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Suggested Texts for Sunday, December 15th - Advent 3

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John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene-- 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all mankind will see God's salvation.' "

7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

10 "What should we do then?" the crowd asked.

11 John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."

12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?"

13 "Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told

14 them. Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely--be content with your pay."

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. 16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.

19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.


Overview and Insights

In this section the Savior prepares for public ministry as the prophet John, in his own way, prepares the way for Jesus (Chapters 3-4). The more powerful One is coming! Jesus enters public ministry by submitting to John’s baptism. His credentials as the Savior for all humanity are traced back to Adam. When Satan confronts the Son of God in the wilderness in an attempt to derail the entire project, Jesus proves faithful.

Luke locates the ministry of John the Baptizer within world history rather than just local history (3:1–2). The “word of God came to John” the prophet to preach a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (3:2–3). This kind of language introduces the prophets of the Old Testament and identifies John as a continuation of their prophetic ministry. Luke cites Scripture from Isaiah to show that “all mankind together will see” God’s salvation (Isa. 40:3–5). We are reminded that Jesus is the Savior for the whole world! When John confronts the crowds with the urgent need to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (3:8), they ask in response, “What should we do then?” (3:10). Genuine, fruit-bearing repentance will be demonstrated in concrete, ethical actions. John gives three examples: (1) rich people will give generously; (2) tax collectors will become honest; and (3) soldiers will refrain from violence and deceit and instead be content with their military pay (3:11–14). As the people wonder if John might be the Messiah, he sets the record straight. He’s not even worthy of untying Jesus’s sandals (a task too demeaning for even a slave), and his baptism pales in comparison to Jesus’s baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire. No, John is not the Messiah, but the Messiah is coming . . . soon! John’s prophetic integrity and boldness lands him in prison and ultimately costs him his life (3:19–20; see also Mark 6:14–29).

The Baker Bible Handbook by , Baker Publishing Group, 2016

Baker Commentary

The historical introduction in 3:1 signifies the real beginning of the gospel story (cf. Acts 10:37). Luke is the only Gospel writer who clearly sets the events into the context of world history. Tiberius’s reign extended from AD 14 to 37. The reference to Tiberius’s fifteenth year (3:1) is not definitive because there were different ways of calculating chronology in the ancient world. One possible date is AD 28/29, though AD 26/27 could be correct as well. Pontius Pilate ruled as the governor of Judea (the correct technical term is prefect) from AD 26 to 36. Herod the tetrarch of Galilee is not Herod the Great but Herod Antipas, who reigned over Galilee and Perea from 4 BC to AD 39. Antipas was the son of Herod the Great and is the Herod referred to in the rest of the Gospel. Philip was also a son of Herod the Great and reigned from 4 BC to AD 34. Very little is known about Lysanias. Only one person could be high priest at a time in Israel (3:2). Annas functioned as high priest from AD 6 to 15, and Caiaphas was high priest from AD 18 to 36. Luke does not distinguish carefully between Annas and Caiaphas because the latter was the son-in-law of Annas, and hence Annas continued to exercise great power during the high priesthood of Caiaphas. The event Luke is placing into its historical context is the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry. John’s ministry is conducted in the desert (3:2) near the Jordan River. He preaches “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (3:3). This was not merely ritual washing but involved a definite break with sin. Luke sees John’s ministry as a fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3–5. Just as Isaiah predicted, Israel needed a “new exodus” to enter the land of promise. Spiritually Israel needed to come out of the wilderness, pass through the Jordan, and enter the land of promise. John is the transitional prophet between the old and new eras (cf. Luke 16:16), and he is preparing all people for God’s salvation.

Verses 7–18 can be divided into three subsections: John preaches on (1) eschatology (3:7–9), (2) ethics (3:10–14), and (3) the Messiah (3:15–17). In verses 7–9 John warns that baptism without a change of lifestyle is worthless. Neither can the Jews rely on their heritage, for being a child of Abraham does not matter if one does not partake of the character of Abraham. John’s ominous reference to “the coming wrath” confirms these warnings, for the ax of judgment is ready to fall. What is the “good fruit” (3:9) one should produce before judgment falls? In verses 10–14 Luke gives us a sample of John’s ethical teaching. John does not call people to imitate his ascetic lifestyle, nor does he upset the existing social order, for he does not ask tax collectors or soldiers to leave their present jobs. Instead, he counsels those who are in these professions to be honest and content with their wages. The soldiers described here are probably not Romans but the soldiers of Herod. The common people are counseled to share their food and clothing with others (3:10). John’s preaching on imminent judgment and his powerful ethical message stimulate the people to consider whether or not he is the Messiah (3:15). John clearly shows that he is not the Messiah for the following reasons: (1) one is coming who is “more powerful” (3:16) than John; (2) John is not even worthy to untie the thongs of his sandals, a task that was usually performed by non-Jewish slaves in Palestine; (3) John’s baptism is only in water, but the coming one “will baptize . . . with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Luke is thinking of the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4), and the reference to fire may refer either to the refining of the righteous or to judgment on the recalcitrant (3:17). Since Luke wants to focus on Jesus, he completes the story of the Baptist’s ministry here and briefly relates the story of his imprisonment. Luke will return to the Baptist again for other reasons (cf. 7:18–35; 16:16).

The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary by Gary M. Burge, Baker Publishing Group, 2016

Dictionary Terms

Direct Matches

Abilene
Ancestor
Baptism in the Spirit
Baptism of Fire
Baptism with the Spirit
Caesar
Caiaphas
Chaff
Fan
Filled With the Spirit
Fork
Garner
Governor
Herod
Herod Philip
Herodias
Holy Spirit
Iturea
Latchet
Lysanias
Philip
Remission
Repentance
Sin
Spirit Baptism
Stone
Tetrarch
Threshing
Threshing Floor
Tiberius Caesar
Trachonitis
Traconitis
Water
Wilderness
Winnowing
Winnowing Fork

Secondary Matches

The following suggestions occured because Luke 3:1-20 is mentioned in the definition.
Adam
Agrippa
Antipas
Book of Malachi
Church
Cook
Cooked
Cooking
Cooking and Heating
Cornfloor
Eating
Evangelism
Forerunner
Heating
Iniquity
Jesus Christ
John the Baptist
Manaen
Nativity of Christ
Occupation
Occupations and Professions
Orphan
Palestine
Poor
Poverty
Profession
River
Rivers and Waterways
Synoptic Gospels
Transportation and Travel
Travel
Work