Luke 3
- Who wrote it
- Traditionally Luke, a doctor and companion of Paul
- Who it was for
- Theophilus and other followers of Jesus
- What was happening
- John at the Jordan, and Jesus' baptism, dated by emperors and governors
What’s happening
Luke dates the moment carefully: in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate is governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God comes to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He goes through the region around the Jordan preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as Isaiah wrote: "Make ready the way of the Lord ... Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low ... and all flesh will see the salvation of God." To the crowds who come out he says, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don't begin to say among yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father.' For I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe lies at the root of the trees." They ask, "What then must we do?" He says, "He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none." Tax collectors are told to collect no more than they are ordered, and soldiers not to extort or accuse falsely, and to be content with their wages. When people wonder if he might be the Christ, John says, "I indeed baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I comes ... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire," and speaks of a winnowing fork and the threshing floor. He also rebukes Herod the tetrarch for taking his brother's wife, Herodias, and for all the evil he had done, and Herod adds to it by shutting John up in prison. When all the people have been baptized, Jesus too is baptized, and while he is praying, heaven opens, the Holy Spirit descends on him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice from heaven says, "You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased." Luke then says Jesus is about thirty years old as he begins, "being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph," and gives a genealogy running backward through David and Abraham to Noah and Adam, "the son of God."
Why the setting matters
Tiberius became emperor in AD 14, so the fifteenth year is about AD 28 or 29, depending on how years are counted; this is the most precise date in the Gospels. Pilate governed Judea from about AD 26 to 36; Herod Antipas and Philip, sons of Herod the Great, ruled their own regions as tetrarchs. Annas had been high priest earlier and remained powerful, and Caiaphas, his son-in-law, held the office. Luke's naming of all these shows that the story belongs in public history. John's quotation from Isaiah 40 goes further than Mark's or Matthew's, ending with "all flesh will see the salvation of God," which matches Luke's concern with everyone. Baptism was already used for Gentiles joining Judaism, and John asks Jews to do the same; the claim to descent from Abraham was a common source of confidence. Tax collectors worked for Rome through contractors and made their living by collecting extra, which is why John's instruction is specific. John's advice to the crowds, the tax collectors, and the soldiers is practical: share, be honest, don't abuse power. Luke tells of John's imprisonment before the baptism, though not in chronological order. Jesus' genealogy differs from Matthew's: it runs backward, goes through David's son Nathan, not Solomon, and goes all the way to Adam. How the two lists relate has been debated for a long time.
Who’s in this chapter
John the Baptist
Preaches repentance and gives practical instruction.
Jesus
Baptized while praying, and called the beloved Son.
The crowds
Ask John, "What then must we do?"
Tax collectors
Told to collect no more than is due.
Soldiers
Told not to extort or accuse falsely.
Herod Antipas
Rebuked by John, and shuts him up in prison.
Annas
Named with Caiaphas as high priest.
Caiaphas
High priest during the ministry.
Talk it through
- Luke names seven rulers before John appears. What difference does it make for a Gospel to begin with a date?
- John gives different instructions to crowds, tax collectors, and soldiers. What do they have in common?
- While Jesus prays, heaven opens. Why might Luke mention prayer here, when the other Gospels don't?
- The genealogy ends with Adam, "the son of God." What does Luke gain by tracing Jesus back that far?
Read Luke 3
World English Bible
1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins. 4As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. 5Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth. 6All flesh will see God’s salvation.’ ”
7He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! 9Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.”
10The multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?”
11He answered them, “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.”
12Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?”
13He said to them, “Collect no more than that which is appointed to you.”
14Soldiers also asked him, saying, “What about us? What must we do?”
He said to them, “Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages.”
15As the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ, 16John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire, 17whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
18Then with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people, 19but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done, 20added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison. 21Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying “You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.”
23Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 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 Joseph, the son of Judah, 27the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29the son of Jose, 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 Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33the son of Amminadab, the son of Aram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, 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, 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, the son of God.
Text: World English Bible, Public domain. About our sources