WHEN:
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The 15th year of Tiberius Caesar.
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Tiberius began to reign on September 18th, 14 A.D. which places the events of Luke 3 in 29-30 A.D..
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The genealogy in the 2nd half of the chapter records Jesus’ relatives from 1 A.D. back to the beginning of the world.
CHARACTERS:
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Tiberius Caesar - Emperor of Rome from 14 A.D. to 37 A.D..
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Pontius Pilate - 5th Roman governor of the region of Judea who presided at the trial of Jesus.
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Herod the Tetrarch (Herod Antipas) - Appointed by the Roman Empire to reign over Galilee and Perea.
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Philip the Tetrarch (Herod Philip II) - Half-brother of Herod Antipas and ruler of Ituraea and Trachonitis.
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Lysanias Tetrarch of Abilene - Abilene was a small region north of Philip’s territory, to the west of Damascus.
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Annas - Appointed High Priest of the Jews in 6 A.D., was removed from office in 15 A.D..
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Caiaphas - Appointed High Priest of the Jews by Pontius Pilate, was removed from the office in 37 A.D..
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John (John the Baptist) - Son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, chosen by God to prepare the way for the Messiah.
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Jesus’ Relatives - Dating all the way back to Adam and Eve.
WHERE:
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John was preaching in the wilderness of Judea.
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This wilderness was/is located on the west side of the Dead Sea.
OUTLINE:
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LUKE SETS THE STAGE ON WHICH JOHN PREACHES AND THE MESSIAH APPEARS (3:1-3:2a):
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Luke records the national and regional leaders in power when John began preaching in the wilderness.
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Tiberius, Pilate, Antipas, Philip, Lysanias, Annas, and Caiaphas were all governing in the Roman Empire.
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MINISTRY OF JOHN (3:2b-3:14):
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John (John the Baptist) began preaching in the wilderness of Judea and the region around the Jordan River.
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He instructed his Jewish audiences to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.
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John’s ministry fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3-4
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He condemned the Pharisees and Sadducees for their hypocrisy.
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He told them to repent and stop relying on their Jewish heritage to save them.
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The honest hearts in the audience came to John and asked what they ought to do to please God.
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He taught the common people, the tax collectors, and the soldiers how to live and work in a godly way.
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JOHN’S IDENTITY IN QUESTION (3:15-3:20):
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After a while, some of the Jews started to suspect John might be the Messiah.
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John didn’t leave any question, he was not the Messiah.
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The Messiah was going to come with power and blessing more robust than he could bestow.
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John baptized with water, the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.
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JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN (3:21-3:22):
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Many people were being baptized by John.
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Jesus came from Nazareth and was baptized in the Jordan River (Mark 1:9).
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Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit as He descended on Jesus like a dove (Luke 3:22; Acts 10:38).
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A voice spoke from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
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THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS (3:23-3:38):
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Jesus was 30 years old when He was baptized and started His ministry.
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The remainder of the verses in the chapter record Jesus’ family tree.
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It begins with Jesus’ parents and records His male ancestors all the way back to the creation of the world.
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Several important Old Testament figures are listed: David, Boaz, Abraham, Noah, Seth, and Adam.
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The genealogy proves Jesus was qualified to fulfill the role of the Messiah.
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BIG PICTURE:
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The prophets, even the angels, had long desired to understand how God would save His people (1 Peter 1:12). John is giving the world an introduction to God’s method.
APPLICATION:
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John never pointed people to himself, he was unwavering in giving Jesus the attention. We need to be like John!
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The boring parts of the Bible matter. Genealogies aren’t fun to read, but the details they contain are vital to the Bible’s story.
