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Luke Chapter 3
Luke

WHEN:

  • The 15th year of Tiberius Caesar.

  • Tiberius began to reign on September 18th, 14 A.D. which places the events of Luke 3 in 29-30 A.D..

  • The genealogy in the 2nd half of the chapter records Jesus’ relatives from 1 A.D. back to the beginning of the world.

CHARACTERS:

  • Tiberius Caesar - Emperor of Rome from 14 A.D. to 37 A.D..

  • Pontius Pilate - 5th Roman governor of the region of Judea who presided at the trial of Jesus.

  • Herod the Tetrarch (Herod Antipas) - Appointed by the Roman Empire to reign over Galilee and Perea.

  • Philip the Tetrarch (Herod Philip II) - Half-brother of Herod Antipas and ruler of Ituraea and Trachonitis.

  • Lysanias Tetrarch of Abilene - Abilene was a small region north of Philip’s territory, to the west of Damascus.

  • Annas - Appointed High Priest of the Jews in 6 A.D., was removed from office in 15 A.D..

  • Caiaphas - Appointed High Priest of the Jews by Pontius Pilate, was removed from the office in 37 A.D..

  • John (John the Baptist) - Son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, chosen by God to prepare the way for the Messiah.

  • Jesus’ Relatives - Dating all the way back to Adam and Eve.

WHERE:

  • John was preaching in the wilderness of Judea.

  • This wilderness was/is located on the west side of the Dead Sea.

OUTLINE:

  • LUKE SETS THE STAGE ON WHICH JOHN PREACHES AND THE MESSIAH APPEARS (3:1-3:2a):

    • Luke records the national and regional leaders in power when John began preaching in the wilderness.

    • Tiberius, Pilate, Antipas, Philip, Lysanias, Annas, and Caiaphas were all governing in the Roman Empire.

  • MINISTRY OF JOHN (3:2b-3:14):

    • John (John the Baptist) began preaching in the wilderness of Judea and the region around the Jordan River.

    • He instructed his Jewish audiences to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.

    • John’s ministry fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3-4

    • He condemned the Pharisees and Sadducees for their hypocrisy.

    • He told them to repent and stop relying on their Jewish heritage to save them.

    • The honest hearts in the audience came to John and asked what they ought to do to please God.

    • He taught the common people, the tax collectors, and the soldiers how to live and work in a godly way.

  • JOHN’S IDENTITY IN QUESTION (3:15-3:20):

    • After a while, some of the Jews started to suspect John might be the Messiah.

    • John didn’t leave any question, he was not the Messiah.

    • The Messiah was going to come with power and blessing more robust than he could bestow.

    • John baptized with water, the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.

  • JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN (3:21-3:22):

    • Many people were being baptized by John.

    • Jesus came from Nazareth and was baptized in the Jordan River (Mark 1:9).

    • Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit as He descended on Jesus like a dove (Luke 3:22; Acts 10:38).

    • A voice spoke from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

  • THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS (3:23-3:38):

    • Jesus was 30 years old when He was baptized and started His ministry.

    • The remainder of the verses in the chapter record Jesus’ family tree.

    • It begins with Jesus’ parents and records His male ancestors all the way back to the creation of the world.

    • Several important Old Testament figures are listed: David, Boaz, Abraham, Noah, Seth, and Adam.

    • The genealogy proves Jesus was qualified to fulfill the role of the Messiah.

BIG PICTURE:

  • The prophets, even the angels, had long desired to understand how God would save His people (1 Peter 1:12). John is giving the world an introduction to God’s method.

APPLICATION:

  • John never pointed people to himself, he was unwavering in giving Jesus the attention. We need to be like John!

  • The boring parts of the Bible matter. Genealogies aren’t fun to read, but the details they contain are vital to the Bible’s story.