Luke 3:2-6, 15-18
SS Lesson for 12/18/2022
Devotional Scriptures: John 1:19-27
So-called wilderness experiences are memorable because of how they have the potential to change a person. Though these experiences might be disorienting and filled with challenges, God can use them to draw people closer to Him for greater service, as in the examples of Elijah (1 Kings 19:1–9) and Paul (Galatians 1:17-18). In what may be called a ripple effect, a person’s wilderness experience has the potential to change many others as well, not just the person with the experience. All four Gospels tell the story of John the Baptist, a forerunner of Jesus (Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 1:5-25, 57-66; John 1:19–34; 3:22-36). We take care not to confuse him with the John who wrote the Gospel that bears that name. The Gospels describe John the Baptist and his preaching as coming in the type of the prophet Elias (that is, Elijah; see Matthew 11:13-14; 17:11-13; Mark 9:11-13; Luke 1:17; compare John 1:21-27). John came as the last prophet of Israel. As such, his task was to “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17; compare Malachi 4:5-6). John spent his formative years in the wilderness (Luke 1:80). Some students of the New Testament propose that while in the wilderness John interacted with a Jewish sect known as the Essenes. Unlike the parties of the Sadducees and the Pharisees, the Essenes are not mentioned in the New Testament. However, historians of the first century AD, including Josephus, attest to their existence and ascetic practices. Though similarities exist between the practices of the Essenes and those of John, Scripture is silent regarding any association that John may have had with that group. John’s birth is described in Luke 1:57-66. After pausing to tell of the birth of Jesus (Luke 2), Luke reintroduces his audience to John. He does so by setting the context of John’s public ministry within the political and religious context of the day (see 3:1-2a). Luke mentions, among others, Tiberius Caesar (Roman emperor, AD 14-37), Pontius Pilate (governor of Judaea, AD 26-36), Herod Antipas (tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, 4 BC-AD 39), and two high priests (variously served, AD 7-36). Luke states that the narrative of John the Baptist in today’s text occurred in the “fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” (3:1), which dates to either AD 28 or 29. Luke’s references to these leaders do more than merely establish a time frame for events recorded in his Gospel. The inclusion of these rulers reminds Luke’s intended audience (which may be primarily Gentile in background) that the Jewish people of this time lived under foreign Roman occupation. They were waiting for a savior who would free them from foreign occupation (compare Luke 24:21; John 6:15; Acts 1:6). John, however, came into this context preaching a message of a different sort of salvation. Matthew 3:1-2, 11-12; Mark 1:4-8; and John 1:24–28 are parallel to the two segments of today’s text.
And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
2 While Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,
4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
38 "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
7 "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
36 Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."
24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country — a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not,
16 John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
17 "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."
18 And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.
25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
13 while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
21 Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay.
7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.
13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you-guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."
12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
I suppose that if I were to ask my children what they thought about John the Baptist after reading our text, their response could probably be summarized this way: “He was a rude, crude, dude!” It is very easy to categorize John as kind of weird, and certainly, it would seem, quite hostile! This, however, is to fail to view John as a prophet, and also to miss the greatness and the marvelous qualities of this unique individual. Let us begin, then, by considering John as a man.53
(1) John was a man of distinction. By this I mean that John was a very unique individual, a man who stood out from the crowd. This is evident in various ways. John was a Nazarite from birth, and thus his food was distinctive. John was also a “desert man” so that he ate wild locusts and honey, the food of the desert. John was a prophet, and so he dressed in the garb of Elijah the prophet.
(2) John was a popular and powerful preacher. Mark’s account of the commencement of John’s ministry makes it clear that John’s ministry was widely known and widely sought:
And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins (Mark 1:5).
Mark informs us that even Herod had enjoyed listening to John, even though the message of John struck hard at his own sins (Mark 6:20; cf. Luke 4:19). John may have been “a voice crying in the wilderness,” but many people heard this voice. John was a man like E. F. Hutton (at least as the T.V. commercials would have us believe): when he spoke, people listened.
We might be inclined to think that John’s popularity was like that of our Lord, a result of the miracles which He performed (cf. John 6:26). John informs us of a very significant fact, however:
And many came to Him [Jesus, at place where John commenced his ministry]; and they were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true” (John 10:41).
When you stop to think about it, there is not one instance in the gospels where we are ever told that John performed a miracle. John did not heal, like our Lord, so far as the text informs us. Those people who witnessed the ministry of Jesus, in the very place where John had formerly preached and baptized, testified that John “performed no sign.” This means that it was only John’s preaching that attracted the crowds. He must have been some preacher. (No doubt it was the messianic nature of his message which caused such excitement. John’s ministry seemed to give hope of the coming of the kingdom, as it was intended to do (cf. Luke 3:15-17).
It may not be saying enough to simply say John was a powerful preacher. It is probably more accurate to say that he was a powerful man. While it is true that Herod, as a politician, feared John because the people thought him to be a prophet (Matt. 14:5), Herod, as a pagan, feared John because he was a holy man:
For Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him (Mark 6:20).
(3) John was a man a great insight into the sinfulness of people and society. You might think that a man who lived in the remote places of the wilderness would have little grasp of what was going on in the “big city.” John’s ministry reveals that he was very much up to date with what was going on. John not only rebuked Herod for taking another man’s wife as his own,54 he also rebuked Him for “all the wicked things he had done” (Luke 3:19). John was able to put his finger on the specific sin which most characterized the tax-gatherers, and of the soldiers as well (Luke 3:12-14).
(4) John was a man of integrity. John lived what he preached and preached what he lived. His message was not one that would “tickle the ears” of his audience, but he proclaimed it forthrightly and forcefully. He did not appeal to fleshly motives, nor did he hesitate to point out the implications of the message of repentance which he preached. He did not have a vacation retreat in the mountains (we can assume), nor a fat bank account, all the while telling others to share with the needy (cf. Luke 3:11).
(5) John was a man of prayer. I would not have immediately thought of John as a man of prayer, but why not. More and more I am coming to view proclamation and prayer as the priorities of our lives, especially those who are in positions of leadership (cf. Acts 6:1-6). I have frequently heard the request of the disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray,… ” but I have seldom heard the request finished. The disciples of our Lord, some of whom had been John’s disciples previously (John 1), asked, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”
John was a man of prayer—a fact noted by the disciples of our Lord.
(6) John was a man of humility. John’s deep humility becomes particularly evident on several occasions. The first is when John’s ministry had become widely acclaimed and simultaneously messianic expectation had become intense. Note John’s response, as recorded by Luke:
Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he might be the Christ, John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but He who is mightier than I is coming, and I am not fit to tie the thong of His sandals; He Himself will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire. And His winnowing fork is in His hand to clean out His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:15-17).
How easy it would have been for John to hedge here, allowing the people to conclude he was the Messiah, without actually claiming to be. How easy for John to have gained financially, to have misused his role to bolster his ego. But John quickly set about to correct the misconceptions of the people, to focus their attention and devotion toward the Messiah, and not on himself.
The second occasion on which John’s humility became evident was after the appearance of Jesus, when His public ministry had commenced. Immediately His ministry began to overshadow John’s. His disciples were baptizing more than John’s, and His ministry was attracting more followers. John is at his finest hour here, as recorded in the last part of John chapter 3. What a giant John was. How graciously he accepted his role and rejoiced in the success of the Savior. He was, indeed, a man of deep humility.
As a man, John provides us with a model for ministry. His life was testimony to the fact that John believed with all his heart that, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
John was a prophet whose ministry was rooted in the Old Testament. In the first place, the appearance and ministry of John was prophesied in the Old Testament:
A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain,55 And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Isaiah 40:3-5).
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. And you will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts. Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:1-6).
Our Lord made it clear to His disciples that John was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi:
And His disciples asked Him saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you, that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist (Matt. 17:10-13; cf. also Mark 9:11-13, Luke 1:17).
John did not merely fulfill Old Testament prophecy, he spoke as an Old Testament prophet. His message was the same message which the (other) Old Testament prophets had proclaimed. We can but briefly summarize the similarities between John’s proclamation and that of the other prophets, but a comparison of their messages (a worthwhile endeavor) will show that their messages and emphases were the same.
John spoke of the coming of the kingdom of God (e.g. Matt. 3:2), but he rather than speaking of it only as a time of blessing, he spoke of judgment, of “the wrath to come” (cf. Matt. 3:7). In a similar way, Joel foretold the coming of the “day of the Lord,” warning that it was to be a time of judgment for Israel, as well as for the nations (Joel 1:15; 2:1-3, etc.). There was also a promise of grace and compassion, for all who repented (Joel 2:12ff.).
John called upon his audience to share their material possessions with those in need: “Let the man who has two tunics share with him who has none; and let him who has food do likewise” (Luke 3:11).
His words should have a familiar ring, for this is what the prophets of old had called upon Israel to do:
“Is this not the fast which I chose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free, And break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard (Isaiah 58:6-8).
John called upon Israel to show mercy to practice justice.
“Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages” (Luke 3:13, 14).
The prophet Malachi, as did the others, called upon the Old Testament saint to do likewise:
“Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien, and do not fear Me,” says the LORD of hosts (Malachi 3:5).
John rebuked Herod for taking the wife of his brother (cf. Luke 3:19). His message could easily have been preached from this text in Malachi:
“And this is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. Yet you say, ‘For what reason?” Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then, to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the LORD of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously” (Malachi 2:13-16).
(Adapted from URL:https://bible.org/seriespage/7-john-baptizer-luke-31-20)
John came as a forerunner for Christ and a prophet to the people. He served the cause of Christ by baptizing people into a life of repentance and proclaiming the imminent arrival of God’s salvation. Throughout the ministry of John the Baptist, he proclaimed good news, encouraged the downtrodden, and upset powerful leaders. Though Scripture is mostly silent regarding his time in the wilderness (see Matthew 3:4), he came from that place with a message that would change the world. How might a wilderness experience prepare you to proclaim God’s message of salvation through Jesus Christ? These experiences may cost you; wilderness experiences may not bring you a life filled with the world’s measures of comfort, power, wealth, or honor. Instead, Jesus’ followers are called to follow Him and proclaim the good news of His salvation. In this sense, all believers prepare the world for the way for the Lord.
John the Baptist prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus by calling people to repentance. His baptism was one of repentance. That baptism foreshadowed the baptism of the New Testament era, which signifies one's identification with the death and resurrection of Christ. Repentance means to change one's mind and, as a result, to change one's actions. There may have been many reasons that people went out to the desert to hear John and to be baptized by him. It could have been that they thought baptism would save them. It could even have been a social thing to do, or perhaps they simply went out of curiosity. The Baptist would have none of that as he called people to real repentance. He called them a brood of vipers and challenged them to show that their repentance was real by their works. Since New Testament days some have tried to separate faith and works, but really the two are inextricably linked. The Jews thought that because they were descended from Abraham, they were in a right relationship with God. Today people may think that because they belong to a certain church or hold a certain doctrine, they are in a right relationship with God. The Jews were God's chosen people on earth, but that alone did not make any of them chosen spiritually (Rom. 2:28-29; 9:6-8). Just as today, being a member of a church is a good thing, but that does not make a person a child of God. It is clear that faith is what is needed for salvation, not good works. Ephesians 2:8-10 explains that salvation and righteousness are gifts from God. They are not earned by works or by a ceremony such as baptism. If faith is real, however, it will work. James 2:17 says that faith without works is dead. Philippians 2:13 says it is God who is at work in believers. When we are truly saved, our nature is changed, and God produces good works in us. One line of thinking says that a person is saved because of a ceremony or affiliation with a specific denomination. Another line of thinking says that a person is saved because he or she has done a certain amount of good things for God. Neither is true. The Jews of the New Testament thought that because they were descendants of Abraham, they were saved. Neither that nor doing good works to try to gain salvation is what God wanted them to do. Both attitudes focus more on the flesh than on God. John was calling the people to become true children of God and not just go through the motions. Jesus preached the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5 through 7. John the Baptist said true repentance would result in good works such as generosity, honesty, and contentment (Luke 3:11-14). Jesus told people the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount. Repentance is the first step in establishing a relationship with God. The evidence of that repentance is always good works. When a person truly turns to God as his Saviour, good works will follow that repentance. Bringing forth "fruits" then is a matter of showing what God has done inside a person.