Big Idea: John calls the people to a new beginning, and so prepares the way for the Messiah.

Understanding the Text

We now move into the story proper, and it begins, as chapter 1 led us to expect, not with Jesus but rather with John, the forerunner. At 3:21 the focus will turn to Jesus, but John’s call to repentance, and the considerable impact that it had on public opinion, will remain in the background of Jesus’s own ministry. In many ways Jesus will be, as he was popularly perceived to be, the successor to John (7:33–34; 9:7–9, 19; 11:1; 20:1–8), and Jesus himself will emphasize the pivotal importance of John’s ministry (7:24–28). Here the scene is set for that later linkage.

Historical and Cultural Background

In 3:1–2 Luke is keen to set the story of Jesus in its wider historical c…