no to this question. They were not drawn to the desert to see a man in nice clothes.

What They Did Go to See (Lk 7:26–27)

Jesus offers another rhetorical question as to why they went into the wilderness but this question anticipates a positive answer. Jesus even supplies a positive answer for this question. However, He clarifies that the answer is somewhat insufficient. John is a prophet, but he is not just any prophet. Jesus even states that John is more than a prophet. We have should already know this from what has been said about John in the beginning of Luke’s Gospel. In particular, “He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Lk 1:17 ESV). And also, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways” (Lk 1:76 ESV). Even John, when he was questioned stated, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (Jn 1:23 ESV; cf. Lk 3:4–6; Is 40:3–5).

Lk 7:27. Jesus explains the importance of John the Baptist by make a loose reference to a different Old Testament passage from the above quotations. Jesus refers to Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts” (ESV). Jesus does not make a quotation that is word-for-word with the LXX. Bock points out several differences between the quotation and referent source and then states, “These differences show that the LXX is not the source of Luke’s citation. Rather, he makes a general reference to Malachi, with the key change being the shift in pronoun” (Luke has “you” in place of “me”).[4]

The book of Malachi goes to explain, “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Mal 4:5–6 ESV). This causes many to ask, “Is John the Baptist fulfilling what Malachi says about Elijah. Bock gives the best answer to this inquiry.

While John did go about preparing the way of the people to God (Is 40:3–5), John did not come before the “great and awesome day of the LORD” (Mal 4:5). The “great and awesome day of the LORD” is still yet to come. (This may have been a part of John misunderstanding of Jesus’ current ministry. He wanted Jesus to judge the nation.) John the Baptist is a “proto-Elijah.”Overall, it should be understood that Jesus is claiming that John the Baptist is fulfilling the words of the prophet Malachi. The events that were predicted by the prophets hundreds of years and written down in ink for all to read are coming to pass before the eyes of the people of Galilee. The messenger came to prepare the way of the people, to turn their hearts toward God, and the Messiah is walking amongst them causing the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the mute to speak. Therefore, Israel is without excuse. They cannot say that did not know that events taking place before them were of any significance. They cannot say that they did know that John was the Lord’s messenger. They cannot say that they did not know that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. The scriptures bear testimony to the people. Read the scriptures and know that God is bringing salvation to His people. Read and know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Read and know that Jesus is the Christ. Read and know that you are about to the purchase for the forgiveness of sins. You are about to see the penalty of sin be satisfied. You are about to see the Messiah humiliated. But you will also see Him resurrected. You will see Him ascending into heaven. You will see Him being glorified. You will see Him seated at the right hand of the Father. You are looking at your KING!

The Position of John (Lk 7:28)

This causes Jesus to give high marks for John. Jesus calls him the greatest man that has ever lived. This would mean that John was a greater prophet than Moses, greater even than Abraham. However, Jesus quickly adds, “but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” The reason for this is because John belonged to the previous dispensation. He belonged with, alongside, and is seen as an Old Testament prophet. The promises of the New Covenant, like the indwelling the of the Holy Spirt, have not taken place yet. They will be purchased by the blood of Christ at the cross and will arrive on the day of Pentecost. Jesus is not saying that John is not going to be a part of the kingdom of God (Lk 13:28), but that he that will get to receive the benefits of the kingdom will be at a greater advantage than John. Even the prophets themselves look forward to this time.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.” (1 Pe 1:10–12 ESV)

Even Jesus explained this in Matthew. “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Mt 13:16–17 ESV).

Therefore, we called to believe the word of God so that we might receive the blessings of salvation. We can receive the salvation that was spoken by the prophets long ago and desperately wanted to see these things come to pass. We, who believe, have seen. We have the salvation provided in the cross of Calvary.

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[1] I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC (Exeter: Paternoster Press, 1978), 294.

[2] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 1846.

[3] Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1994), 671. For ἱματισμός see BDAG, 475; for ἔνδοξος see BDAG, 332.2.

[4] Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, 673; “Luke also adds πρὸ προσώπου σου at the end of the first line.” Cf. Marshall, Gospel of Luke, 295–6.

[5] Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, 672.

Luke 7:18–23 | Are You the Coming One?

A sermon on Luke 7:18–23 for the morning service on Sept. 4, 2016.

Luke 3:15–20 | One Mightier than I Is Coming

The sermon is on Luke 3:15–20. There are no notes available for this sermon.

Luke 3:10–14 | Examples of Fruit Worthy of Repentance

We have begun to see the ministry of John the Baptist. We should remember that the purpose of the ministry is to make the people of Israel ready for the Lord. In order to do this, John the Baptist goes about preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sin (Luke 3:3). The point was that the baptism signified the remission of sin. Remission comes from ἄφεσις which is “the act of freeing from an obligation, guilt, or punishment, i.e., pardon, cancellation.”79 John was preaching that if one wants to be forgiven of sin then he must repent of his sin. Repentance leads to forgiveness. 

Last week we saw an example John’s preaching. He had three points of concern: rebuke of sin, repentance of sin, and the impending wrath that is for sin. The overall point was that the only way to escape God’s wrath against sin is to bear fruit worthy of repentance. This was significant in order for us to understand the meaning behind μετάνοια. Repentance is not a simple confession of sin, though they be similar. Repentance is about change. μετάνοια primarily means a change of mind, that one is turning away. Another fair translation would be conversion.80 This is why so much stress was placed upon the fruit worthy of repentance/conversion. It is not enough to simple say, “I need to be forgiven of my sin,” one must also turn from his previous sinful lifestyle. Jesus did not pay the penalty for our sin on the cross so that we could continue in our sin but so that we might be saved from our sin. From the moment of repentance and onward, the believer is supposed to display fruit of that repentance. The believer is supposed to show good works that glorify God. The believer is supposed to show evidence of his faith. We may come in as prostitutes, liars, and thieves; but we are to leave that at the cross so that we may be called saints, the sons of God. 

So you may say, “That’s all well and good, but what does that look like?” This is a good question. Now that doctrine has been explained we should move on to ethics. The point of teaching is that our actions change. So, what are works that worthy of repentance? Or in other words, now that one has repented, what does life look like? How shall we then live? What works demonstrate that a person truly has repented of their sins? 

Before these actions are stated and discussed, we must make one thing clear. These are actions take place because a man has repented of his sins. The order should be noticed. The actions that are going to be discussed to not take place to make up for our bad actions. These seemingly good actions are not meant to help turn the scales back into your favor. The actions are not meant as a way of earning your way out of the impending wrath of God to come upon sin. Only repentance that gives way to fruit will save a man from the wrath of God upon sin. These good actions are a result of the repentance. They are caused by the fact that the believer has an understanding of the gospel. He has a proper understanding of his new relationship with God. He knows that he has been saved from his sin and these actions follow from that. What is taking place is due to the fact that the man has been made a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). 

All of this can be summed up in the second greatest commandment, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:31).

General Crowd (3:10–11)

The crowd that came to John understood that their life was to be different from now on. They knew that true repentance meant change. Therefore, they ask, “Τὶ οὖν ποιήσωμεν; (What then shall we do?)” The apostle Paul asked the same question, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). Our will from this point forward should be re-aligned to match that of God’s. Therefore this crowd asks a good question. Righteousness is a strange creature to a man who has been living a life enslaved and deadened by sin. 

3:11. John’s answer to their question is very simple, practical, and strait forward. He does not call for a revolution like the zealots. He is getting the people ready for the coming of the Lord, which means that Israel needs to be ready to be citizens of God’s kingdom. There we could say that this is the manner in which a citizen of heaven is supposed to act. 

John gives two examples to the crowd in general as to what they are supposed to do now that they are to live a life bearing fruit of repentance. The first example is that the man who has two χιτῶνας is supposed to share (the verb is in the imperative mood) with a person who does not have a χιτών. A χιτών is “a shirt that is worn next to the skin.”81 We know this is not the word for an outer garment or coat, that is an ἱμάτιον. The Greek languages uses these words in a distinct manner. The shirt was not entirely necessary. However, if it was possible, a person tried to wear two χιτῶνας for comfort. Therefore, John is exhorting anyone who has an amount that is not truly necessary that the man should share his shirt with one who is lacking. We have a colloquial phrase that parallels this exhortation: “The man would give you the shirt off his back.” John is advocating that we do this. 

The second example of how to live a life that is bearing the fruit of repentance is very similar to the first example. A man who has meat should do likewise. If we find that our neighbor is in an impoverished position and is lacking food, something should be done. We live in a country that has abundance. If you disagree, then you do not know what poverty looks like. Let me demonstrate that you have abundance. Have you ever thrown out food because it went bad before you got around to eating it? You were so busy eating other food that you did not have the time to get the food in the back of the fridge that started growing green mold. 

Let me further point out that μεταδότω (share) is in the imperative mood, meaning that John is not making a simple suggestion. John is making an exhortation. We should be eager to perform such actions for others. Why? Because we have witnessed the love of God. We have witnessed how God provides for those who trust in Him. It would be shameful if we are bestowed gifts from the Almighty and do not turn around to do the same. This is how citizens of God’s coming kingdom are supposed to act. They are supposed to show love unto their neighbor.

Tax Collectors (3:12–13)

The first two examples we saw were from the crowd in general. The question may have been a recurring theme in the responses to John’s preaching. The question gets repeated to John. However, we should notice who is asking the question this time. This time the question is coming from τελῶναι (tax collectors). In order to understand why this is significant, we need to understand the cultural stigma that surrounded tax collectors. The tax revenue system was very open and allowed for a lot of abuse. The job of collecting property taxes and poll taxes from a particular region was contracted to whoever won by the government. The contractor that won the bid would then in turn hire men, usually locals, to go collect the taxes from the people. The problem was that the contractors would pay their workers from collecting extra revenue from the citizens, an amount that was open to the discretion of the contractors and not the government. Therefore these tax collectors were cast in a very poor light by their countrymen. They were seen as men who were hired by the government, robbed their own poor countrymen, and worse yet, they worked on the Sabbath. They were considered one of the worst kind of low life alongside prostitutes (cf. Matt. 21:31–32). They were called unclean because they frequently did business with Gentiles. They were also considered as traitors turning their backs on Israel. 

A Jew entering the customs service cut himself off from decent society. He was disqualified from being a judge or even a witness in court, and excommunicated from the synagogue. The members of his family were considered to be equally tarnished.…Money handled by tax collectors was tainted and could not be used, ever for charity, for to touch the wealth of a man who obtains it unlawfully is to share his guilt.82

Yet we should also notice something else about these tax collectors. They came to be baptized by John. They came for the repentance of sin. This is not said of the Pharisees and Sadducees. These were men who knew that they were to live different from now on but they were not sure how. Their career put them in a tough place. 

3:13. John’s answer to the repentant tax collectors is interesting and simple. The simple part is that John exhorts to not take more than what was ordered. They are to do their job in an honest manner. What is interesting is that John fully expects these men to keep their job! John never tells them to quit being a tax collector. The reason is this: their job might be despised by everyone but there is still a way that God can be glorified by the job of the tax collector. A government has to have taxes and it needs people to collect those taxes. What no one needs is a tax collector that take advantage of the system and extorts the citizens. Therefore John tells them to just simply do their job honestly. 

Here’s another thing. Think about how the repentant tax collector’s new lifestyle is going to have an impact on those around him. The other tax collectors knew what he was doing before and they are now seeing a profound change. They are seeing him being kind to the citizens that he used to extort. Others will ask questions. People, we are aliens in this world. We will be seen as weird. But we are called to act as people that are ready for the coming of our Lord. We are to do this not just in our churches where everyone is like minded, or in our personal homes where no one can see us. We are to be doing these things in the work place as well. Fruit of repentance is to be seen in our entire lives. 

Soldiers (3:14)

The last group that we see ask this question in a very similar fashion are soldiers. The way they point the question though seems to imply that surely there is no way that can continue in the same manner of life. The soldier was disliked like the tax collectors. The soldier reminded the Jews that they were in subjection to a foreign gentile ruler and not a sovereign nation. Now the race of the soldiers is unclear. 

It is generally agreed that these soldiers were Jewish rather than Roman. They could have come from of three groups: Antipas’s army in Perea, which included foreign troops as well; the Judean “police”; or soldiers who assisted and protected the toll collectors. The last possibility may be indicated by καὶ ἡμεῖς at the end of the question: What shall “we also” do? (i.e., we alongside the toll collectors). It may also be supported by John’s reply focusing exclusively on money. These two factors indicate a possible connection between the two groups of 3:12–14, though one cannot be certain.83

Whomever these soldiers may be, John’s answer to them comes in two prohibitions and one exhortation. The first prohibition is that the soldiers are not διασείσητε. διασείω means to “extort money by force or threat of violence; literally it means to ‘shake violently.’”84 The imagery of the school-yard shaking a kid upside-down for his lunch money comes to mind. The prohibition is similar. They are told to not falsely accuse anyone coming from συκοφαντέω which means, “to put pressure on someone for personal gain, i.e., harass, squeeze, shake down, blackmail.”85 The exhortation is that the soldiers are supposed to be content with their wages/provisions they are given. You should notice that the exhortation is in direct opposition to what John prohibits. The exhortation is meant to replace the former practice. The soldiers are supposed to realize that God has provided them with they really need and therefore there is no point in bullying anyone to get more money or possessions. 

As I have mentioned before, all of these answers by John can be summed up by the second greatest commandment. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. If you display unto others how you want to be treated because you realize that God has cancelled your debt of sin then others will notice the fruit that has come from repentance. They will notice that you are born-again. You are a son of God awaiting the coming of His kingdom.  

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79. BDAG, 155. 

80. BDAG, 640–1. 

81. BDAG, 1085. 

82. Norman Hillyer, “τελώνιον,” in NIDNTT, 3:756. 

83. Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), 312–3. 

84. BDAG, 236. 

85. BDAG, 955. 

Luke 3:1–6 | Introduction to Preaching

Some commentators argue that chapter 3 begins a new section in the Gospel of Luke. I am not sure this is the case. I think the author continues to introduce us to Jesus Christ by comparing Him with John the Baptist up until 4:15. The last parallel made is how each person comes from the wilderness and then begins preaching. Chapters 1 and 2 led us through the birth narratives of both individuals. Now in chapters 3 and 4, we are going to see the character of each individual as a mature adult. The significance of the persons is demonstrated in 3 and 4. We will John as the herald that goes before as spoken by the prophet Isaiah preaching the repentance of sin and we will see Jesus be called the Son of God and be sinless man. After this demonstration of Jesus’ unwavering character, comes His preaching to the people of Galilee. This section therefore serves as an introduction to the preaching for both men even though we will only see John the Baptist in this pericope. 

Marking a Date (3:1–2a)

It is very easy for a person to read over these first two verses and give not much thought to its significance. However, we should ask ourselves, “Why does Luke take the time to record all of these names of political figures?” The answer is simple but the demonstration of the answer is encouraging. The simple answer is that Luke wants you to know the date. Luke wants you to know the date because something very important happened. It was the year that the word of the Lord came to John the Baptist. Later in the chapter we will see that it will be the year that Jesus is baptized and then begins His earthly ministry. It is very common for an author to mark either the age of the character or the ruler of the day due to the significance of the event. For example, in Jeremiah we read, “The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign” (Jer. 1:1–2). Or in Isaiah, “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” (Isa. 1:1). Yet this style for communicating a date was common among secular histories as well (e.g. Thucydides 2.2; Polybius 1.3).61

Now Luke have given us a date by relating the event during the rule of only one ruler. However, Luke mentions seven different political figures. He mostly does this so his audience is aware of the political climate of the time, which is very confusing. I also want to use these to verses to remind us of Luke’s thesis for writing this Gospel and demonstrate just how well he has done. Luke told Theophilus that he was writing these down so that he “mightest know the certainty of these things, wherein thou hast been instructed” (Luke 1:4). These events are not fake. They are not made up. They happened within the recorded pages of history. The book of Mormon talks about wars of Native Americans in central America and of their currency, but there has never been a single shred of archaeological evidence to help corroborate Joseph Smith stories with real history. He made up wars. He invented pretend currencies. This is not the case with Scripture. Luke gives a faithful record of true events. 

I want to show that Luke’s mention of these political figures show us that we have a reliable record in four ways. 1) Luke mentions real people ruling over real locations. 2) Of each of the people mentioned, all of their reigns overlap. It would be one thing to mention a political leader but pointless if the man was not alive during the time referred. 3) Luke uses the proper titles for each of the political figures that are mentioned. 4) Amidst all of the political confusion, Luke names the correct people as leaders during that time. 

The first political figure that Luke mentions is Tiberius Caesar. The man’s life is recorded in numerous histories (e.g. Suetonius, Tacitus, and Josephus). From these histories, we can figure out that the man was Caesar from A.D. 14–37.62 Therefore, after doing some math, Luke tells us the year John the Baptist started preaching, ca. A.D. 29, depending on the years were counted. Now, Luke also mentions the other contemporary rulers, which that all of the following rulers would have been in power in A.D. 29.  It should be noted that it is impressive that Luke named the correct person despite the situation going on at that time. Tiberius had actually retreated to the island of Capri in A.D. 26 and left his aide Sejanus to take care of most of the business in Rome gaining power until he was seen as a threat and then executed.63 Yet Luke states correctly that Tiberius is Caesar, not Sejanus.

The next person mentioned is Pontius Pilate who ruled over Judea from A.D. 26–36/37, of which A.D. 29 falls in the middle.64 His rule over Judea is mentioned not only by the Gospels, but also recorded by Josephus, Philo and Tacitus. Also, in 1961, Italian archeologists discovered an inscription in Caesarea that was formerly on a temple for the worship of Tiberius with the Latin inscription, “For the Caesareans. The Tiberium, which Pontius Pilate, the Prefect of Judea, gave [and] dedicated.”65

The third political leader mentioned is Herod, also known as Herod Antipas. He should not be confused with his father, Herod the Great. Now Herod the Great was called king over Judea and ruled from 37–4 B.C. It was Herod the Great that was mentioned in Luke 1:5 and ordered the slaughter of the children in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:16). Upon Herod the Great’s death, the territory under his rule was split up into three parts and given to his three sons.66 Acrhelaus ruled over the province of Judea only until A.D. 6. He was banished due to accusations brought against him by his brothers and the province of Judea was then placed under Roman rule by prefects.67 Herod Antipas succeeded his father in 4 B.C and was tetrarch, not king, over Galilee and Perea until A.D. 3968 (A.D. 29 falls within that range). 

The fourth political figure mentioned is Philip. Philip is the third son of Herod the Great, and half-brother to Herod Antipas. Philip was tetrarch over Iturea and Trachonitis from 4 B.C till A.D. 34.69 Iturea was a region north of Galilee. Trachonitis is the area east of the sea of Galilee. Of all the Herodian family, Philip was considered the most reasonable. Outside of the Gospels, his rule is recorded in the works of Josephus. 

The last Gentile political figure mentioned is Lysanias and he is the least known of the political figures that Luke mentions. From what we can understand from Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews, is that there were actually two men name Lysanias. The one whom Luke is referring to is the latter of the two. “His name appears on an inscription of Abila, dated between A.D 14 and 29, recording a temple dedication by a freedman of ‘Lysanias the tetrarch.’”70 We are unable to know the date of his reign. This is the only place he is mentioned in Scripture and only once in the Josephus.71 Abila, or Abilene, is northwest of Damascus. 

The last point I wish to make before leaving the first verse is how Luke gets the titles of the political leaders correct. He called Herod the Great “king” in Luke 1:5 but Luke correctly calls each of his sons as tetrarch. The sons did not have as land and sway with their individual offices like their father before them. Luke carries on the practice of using the correct tittles for the rest of his corpus (i.e. Luke and Acts), which in Luke’s day is an amazing feat considering all of the political changes and differences between regions. F. F. Bruce explains,

One of the most remarkable tokens of his accuracy is his sure familiarity with the proper titles of all the notable persons who are mentioned in his pages. This was by no means such an easy feat in his days as it is ours, when it is so simple to consult convenient books of reference.…The titles sometimes did not remain the same for any great length of time; a province might pass from senatorial to administration by a direct representative of the emperor, and would then be governed no longer by a proconsul by by an imperial legate.72

This amount of precise detail shows that Luke must have paid careful attention to what was recorded so the accounts would be seen as accurate. The tittles Luke records includes, but not limited to, kings, tetrarch, proconsuls, governors, town-clerks, praetors, politarchs, etc.; all of which are handled properly.

3:2a. Verse 1 listed Gentile political leaders. Verse 2 lists two leaders of the religious realm. However, something peculiar is going on. Luke lists two individuals for one office that is supposed to held for life (Num 35:25, 28). Therefore there should only be one High Priest at a time. However, Israel was not a sovereign nation and Gentile rulers would often take down a High Priest and set up a new one. Annas was the High Priest when he was appointed by Quirinius, the governor of Syria, sometime around A.D. 6 and was deposed by Valerius Gratus, (the prefect of Judea that preceded Pilate) about 14/5. Caiaphas was appointed by Valerius Gratus in A.D. 18 and removed from office in A.D. 36 by prefect Vitellius.73 So why does Luke mention both of these men when only of them holds the office? It turns out that Annas is the father-in-law of Caiaphas. So while Caiaphas was the official High Priest, Annas was the one that was pulling the strings in the background. This is probably why Jesus went to see Annas first before being sent to Caiaphas on the night of his trial (John 18:13–14). 

John’s Modus Operandi (3:2b–3)

The last time we saw John the Baptist was in Luke 1:80. He was growing strong in the Spirit while he was living in the wilderness. There is some speculation as to what happened to John during this time period. Some think that he may have joined a religious separatist group called the Essenes which were based in Qumran on the north shore of the Dead Sea. However, the only reason for this is from him living in the wilderness. 

Luke has firmly established a date for us to mark out the significance of this event—that the Word of God came unto John the Baptist. Again, this was customary with OT prophets (e.g. Hos. 1:1; Joel 1:1; Zech. 1:1). This event marks the beginning of John’s preaching ministry. Also the event is significant because the last prophet in the land was Malachi. There has been no prophet for around 400 years. Therefore, living in that generation and see a prophet come from the wilderness would have been very unusual and highly alarming. It would mean that God is doing something amongst His people again. 

3:3. Luke then begins to explain to John’s mode of operation for John’s preaching ministry. There are two main facets with John’s preaching ministry. The first is that John preaches repentance from sin. Repentance is μετάνοια which primarily means “a change of mind” and applied within these contexts it means “turning away.”74 The point of repentance is for remission of sin. Remission is ἄφεσις meaning “the act of freeing from an obligation, guilt, or  punishment, pardon, cancellation.”75 This is the very basis of salvation. We are called to turn away from our sin in order to be relieved of the penalty of our sin. It will not be until we Christ crucified that do we realize that our penalty of sin was placed upon Jesus Christ. 

The second aspect of John’s preaching ministry is his practice of baptism. The practice of baptism may have been place already for many Jewish proselytes but it is uncertain if the practice goes back that far.76 The baptism that John is performing is akin to a ceremonial washing and is meant to signify the content of his preaching—God forgives sin for the repentant. This would also explain why John is preaching in the country of the Jordan river. The Jordan flows from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea separating Samaria from Perea. John would have needed the river in order to perform the baptism, that is, to dunk people in water. 

As Foretold (3:4–6)

Luke pulls a quotation from Isaiah 40:3–5 in order to shed more light on the significance of John the Baptist’s ministry and the purpose of his preaching. All the other Gospels quote Isaiah as well but only 40:3 (Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; John 1:23). In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist quotes the verse in order to explain his identity and role to the Jewish leaders, so the connection is undeniable.

3:4b–5. “The figures concerning the clearing of the way are standard ancient Near Eastern metaphors about clearing the way for the entry of a king or a god. The clearing prepares for the glorious entry of the sovereign figure.”77 Originally, within the context of Isaiah, the passage is referring to the return of Israel from the exile to Babylon. The return to Israel is very much a picture of God’s salvation/redemption in much the same way as the Exodus was a picture of God’s redemption. Therefore connotations of salvation are appropriate. Overall, the imagery of cutting roads and leveling ground is an illustration of a person’s preparedness for receiving the Sovereign figure—Jesus Christ. 

3:6. Luke’s quotation does not follow the MT but the LXX. Instead of reading, “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together,” we instead read, “And all flesh shall see the salvation from God.” The phrase that is change from “the glory of the LORD,” to “the salvation from God,” should be seen as equivalent. Luke more than likely understands that seeing salvation that is provided by God is equivalent to seeing the glory of the LORD. 

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61. Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), 282. 

62. Jesse Pingenot, “Tiberius, Emperor,” in LBD.

63. Ibid. 

64. Michael Brandon Massey, “Pontius Pilate,” in LBD.

65. KarBel Media, “Pontius Pilate’s Inscription,” in Faithlife Study Bible Infographics (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012); cf. Lexham Press, “Pontius Pilate Inscription,” in Logos Bible Software Infographics (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2009). 

66. Melton B. Winstead, “Herod the Great,” in LBD.

67. Frank E. Dicken, “Archelaus, Son of Herod,” in LBD.

68. Frank E. Dicken, “Archelaus, Son of Herod,” in LBD.

69. Frank E. Dicken, “Philip the Tetrarch,” in LBD.

70. F. F. Bruce, “Lysanias,” in NBD, 708.

71. Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 20.7.1.

72. F. F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?, 6th ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1981), 82–3. 

73. “Caiaphas,” Wikipedia, last modified November 23, 2015, accessed January 9, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caiaphas. 

74. BDAG, 640. 

75. BDAG, 155. 

76. Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, 288. 

77. Ibid, 291.