Luke 3
3
1 Then, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being procurator of Judea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
2 under the high priests Annas and Caiaphas: the word of the Lord came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.
3 And he went into the entire region of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,
4 just as it has been written in the book of the sermons of the prophet Isaiah: "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight his paths.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low. And what is crooked shall be made straight. And the rough paths shall be made into level ways.
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
7 Therefore, he said to the crowd that went out in order to be baptized by him: "You progeny of vipers! Who told you to flee from the approaching wrath?
8 So then, produce fruits worthy of repentance. And do not begin to say, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God has the power to raise up sons to Abraham from these stones.
9 For even now the axe has been placed at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that does not produce good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire."
10 And the crowed was questioning him, saying, "What then should we do?"
11 But in response, he said to them: "Whoever has two coats, let him give to those who do not have. And whoever has food, let him act similarly."
12 Now the tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"
13 But he said to them, "You should do nothing more than what has been appointed to you."
14 Then the soldiers also questioned him, saying, "And what should we do?" And he said to them: "You should strike no one, and you should not make false accusations. And be content with your pay."
15 Now all were thinking about John in their hearts, and the people were supposing that perhaps he might be the Christ.
16 John responded by saying to everyone: "Indeed, I baptize you with water. But there will arrive one stronger than me, the laces of whose shoes I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit, and with fire.
17 His winnowing fan is in his hand. And he will purify his threshing floor. And he will gather the wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
18 Indeed, he also proclaimed many other things, exhorting the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, when he was corrected by him concerning Herodias, his brother's wife, and concerning all the evils that Herod had done,
20 added this also, above all else: that he confined John to prison.
21 Now it happened that, when all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized; and as he was praying, heaven was opened.
22 And the Holy Spirit, in a corporal appearance like a dove, descended upon him. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my beloved Son. In you, I am well pleased."
23 And Jesus himself was beginning to be about thirty years old, being (as it was supposed) the son of Joseph, who was of Heli, who was of Matthat,
24 who was of Levi, who was of Melchi, who was of Jannai, who was of Joseph,
25 who was of Mattathias, who was of Amos, who was of Nahum, who was of Esli, who was of Naggai,
26 who was of Maath, who was of Mattathias, who was of Semein, who was of Josech, who was of Joda,
27 who was of Joanan, who was of Rhesa, who was of Zerubbabel, who was of Shealtiel, who was of Neri,
28 who was of Melchi, who was of Addi, who was of Cosam, who was of Elmadam, who was of Er,
29 who was of Joshua, who was of Eliezer, who was of Jorim, who was of Matthat, who was of Levi,
30 who was of Simeon, who was of Judah, who was of Joseph, who was of Jonam, who was of Eliakim,
31 who was of Melea, who was of Menna, who was of Mattatha, who was of Nathan, who was of David,
32 who was of Jesse, who was of Obed, who was of Boaz, who was of Salmon, who was of Nahshon,
33 who was of Amminadab, who was of Aram, who was of Hezron, who was of Perez, who was of Judah,
34 who was of Jacob, who was of Isaac, who was of Abraham, who was of Terah, who was of Nahor,
35 who was of Serug, who was of Reu, who was of Peleg, who was of Eber, who was of Shelah,
36 who was of Cainan, who was of Arphaxad, who was of Shem, who was Of Noah, who was of Lamech,
37 who was of Methuselah, who was of Enoch, who was of Jared, who was of Mahalalel, who was of Cainan,
38 who was of Enos, who was of Seth, who was of Adam, who was of God.
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Luke 3
3
The Preaching of John the Baptist.#Although Luke is indebted in this section to his sources, the Gospel of Mark and a collection of sayings of John the Baptist, he has clearly marked this introduction to the ministry of Jesus with his own individual style. Just as the gospel began with a long periodic sentence (Lk 1:1–4), so too this section (Lk 3:1–2). He casts the call of John the Baptist in the form of an Old Testament prophetic call (Lk 3:2) and extends the quotation from Isaiah found in Mk 1:3 (Is 40:3) by the addition of Is 40:4–5 in Lk 3:5–6. In doing so, he presents his theme of the universality of salvation, which he has announced earlier in the words of Simeon (Lk 2:30–32). Moreover, in describing the expectation of the people (Lk 3:15), Luke is characterizing the time of John’s preaching in the same way as he had earlier described the situation of other devout Israelites in the infancy narrative (Lk 2:25–26, 37–38). In Lk 3:7–18 Luke presents the preaching of John the Baptist who urges the crowds to reform in view of the coming wrath (Lk 3:7, 9: eschatological preaching), and who offers the crowds certain standards for reforming social conduct (Lk 3:10–14: ethical preaching), and who announces to the crowds the coming of one mightier than he (Lk 3:15–18: messianic preaching). 1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,#Tiberius Caesar: Tiberius succeeded Augustus as emperor in A.D. 14 and reigned until A.D. 37. The fifteenth year of his reign, depending on the method of calculating his first regnal year, would have fallen between A.D. 27 and 29. Pontius Pilate: prefect of Judea from A.D. 26 to 36. The Jewish historian Josephus describes him as a greedy and ruthless prefect who had little regard for the local Jewish population and their religious practices (see Lk 13:1). Herod: i.e., Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. He ruled over Galilee and Perea from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39. His official title tetrarch means literally, “ruler of a quarter,” but came to designate any subordinate prince. Philip: also a son of Herod the Great, tetrarch of the territory to the north and east of the Sea of Galilee from 4 B.C. to A.D. 34. Only two small areas of this territory are mentioned by Luke. Lysanias: nothing is known about this Lysanias who is said here to have been tetrarch of Abilene, a territory northwest of Damascus. when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,#Mt 3:1–12; Mk 1:1–8; Jn 1:19–28. and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,#During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas: after situating the call of John the Baptist in terms of the civil rulers of the period, Luke now mentions the religious leadership of Palestine (see note on Lk 1:5). Annas had been high priest A.D. 6–15. After being deposed by the Romans in A.D. 15 he was succeeded by various members of his family and eventually by his son-in-law, Caiaphas, who was high priest A.D. 18–36. Luke refers to Annas as high priest at this time (but see Jn 18:13, 19), possibly because of the continuing influence of Annas or because the title continued to be used for the ex-high priest. The word of God came to John: Luke is alone among the New Testament writers in associating the preaching of John with a call from God. Luke is thereby identifying John with the prophets whose ministries began with similar calls. In Lk 7:26 John will be described as “more than a prophet”; he is also the precursor of Jesus (Lk 7:27), a transitional figure inaugurating the period of the fulfillment of prophecy and promise. the word of God came to John#1:80. the son of Zechariah in the desert. 3#See note on Mt 3:2. He went throughout [the] whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,#Acts 13:24; 19:4. 4#The Essenes from Qumran used the same passage to explain why their community was in the desert studying and observing the law and the prophets (1QS 8:12–15). as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:#Is 40:3–5.
“A voice of one crying out in the desert:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,#Jn 1:23.
make straight his paths.
5Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”#2:30–31.
7He said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?#Mt 12:34. 8Produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance; and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.#Jn 8:39. 9Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”#Mt 7:19; Jn 15:6.
10And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” 12Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”#7:29. 13He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” 14Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
15#Acts 13:25. Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. 16#He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire: in contrast to John’s baptism with water, Jesus is said to baptize with the holy Spirit and with fire. From the point of view of the early Christian community, the Spirit and fire must have been understood in the light of the fire symbolism of the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4); but as part of John’s preaching, the Spirit and fire should be related to their purifying and refining characteristics (Ez 36:25–27; Mal 3:2–3). See note on Mt 3:11. John answered them all, saying,#7:19–20; Jn 1:27; Acts 1:5; 11:16. “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fan#Winnowing fan: see note on Mt 3:12. is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”#Mt 3:12. 18Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people. 19#Luke separates the ministry of John the Baptist from that of Jesus by reporting the imprisonment of John before the baptism of Jesus (Lk 3:21–22). Luke uses this literary device to serve his understanding of the periods of salvation history. With John the Baptist, the time of promise, the period of Israel, comes to an end; with the baptism of Jesus and the descent of the Spirit upon him, the time of fulfillment, the period of Jesus, begins. In his second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, Luke will introduce the third epoch in salvation history, the period of the church. Now Herod the tetrarch,#Mt 14:3–4; Mk 6:17–18. who had been censured by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil deeds Herod had committed, 20added still another to these by [also] putting John in prison.
The Baptism of Jesus.#This episode in Luke focuses on the heavenly message identifying Jesus as Son and, through the allusion to Is 42:1, as Servant of Yahweh. The relationship of Jesus to the Father has already been announced in the infancy narrative (Lk 1:32, 35; 2:49); it occurs here at the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and will reappear in Lk 9:35 before another major section of Luke’s gospel, the travel narrative (Lk 9:51–19:27). Elsewhere in Luke’s writings (Lk 4:18; Acts 10:38), this incident will be interpreted as a type of anointing of Jesus. 21#Mt 3:13–17; Mk 1:9–11. After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,#Was praying: Luke regularly presents Jesus at prayer at important points in his ministry: here at his baptism; at the choice of the Twelve (Lk 6:12); before Peter’s confession (Lk 9:18); at the transfiguration (Lk 9:28); when he teaches his disciples to pray (Lk 11:1); at the Last Supper (Lk 22:32); on the Mount of Olives (Lk 22:41); on the cross (Lk 23:46). heaven was opened 22#You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased: this is the best attested reading in the Greek manuscripts. The Western reading, “You are my Son, this day I have begotten you,” is derived from Ps 2:7. #9:35; Ps 2:7; Is 42:1; Mt 12:18; 17:5; Mk 9:7; Jn 1:32; 2 Pt 1:17. and the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
The Genealogy of Jesus.#Whereas Mt 1:2 begins the genealogy of Jesus with Abraham to emphasize Jesus’ bonds with the people of Israel, Luke’s universalism leads him to trace the descent of Jesus beyond Israel to Adam and beyond that to God (Lk 3:38) to stress again Jesus’ divine sonship. 23#Mt 1:1–17. When Jesus began his ministry he was about thirty years of age. He was the son, as was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,#4:22; Jn 6:42. 24the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,#1 Chr 3:17; Ez 3:2. 28the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31#2 Sm 5:14. the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,#The son of Nathan, the son of David: in keeping with Jesus’ prophetic role in Luke and Acts (e.g., Lk 7:16, 39; 9:8; 13:33; 24:19; Acts 3:22–23; 7:37) Luke traces Jesus’ Davidic ancestry through the prophet Nathan (see 2 Sm 7:2) rather than through King Solomon, as Mt 1:6–7. 32the son of Jesse,#1 Sm 16:1, 18. the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,#Ru 4:17–22; 1 Chr 2:1–15. the son of Judah,#Gn 29:35; 38:29. 34the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,#Gn 21:3; 25:26; 1 Chr 1:34; 28:34. the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,#Gn 11:10–26; 1 Chr 1:24–27. the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam,#Gn 4:25–5:32; 1 Chr 1:1–4. the son of God.
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