On the other hand, the “scribes” (22:2; 23:10) belonged mainly to the party of the Pharisees (Acts 23:9). Beyond the Sanhedrin, there were many scribes and Pharisees, and the two are often mentioned together (Luke 5:21, 30; 6:7; 11:53; 15:2). They were teachers (5:17) and scholars of the law (7:30; 14:3). They also had seats of honor in synagogues (11:43; 20:46). The Pharisees accepted not only the whole written law (the Torah and the other parts of the Hebrew Bible) but also the oral traditions (see Gal 1:14) that would later find expression, for instance, in the †Mishnah. They zealously observed laws regarding table fellowship (Luke 5:30; 15:2), the sabbath (6:2, 7; 14:3), ritual purity (11:38), and tithing (11:42).
The Jewish historian Josephus discusses the Pharisees and Sadducees along with a third party, the Essenes, for whom he expresses admiration. This ascetical group, which included priests, participated only to a limited extent in temple sacrifices, as they were even more concerned with ritual purity than the Pharisees and viewed the Jerusalem priesthood as corrupt. Not explicitly mentioned in the New Testament, the Essenes had various communities, perhaps including one in Jerusalem, as there was an Essene gate in the southwest corner of the city.a Most scholars think that Qumran was a community of Essenes, to whom belonged the †Dead Sea Scrolls.
a. Josephus, Jewish War 2.119–66; 5.145; Jewish Antiquities 18.19.
[3:4–6]
All four Gospels quote the words of the prophet Isaiah (Isa 40:3) to describe John the Baptist (Matt 3:3; Mark 1:2–3; John 1:23). Zechariah’s canticle has already alluded to this verse (Luke 1:76). John is literally a voice of one crying out in the desert (1:80; 3:2). His mission is to prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. In Isaiah, these two parallel phrases refer to the Lord God: “Prepare the way of the Lord! / Make straight . . . a highway for our God!” (Isa 40:3).6 John, however, is also preparing the way for Jesus, who indeed is the Lord (Luke 1:43; 2:11).
Unlike the other Gospels, Luke lengthens the Isaiah quotation to include two more verses, thus announcing the salvation of God (see Isa 40:5 NETS). Hence, the quotation provides a key for understanding not just John’s ministry but also God’s plan of salvation through Jesus, as it will unfold in the Gospel and in Acts. Moreover, this salvation is universal in scope: all flesh shall see it, including the Gentiles (Luke 2:30–32; Acts 28:28). A great reversal is taking place, as God levels the playing field: every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low (see Luke 1:52; 13:28–30; 14:11; 18:14).
[3:7–9]
Whereas John summons people to “prepare the way of the Lord, / make straight his paths” (v. 4), the wicked do just the opposite: “The way of peace they know not. . . . / Their roads they have made crooked” (Isa 59:8). By their evil deeds, “they hatch adders’ eggs. . . . / If one of them is crushed, it will hatch a viper” (Isa 59:5). This may be the text that stands behind John’s words to the crowds: You brood of vipers! He sternly reproves the sinful dispositions of those who come to be baptized and exhorts them to produce good fruits—good deeds—as evidence of their repentance. Otherwise, they will be cut down like a tree. According to an interpretation of Isaiah at Qumran, the one who wields the ax is the messiah (see Isa 10:34–11:1),7 so John may be referring to Jesus by these words. Indeed, the same image is used by Jesus later in his parable of the fig tree (Luke 13:6–9). John thus warns them about the coming wrath, when God will mete out punishment to evildoers (see Mal 3:19).
BIBLICAL BACKGROUND
Isaiah’s New Exodus Fulfilled in Luke-Acts
Luke’s quotation (3:4–6) from Isaiah 40:3–5 not only explains John’s mission but serves as one of the keys for understanding Jesus’ mission. This passage from the beginning of the second part of Isaiah (Isa 40–66) announces that God will bring about Israel’s restoration from exile. Isaiah presents this new saving intervention by God using images drawn from Israel’s foundational saving event, the exodus. For example, the “way of the Lord” being prepared (40:3) is later described like the crossing of the sea in Exodus 14:
Thus says the LORD,
who opens a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
Who leads out chariots and horsemen,
a powerful army,
Till they lie prostrate together, never to rise . . .
See, I am doing something new! . . .
In the wilderness I make a way. (Isa 43:16–17, 19; see also 48:20–21; 51:10–11; 63:7–14)
In the years leading up to the birth of Jesus, there was widespread hope for Israel’s restoration. Though the Jewish people had long been allowed to return from Babylon, it seemed that the exile had only partially come to an end: the Davidic kingdom had not yet been restored, the twelve tribes of Israel were still scattered among the nations, and Gentile powers like the Romans continued to oppress Israel. The people thus looked for God to send the messiah to restore the kingdom (see Acts 1:6), to gather the twelve tribes (see Luke 22:30; Acts 26:6–7), and to bring even the Gentiles under God’s rule (see Acts 11:18; 15:12–18).
Luke presents Jesus’ mission as fulfilling the prophecies that portray Israel’s restoration as a new exodus.a For example, the “way” (hodos) that is being prepared will become an image, in Luke’s long travel narrative (Luke 9:51–19:44), of the “journey” (hodos) of discipleship (9:57). In Acts, Luke will continue this perspective by referring to the Church community, made up of both Jews and Gentiles, as “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22). On account of Jesus, God’s “salvation” will be seen by “all flesh” (Luke 3:6; Isa 40:5 LXX), including the Gentiles (Luke 2:30–32; Acts 28:28). At his transfiguration, Jesus will speak with Moses and Elijah about his “exodus” (Luke 9:31) that will take place in Jerusalem. At the Last Supper in Jerusalem, Jesus will celebrate the Passover where he establishes a “new covenant” (22:20), recalling how God established the Sinai covenant after the exodus.
a. David W. Pao, Acts and the Isaianic New Exodus (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2000), 37–69; Richard B. Hays, Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Gospel Witness (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2014), 62–64.
Like all Jews, those who come to John consider Abraham to be their father (see Gen 17:5; Isa 51:2; Luke 1:55, 73). However, he cautions them not to be presumptuous. Not all who regard Abraham as father will be saved (16:24), whereas others, such as tax collectors (19:9) and even Gentiles (13:28–29), will unexpectedly be reckoned children to Abraham.
[3:10–11]
In a question-and-answer dialogue unique to Luke (3:10–14), the crowds, having been challenged to produce “good fruits,” ask for advice about how to express their repentance: “What then should we do?” Like prophets of old, John instructs them to give to those in need (Isa 58:7; Ezek 18:7). Those with two tunics and food ought to share with those who lack these basic necessities (see Luke 12:22–23, 33; 1 Tim 6:8). If such radical sharing was required as evidence of repentance for John’s listeners, what ought repentance to look like for people today?
[3:12–13]
As a teacher, John gives added instructions to two groups who also ask: What should we do? First, he tells tax collectors to stop collecting more than what is prescribed. He is aware of the widespread corruption that existed in their profession. Indeed, tax collectors were often equated with sinners (Luke 5:30; 15:1–2; 18:11). However, Luke will give several examples of repentant tax collectors. Besides Levi (5:27–32), whose call is also found in Matthew and Mark (Matt 9:9–13; Mark 2:13–17), there is the tax collector in the parable (Luke 18:9–14) and Zacchaeus the chief tax collector (19:1–10), both unique to Luke.
[3:14]
Second, John instructs soldiers (either Roman or serving Herod Antipas) not to practice extortion, abusing their power by taking money through threats and violence. They should also not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with their wages, thus avoiding dishonesty (see Lev 19:11) and greed (see Luke 12:15). Although soldiers will later arrest John (3:20) and mistreat and crucify Jes
us (23:11, 36), Luke will portray several soldiers in a positive light: the centurion in Capernaum (7:1–10), the centurion at the cross (23:47), the centurion Cornelius and his devout soldier (Acts 10:1–8), and the centurion Julius who treats Paul kindly (Acts 27:1, 3, 43). The message is that the occupations of tax collector and soldier are not wrong in themselves; rather, the behavior that typically characterized those occupations is.
[3:15–16]
The people wonder whether John might be the Messiah, though the reader already knows that Jesus is the Messiah (Luke 2:11). John denies the claim by referring to one mightier than he, who will baptize not just with water but with the holy Spirit and fire. As John’s baptism was distinct from the ritual washings of his Jewish contemporaries, so also Jesus’ baptism will be distinct from John’s. This is seen in Acts, where Peter does everything John did and more. When asked the same question as John—“What should we do?” (Acts 2:37 NRSV)—Peter answers with an exhortation to repentance and baptism in Jesus’ name for the forgiveness of sins and for the receiving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).
Compared to Jesus, John does not feel worthy to perform even a menial service of untying the thongs (literally, in the singular, “the strap”) of his sandals. In some form, this saying appears in all four Gospels as well as Acts (Matt 3:11; Mark 1:7; John 1:27; Acts 13:25). Clearly, early Christians considered it important for properly understanding the relationship between John the herald and Jesus the Messiah.8
[3:17]
The Messiah will be winnowing at the threshing floor, separating the wheat from the chaff. With this agricultural image, John explains the separation that will take place with the “coming wrath” (Luke 3:7). A forklike shovel is used to toss threshed wheat into the air so that the wind can blow aside the lighter chaff, while the heavier wheat kernels fall to the ground. The wheat can then be gathered in a barn, while the chaff, a symbol for the wicked (Ps 1:4; Hosea 13:3), is burned in fire. Simeon had already announced such a separation in Israel on account of the Messiah (Luke 2:34).
[3:18]
Despite this prospect of judgment for those not heeding the message of repentance, Luke summarizes John’s ministry as one of exhorting the people as he preached good news (1:19; 2:10), the good news of God’s unfolding plan of salvation (3:6).
[3:19–20]
Preaching repentance can get a person into trouble. Indeed, Herod the tetrarch put John in prison in the Machaerus fortress on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. The reasons were that Herod had married Herodias, his brother’s wife,9 and committed other evil deeds, and thus was censured by John. This marriage caused difficulties with the Nabatean king Aretas IV, the father of Herod’s first wife, who waged war on Herod and destroyed his army. According to Josephus, some Jews saw this as God’s punishment on Herod for killing John the Baptist.10 Herod’s persecution of John presages his hostile attitude toward Jesus (9:7–9; 13:31).
Reflection and Application (3:1–20)
Courageously speaking the truth. The ascetical English bishop St. John Fisher greatly identified with his patron saint, John the Baptist. In 1529, he gave a speech defending the marriage of Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon against the king’s wish to have that marriage declared null so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. Fisher said that like John the Baptist he was willing to “lay down his life” for “the cause of marriage.”11 Fisher was later imprisoned in the Tower of London and condemned to death for not recognizing the king as the head of the Church in England. He was beheaded on Henry’s orders, as centuries before Herod had beheaded John the Baptist (Luke 9:9). Like John the Baptist and John Fisher, many other martyrs throughout history have courageously defended the truth against the errors of their time. How are we responding today?
The Baptism of Jesus (3:21–22)
21After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened 22and the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
OT: Gen 1:2; Ps 2:7; Isa 11:2; 42:1; 61:1
NT: // Matt 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; John 1:32–34
Catechism: Jesus’ baptism, 535–37, 565, 608, 1223–25; Jesus at prayer, 2600; descent of the Spirit, 701, 1286; beloved Son, 444
Lectionary: Luke 3:15–16, 21–22: Baptism of the Lord (Year C)
[3:21]
Since Luke has just mentioned John’s imprisonment, John’s role in baptizing Jesus is not explicitly mentioned (compare Matt 3:13–15; Mark 1:9–11). All attention is focused on Jesus, the “one mightier” than John (Luke 3:16). Luke associates Jesus’ baptism with that of others: all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized. Though he is holy (1:35) and without sin, Jesus is in solidarity with the crowds (3:10) of sinners. These include the tax collectors (3:12) who acknowledge “the righteousness of God” by listening to John and being baptized by him (7:29).
Jesus also was praying. Throughout the Gospel, besides teaching about prayer, Jesus is frequently presented at prayer.12 While he was praying, heaven was opened, indicating his communication with the “Father, Lord of heaven” (10:21).
[3:22]
Moreover, the holy Spirit descended upon him, in connection with his prayer. A similar connection is seen later when Jesus exhorts his disciples to pray to receive the Holy Spirit (11:13). Here the Messiah (2:11, 26), who will baptize with the Holy Spirit (3:16), has the Holy Spirit come upon him, in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies: “The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him” (Isa 11:2) and “Upon him I have put my spirit” (Isa 42:1). Jesus is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14) and will soon refer back to his baptism, applying to himself a similar passage from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, / because he has anointed me” (4:18; Isa 61:1). Peter will also refer to Jesus’ baptism and explain “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power” (Acts 10:38). The Spirit’s action at Jesus’ baptism is thus a public manifestation that formally inaugurates his mission as Messiah (see Catechism 536).13
The Spirit appeared in bodily form like a dove. This image may recall the “Spirit of God . . . hovering” over creation (Gen 1:2 NIV; see Deut 32:11, where a bird likewise “hovers”). The meaning is then that in Jesus there is a new beginning, a new creation (see 2 Cor 5:17). In Acts, the Spirit will appear again at Pentecost, but as tongues of fire (Acts 2:3), fulfilling what John the Baptist had said: “He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).
Completing the trinitarian manifestation, a voice came from heaven, the voice of God the Father: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” At Jesus’ transfiguration, the Trinity will similarly be revealed with cloud and voice (9:34–35). The voice from heaven confirms more publicly the angel’s message to Mary that Jesus is the Son of God (1:32, 35). The words recall the psalmist’s declaration of divine sonship of God’s “anointed one” (Ps 2:2): “You are my son; / today I have begotten you” (Ps 2:7). In Acts, this Davidic, messianic psalm is explicitly applied to Jesus (Acts 4:25–27; 13:33). The reference to Jesus as “beloved Son” also recalls the sacrifice of Isaac, where he is called Abraham’s “beloved son” three times (Gen 22:2, 12, 16 LXX). In the second part of the heavenly message there is an allusion to Isaiah’s †servant of the Lord: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, / my chosen one with whom I am pleased” (Isa 42:1 [emphasis added]). These allusions hint at his mission as †suffering servant (see Acts 8:32–33, citing Isa 53:7–8).14 In sum, Jesus the Davidic Messiah is the Son of God and the servant of the Lord.
The Genealogy of Jesus, the New Adam (3:23–38)
23When Jesus began his ministry he was about thirty years of age. He was the son, as was thought, 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 Matt
athias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 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 Elmadam, the son of Er, 29the son of Joshua, 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 Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31the son of Melea, the son of Menna, 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 Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, 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.
OT: Gen 5:1–32; 11:10–27; Ruth 4:18–22; 1 Chron 1:1–34; 2:1–15; 3:1–5
NT: Matt 1:1–16
Catechism: Jesus’ public life begins, 535
Lectionary: January 6 (option)
[3:23]
Following his baptism, Jesus began his ministry. The word “ministry” does not appear in the Greek text, which says simply that Jesus “was beginning.” Something new is indeed beginning in salvation history (see Acts 10:37). Jesus was about thirty years of age, which in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius (Luke 3:1), AD 28–29, would place Jesus’ birth in 3–2 BC, if “about” is understood narrowly.15 The age of thirty is significant in the Old Testament: David began to reign at thirty (2 Sam 5:4), and Levites also began their ministry at that age (Num 4:2–3, 46–47).
The Gospel of Luke Page 11