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Luke 3

Ryan Provines
03/12/23 - Podcast

And now, a minute with the Word…

Luke 3 deals with the preaching of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus.  The Chapter begins with a short list of who was who in the government at the time. Tiberius is Caesar, Pontius Pilate is the governor of Judaea, and Herod is the tetrarch of Galilee. Luke also notes that those in power are beginning to hear of John’s preaching and are worried about him. Herod, for one, is being urged to have John arrested.  The chapter then presents the heart of the story. John the Baptist, the son of Zacharias and the cousin of Jesus, is preaching and baptizing people in the country. He urges them to “bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance.” He also tells them to give alms to the poor and not tax people more than they owe. John also tells the soldiers to “do no more violence, accuse no man falsely and be content with your wages.” The climax of the chapter arrives when Jesus himself comes to be baptized by John. When this happens, “the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven which said ‘Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.'” Chapter 3 concludes with the Genealogy of Jesus.