Luke 3:1 - 22
3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,[a]
make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,[a]
make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics[b] is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, 20 added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;[c] with you I am well pleased.”[d]
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. v3 - If they had the sacrificial system, why did people think they needed their sins forgiven?
2. v5 - What does it mean that every valley will be filled, etc?
3. v11 - Why is John telling people to be good as opposed to be baptised?
4. v16 - What does the reference to not being worthy to untie His sandals mean?
5. v21 - What did it mean that the Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus at this time?
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2017/02/mark-11-8-beginning-of-good-news-about.html says:
ReplyDeleteSome of this was covered in Matthew - http://hartmangroupdevotions.blogspot.com/2014/10/matthew-31-11-enter-john-baptist-things.htm
It's interesting that John installed himself out in the wilderness where no people were. They all went out to him. He didn't make it easy for them to repent. Perhaps easy repentance can sometimes be no repentance.
It doesn't say anywhere that John did miracles. But if he didn't why was he so popular? John 10:41 says that John did no miracles.
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2017/03/mark-19-15-9-at-that-time-jesus-came.html says:
ReplyDeleteJohn used the Jewish concept of mikveh means - Several biblical regulations specify that full immersion in water is required to regain ritual purity after ritually impure incidents have occurred. It was used most commonly to convert Gentiles to Jews.
There are many views why Jesus was Baptized, some of the better views are; His coming as the Representative of a guilty race, or as the bearer of the sins of others, or of His surrendering Himself symbolically to death for man. However as Jesus came to ‘fulfill all righteousness’ it seems to best to say that He came to perform perfect obedience to Gods Law. This obedience not only included all the ceremonial, civil and moral laws given to Moses, but as Christ was not only God but man, He must also submit to the ministries of Prophets sent by God.
1. It was to identify the Lord as the Son of God at the beginning of his ministry.
2. It was a commencement token of the total dedication of Christ in carrying out Heaven’s plan.
3. It was a visual precursor to the Savior’s ultimate death, burial, and resurrection.
Jesus affirms this message by being baptized. He says the Lord has come and repentance is the way of salvation. Being Jewish is not enough. A heart change is required to be in God’s kingdom. It’s not a matter of who your daddy was or whether you are an outcast. It’s whether you have confessed your sins and bear fruit in keeping with your repentance.
John is preaching a new message and Jesus is picking it up and making it a reality. Jesus uses John’s baptism to demonstrate this.
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2017/03/mark-19-15-9-at-that-time-jesus-came.html continued:
ReplyDeleteIf the Holy Spirit “came on” John the Baptist at birth, the Holy Spirit could have come “on” Jesus at birth. But we do not know if that happened since the New Testament does not explicit say so. None of the gospels explicitly say that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit before His baptism.
Filled At His Baptism. “Did Jesus do miracles by His own power as God or did He depend on the Holy Spirit?” The Old Testament tells us that the Holy Spirit was to rest on Jesus during His ministry on this earth.
At this point we could ask, “Why did the Holy Spirit need to rest on Him if He was God?” The answer is found in Philippians 2:7 where we are told that Jesus did not come to earth in His divine glory (Matt. 17:1-5). He did not come knowing everything (Matt. 24:36). In fact, He came as a human baby who had to physically and intellectually grow and increase in wisdom.
Jesus was both God and human. But in order to experience life as a human, Jesus limited the free use of His divine powers or prerogatives. This is the message of Philippians 2:5-8. He also chose to depend on the power of the Holy Spirit for His ministry. In Luke, Jesus seems to imply that He needed the Holy Spirit to do miracles.
He depended on the Holy Spirit to perform His ministry. Just as Jesus did in His humanity, God expects us to depend on the Holy Spirit for the power in our ministry.
Even though scripture does not say the Holy Spirit was upon Jesus before His baptism, it seems that was true. The gospel writers make it clear that Jesus did miracle after miracle by the Holy Spirit. He died by the Spirit and returned to life by the Spirit. Jesus is an example to us that we too should live by the power of the Holy Spirit. That power comes by being filled with His Spirit and by walking in His Spirit. That is the key to power in the Christian life.
----
Perhaps most difficult of all these questions about how Jesus “developed” is what happened at his baptism. One gets a clear indication that Jesus “changed” in at least some sense at his baptism. Matthew 3:16 describes the Holy Spirit “descending like a dove.” What does that mean? Does it mean that Jesus did not have the Holy Spirit with him before that? Does it mean that the Holy Spirit came on him in a special, greater measure at that time? Or was this simply a sign for the benefit of others and that Jesus did not change at all at his baptism? We do not know.
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2017/03/mark-19-15-9-at-that-time-jesus-came.html continued:
ReplyDeleteWhat was the message of Jesus? It is, in a nutshell: The kingdom of God has come near.
What is the Kingdom of God?
when Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God, he did not think in terms of locality, but authority. So, we could paraphrase Mark 1:15, which summarizes Jesus’ preaching, as follows: “God’s reign is at hand. God’s power is being unleashed. Turn your life around and put your trust in this good news.”
How Does Jesus Proclaim the Kingdom of God?
Notice that the kingdom is not something we create by our own efforts, but rather something we receive.
Where is the Kingdom of God?
The kingdom of God is not what we call heaven. The kingdom is not merely in our hearts. So, though God’s reign embraces and transforms human hearts, it is not limited to some sort of interior experience. The kingdom of God impacts actions, thoughts, relationships, families, institutions, and governments. In the end, it will touch everything on earth, when God’s will is fully done on earth “as it is in heaven.” Yet this expansive kingdom has begun on earth in a most unexpected and unnoticed way – rather like a mustard seed – in the ministry of Jesus.
When is the Kingdom of God Coming? Then? Now? Both? Never?
If Jesus had only spoken of the reign of God in a future tense, our task would be simple. Unfortunately for those of us who like things neat and tidy, Jesus also spoke of the presence of the kingdom. The kingdom is already present in the ministry of Jesus and it is not yet fully present.
How is the Kingdom of God Coming?
Jesus believed that the kingdom of God would come as the Messiah drank the cup of God’s wrath, offering himself as a ransom for many.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteCaesar Augustus (Caius Octavius, grand-nephew, adopted son, and primary heir to Julius Caesar who died in 44 BC) was the founder of the Roman Principate and considered the first Roman emperor. Before and after Julius’ death in 44 B.C., the Roman government was constantly torn by power struggles. Octavius (Caesar Augustus) ascended to undisputed supremacy in 31 B.C. by defeating his last remaining rival, Antony, in a military battle at Actium. In 29 B.C., the Roman senate declared Octavius (Caesar Augustus) Rome’s first emperor. Two years later (27 B C) they honored him with the title “Augustus” (“exalted one”—a term signifying religious veneration). Rome’s republican government was effectively abolished, and Augustus (Caesar Augustus) was given supreme military power. Caesar Augustus reigned over the Roman Empire from 27 BC until his death at age 76 in AD 14. He was succeeded by Tiberius Caesar who his adopted son (Lk 2:1) and he reigned from A.D. 14-37.
Under the rule of Caesar Augustus, the Roman Empire dominated the Mediterranean region ushering in a period of great prosperity and relative peace (the Pax Romana). Caesar Augustus ordered a census of “all the inhabited earth”. This census decree actually established a cycle of enrollments that were to occur every 14 years. Palestine had previously been excluded from the Roman census, because Jews were exempt from serving in the Roman army, and the census was designed primarily to register young men for military service (as well as account for all Roman citizens). Property and income values were not recorded in this registration, but later the statistics gathered in this census were used for levying poll taxes (Mt 22:17 - the annual fee of one denarius per person). The Jews came to regard the census itself as a distasteful symbol of Roman oppression because the funds were used to finance the occupying armies. However the poll tax was the most hated of all because it suggested that Rome owned even the people, while they viewed themselves and their nation as possessions of God. Another reason the Jews may have hated this tax was because of what the coin itself symbolized to the Romans. On one side of the silver denarius was a profile of Tiberius Caesar, with the Latin inscription “Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus” around the coin’s perimeter. On the opposite side was a picture of the Roman goddess of peace, Pax, with the Latin inscription “High Priest.”
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteAs governor, Pilate displayed insensitivity and brutality (cf. Luke 13:1). Reversing the policy of the earlier governors, Pilate marched his troops into Jerusalem carrying standards bearing images that the Jews viewed as idolatrous. Outraged, many protested heatedly against what they saw as a sacrilege. Pilate ignored their protests and ordered them, on pain of death, to stop bothering him. But they called his bluff and dared him to carry out his threat. Unwilling to massacre so many people, Pilate removed the offending standards. The story reveals his poor judgment, stubbornness, arrogance, and vacillating weakness. Pilate also enraged the Jews when he took money from the temple treasury to build an aqueduct to bring water to Jerusalem. In the ensuing riots, his soldiers beat and slaughtered many of the protesters. Ironically, the incident that finally triggered Pilate’s removal from office involved not the Jews, but their hated rivals the Samaritans. A group of them decided to climb Mount Gerizim in search of golden objects Moses had supposedly hidden on its summit. Mistakenly thinking the Samaritans were insurrectionists, Pilate ordered his troops to attack them, and many were killed. The Samaritans complained about Pilate’s brutality to his immediate superior, the governor of Syria. He removed Pilate from office and ordered him to Rome to be judged by Tiberius, but Tiberius died before Pilate reached Rome. At that point, Pilate disappeared from history. Some accounts claim that he was banished, others that he was executed, still others that he committed suicide.
Herod Antipas was step-brother of Philip the tetrarch, who was also a son of Herod the Great. He ruled from 4 B.C.–A.D. 39, sharing the rule of his father’s realm with his two brothers. One brother, Archelaus (Mt 2:22 "But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,") was banished in A.D. 6 and died in A.D. 18; the other brother, Herod Philip died in A.D. 34.
Herod the tetrarch of Galilee is the Herod referred to in the Gospel accounts describing Jesus’ ministry. It was this Herod (Antipas) who imprisoned John the Baptist (Luke 3:20) and later had him executed (Luke 9:9). Herod Antipas also had a hand in the unjust trial of Jesus.
Tetrarch means a leader of four and so the ruler of a fourth part of a district or province. Later tetrarch became a common title among the Romans for those who governed any part of a province or kingdom subject only to the Roman Emperor.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteHenry Morris has an interesting note on John commenting that "In a very real sense, he was the first Christian, the first Christian witness, the first Christian preacher, the first Christian prophet, and, finally, the first Christian martyr. He was the first to baptize converts and could have even started the first local church since the disciples of Christ were already largely organized and ministering together under John before they were instructed to follow Christ (John 1:35-37; Acts 1:15-26)."
MacArthur adds that "John seems to have preached near the northern end of this region, close by where the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea (Lk 3:6). This was a full day’s journey from Jerusalem and seems an odd location to announce the arrival of a King. But it is perfectly in keeping with God’s ways (1 Co 1:26–29)."
Barry J. Beitzel on wilderness - It is difficult to describe adequately the foreboding desolation and howling barrenness along the shores of the Dead Sea.… If there could be fixed in one’s mind the image of the almost-painful sterility of the Sahara or of Death Valley, and then multiply that by a factor of four or more, one might come close to capturing the geographical reality to which he is exposed along the shores of the Dead Sea. (The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands)
David C. McCasland (Used by permission - Copyright Our Daily Bread) - “Movers and shakers” are people climbing the ladder of influence and success. Luke 3 mentions seven prominent leaders who exercised control in the society of their time. Roman Emperor Tiberias Caesar held the power of life and death over people in his far-flung empire. Pontius Pilate represented Rome as governor of Judea; while Herod, Philip, and Lysanias kept people in line at the regional level. Annas and Caiaphas served as high priests, taking their religious authority seriously. John’s life helps us understand what it means to be significant in God’s eyes. Like John, may everything we say and do point others to Jesus.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteOnly Luke informs us that John went into all the country about Jordan preaching. The other evangelists (Mt 3:1–12+; Mk 1:1–8+; John 1:15, 28+) inform us that the multitudes came to Him.
Baptism was nothing new to the people, for the Jews baptized Gentile proselytes (ED: BUT PRIOR TO THIS DID NOT BAPTIZE JEWS). But John baptized Jews, and this was unusual. But there was something even beyond John’s baptism, and that was the baptism that the Messiah would administer (Luke 3:16+). He would baptize believers with the Holy Spirit, and this began at Pentecost (Acts 1:5+; Acts 2:1ff+). Today, the moment a sinner trusts Christ, he or she is baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).
John MacArthur explains But while there was no baptism of Jews in Judaism, the Jews did baptize Gentile converts to Judaism (Gentile proselytes). Thus, those who “were being baptized by [John] in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins” (Mt. 3:6), were publicly acknowledging that they were no better than the Gentiles. Their sins had separated them from the true and living God (cf. Isa 59:2) and cut them off from covenant blessings. For Jewish people to place themselves on the same level as the despised Gentiles was astonishing, and demonstrates the power of John’s preaching. Unfortunately, few being baptized by John were truly repentant. The nation would later reject Jesus when He failed to meet their expectations of a political Messiah, who would deliver them from the Romans. Others were superficial from the start....But those few (Mt 7:13–14+) who acknowledged their sinful condition and alienation from God and turned to Him in repentant faith were saved.
J C Ryle has a few words of warning regarding repentance - We must carefully bear in mind that no repentance can make atonement for sin. The blood of Christ, and nothing else, can wash away sin from man's soul. No quantity of repentance can ever justify us in the sight of God.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteJohn did for Jesus what Elijah was to have done for the coming of the Lord, but he was not Elijah reincarnated. Jesus identified John the Baptist as Elijah, while John the Baptist rejected that identification. How do we reconcile these two teachings? There is a key phrase in Jesus’ identification of John the Baptist that must not be overlooked. He says, “If you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah.” In other words, John the Baptist’s identification as Elijah was not predicated upon his being the actual Elijah, but upon people’s response to his role. To those who were willing to believe in Jesus, John the Baptist functioned as Elijah, for they believed in Jesus as Lord. To the religious leaders who rejected Jesus, John the Baptist did not perform this function.
John Phillips: The Hebrews had fallen on bad times quite apart from Roman oppression. Dead formalism characterized their religion. The roots of this formalism, which had been sprouting in Malachi's day, now ran deep. Rabbinical tradition had largely replaced the Bible. John the Baptist knew all about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the skepticism of the Sadducees, the materialism and opportunism of the Herodians, and the fanaticism of the Zealots. The faith of the fathers, applauded in Hebrews 11, had now become "the Jews' religion" (Gal. 1:13). Someone needed to cut a path through the tangled undergrowth of the deadening, man made tradition. The Messiah was coming! It was high time that someone spoke out. So John became "the voice of one crying in the wilderness."
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteJ C Ryle addresses John's popularity: Yet of all the crowds who came to his baptism, and heard his preaching, how few, it may be feared, were converted! But the vast majority, in all probability, died in their sins. Let us remember this whenever we see a crowded church.
MacArthur - The Jews hoped to gain right standing before God through their own self-righteous achievements. Keeping the Sabbath, celebrating the annual feasts, offering formal prayers, giving alms to the poor, and observing the law (at least externally), was the essence of their religion. Thus it was natural for them to see John’s baptism as just another ritual to perform. But that legalistic, external approach was antithetical to true repentance, and John boldly confronted them.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 3:8 "Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.
the "snakes" came running to be baptized by John. But for their act of "baptism" and their repentance to be shown genuine, it had to be accompanied by spiritual fruit. No fruit meant no "root" and that they "baptism of repentance" was a shallow sham. Real repentance is not a feeling but an action.
John MacArthur: Six progressive marks of true repentance emerge from this passage as necessary. (1) True repenters must reflect on personal sin, (2) recognize divine wrath, (3) reject religious ritual, (4) reveal spiritual transformation, (5) renounce ancestry, and (6) receive the Messiah.
MacArthur: There was nothing about John's message that was warm and fuzzy. It was harsh, it was strong. It was confrontational. It was devastating because John understood how prone the sinner is to a shallow, superficial repentance that does not save.
There are some in "evangelicalism" who teach that repentance is only a change of mind. The problem with this definition is that has nothing to do with one’s real attitude toward sin and does not necessarily result in any change in lifestyle.
From these stones: "The idea of raising people from stones appears in Greek mythology. Some scholars have suggested that John makes a wordplay between the Aramaic words for “children” and “stones.”
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteKent Hughes - But significantly, John's advice was ethical. He asked them to change how they treated their fellow human beings. However, it is also true that if you are truly regenerate and repentant, your faith will most surely affect how you treat others, especially those who are closest to you—your family, your business associates, your employees, and those in need. If there is no change in your personal ethics, no elevation of your concern and care for others, you may be self-deceived about your salvation.
Luke 3:11 And he would answer and say to them, "The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.
The giver was to love and care so much that he would be gripped with mercy and unselfishness. He would give what he had. Such fruit would be evidence of repentance, of a life truly changed, of a man who was truly seeking God to forgive his sins.
Kent Hughes asks "Do we want to have an accurate evaluation of the state of our spirituality? Here are some biblical tests:
Are we generous with our possessions? Do we share our homes, our cars, our clothing, our food with others—joyfully? Or are we loath to share? Do we always push for more and then grasp it tightly?
Do we enjoy giving to family, friends, and, more significantly, those in need? Do we give regularly and sacrificially to the Lord? If you are a Christian but do not give regularly to the Lord, if you are tight, if you find it difficult to give to God, you are in spiritual trouble, and possibly you are not even a Christian at all! We must each do regular self-checks!
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteJohn MacArthur gives this background on tax collectors - Antipas sold tax franchises to the highest bidder, and such franchises were a lucrative business. Tax collectors had a certain amount that they were required to collect, and whatever they collected beyond that they were permitted to keep (cf. Luke 3:12-13). In addition to the poll tax (on everyone, including slaves), income tax (about one percent), and land tax (one tenth of all grain, and one fifth of all wine and fruit), there were taxes on the transport of goods, letters, produce, using roads, crossing bridges, and almost anything else the rapacious, greedy minds of the tax collectors could think of. All of that left plenty of room for larceny, extortion, exploitation, and even loan sharking, as tax collectors loaned money at exorbitant interest to those who were unable to pay their taxes. Tax collectors also employed thugs to physically intimidate people into paying, and to beat up those who refused.
Bock on tax collectors - To understand a little about the reply that John gives to the toll collectors, one must examine the background of the office. Taxes in the Roman Empire were a complex affair. There were different ranks of collectors, and there were different taxes to collect. The system of collection was known as tax (or toll) farming. City rulers leased the right to collect taxes to an individual or group, who had bid for this right and had paid for it in advance. Thus, the collector would not only have to collect the tax that Rome had stipulated, but he also would have to add a surcharge to meet his expenses, an additional charge over which he had total control. In most of the empire this job of collection went to wealthy Romans who were designated “publicans.” They in turn would hire others to do the actual collection, the “tax collectors” proper. And at times these tax collectors would hire subordinates, becoming “head tax collectors.” Because of the political situation, in 44 B.C. Julius Caesar reduced taxes in Palestine, so that publicans ceased to operate there. Collecting direct taxes for Rome became the responsibility of the prefect, who hired a δημοσιώνης (dēmosiōnēs, state or public tax official; lit., farmer of the revenue)—a term that does not appear in the NT—to collect taxes. Direct taxes included the poll tax (a general citizen’s tax) and the land tax (a tax on one’s harvest) (Michel, TDNT 8:97–98). In addition to these direct taxes, there also was a set of indirect taxes on all items purchased or leased in a region, including a type of sales tax, which involved the hiring of τελῶναι, the term Luke uses here. Dues were collected at major cities such as Jerusalem, Jericho, and Caesarea.28 As one can see, this system of multiple collectors, each of whom could add his own surcharge, could create great abuse.
And he said to them, "Collect no more than what you have been ordered to - Collecting taxes was not a crime, but tax collectors were notorious for collecting more than the required amount.
This would be an easy "marker" to determine is a tax collector had truly repented and experienced a change of heart and a change in their notoriously dishonest practices. John went directly to the "pocket book" of these men.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteSome soldiers were questioning him "And what about us, what shall we do?"- Possibly Roman soldiers, but some (Stein, NAC) think they were Jewish, likely employed by Herod Antipas. While we cannot be definitive, it does at least seem reasonable that they may have been Jewish soldiers for why would Roman soldiers come out to hear John and consider his baptism? Jewish soldiers would be more likely to do so.
Soldiers are not told to resign but to avoid the moral temptations of their profession. John does not say that working for the Roman government or serving as a soldier is in itself morally wrong, but he insists that God expects upright conduct from his people.
I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals (cf John 1:27+) - To untie the thong was a task for a slave, so John emphasizes his inferiority compared to the Messiah. The rabbis taught that a disciple should do everything for their master except untie their sandals. That was considered too humiliating to demand. To the Jews this was the lowliest of tasks.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire - Many interpreters take this (and fire) to be a part of the Holy Spirit baptism, which began at Pentecost and which in that instance was accompanied by "tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3+). But the Acts account says that those tongues "appeared to them" (that is, the waiting disciples) "as of fire." They were not fire, but looked like licks of fire. In his last promise of the soon-coming baptism with the Holy Spirit, Jesus said nothing about actual fire being a part of the experience (Acts 1:5+). And when, a short time later, Cornelius and his household were baptized with the Holy Spirit, no fire was present (Acts 10:44+; Acts 11:16+; cf. Acts 8:17+; Acts 19:6+). Other interpreters take the fire to represent a spiritual cleansing, as described in the quotation above from Ezekiel. But nothing in Ezekiel's text, in the context of John's message here, or in the Pentecost reference to the tongues "as of fire" relates to such cleansing. Consequently, it seems best to consider fire as representing God's coming judgment, which, as we have seen, is so frequently in Scripture symbolized by fire. In both the preceding and following verses (Mt 3:10, 12+) John clearly uses fire to represent judgment and punishment. It is impossible that the middle reference to fire would concern an entirely different subject. Both of the adjoining verses contrast the fates of believers and unbelievers, those who bear good fruit and those who do not (Mt 3:10) and the valuable wheat and the worthless chaff (Mt 3:12+). It therefore seems logical and natural to take Mt 3:11 also as a contrast between believers (those baptized with the Holy Spirit) and unbelievers (those baptized with the fire of God's judgment). (MacArthur New Testament Commentary)
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Jesus would even submit to baptism signifies that at the outset of His ministry, He identified Himself with the sinners He came to save. Luke emphasizes Jesus’ prayer life, which shows His dependence as the Son of Man on the Heavenly Father (there are seven references to Jesus praying in Luke. The fact that heaven was opened shows that in Jesus, God was breaking into human history. The Holy Spirit’s descent as a dove probably points to the gentleness and purity of the Spirit, and also shows the Holy Trinity united in the launching of Jesus’ ministry. The Father’s being pleased with His beloved Son assures us that He is satisfied with His offering Himself on the cross for our sins. If we are in Christ, the Beloved, then we are accepted in the presence of the Holy God.
This baptism recorded here was the first public declaration of Jesus’ ministry. Instead of going to Jerusalem and identifying with the established religious leaders, Jesus went to a river and identified with those who were repenting of sin.
Why was Jesus baptized? Why was Jesus' baptism important? - Gotquestions.org
Jesus replied that it should be done because “it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).
Jesus was about to embark on His great work, and it was appropriate that He be recognized publicly by His forerunner.
Jesus’ baptism by John takes on an added dimension when we consider that John was of the tribe of Levi and a direct descendant of Aaron. John the Baptist’s baptism of Jesus could be seen as a priestly presentation of the Ultimate Sacrifice. John’s words the day after the baptism have a decidedly priestly air: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
Jesus’ baptism also showed that He identified with sinners. His baptism symbolized the sinners’ baptism into the righteousness of Christ, dying with Him and rising free from sin and able to walk in the newness of life.
In addition, Jesus’ coming to John showed His approval of John's baptism, bearing witness to it, that it was from heaven and approved by God. This would be important in the future when others would begin to doubt John’s authority, particularly after his arrest by Herod (Matthew 14:3-11).
Perhaps most importantly, the occasion of the public baptism recorded for all future generations the perfect embodiment of the triune God revealed in glory from heaven. The testimony directly from heaven of the Father’s pleasure with the Son and the descending of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus (Matthew 3:16-17) is a beautiful picture of the trinitarian nature of God. It also depicts the work of the Father, Son, and Spirit in the salvation of those Jesus came to save. The Father loves the elect from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4); He sends His Son to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10); and the Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8) and draws the believer to the Father through the Son. All the glorious truth of the mercy of God through Jesus Christ is on display at His baptism.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-3-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteand the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven
This verse denies modalism, the heresy which construed the unity of God to be manifested in three different, momentary forms -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here there is simultaneously the appearance of Son and Holy Spirit. At the same time the voice of the Father is heard.
If Jesus needed to depend on the the Holy Spirit for His ministry, how much more do we need the Spirit in our daily lives to enable us to live and minister supernaturally!
Luke uses a term of comparison specifically a simile (comparison using like or as). While there is definitely a visible expression that had the form of a body similar to a dove, it does necessarily mean that the Spirit actually assumed the form of a dove.
A voice came out of heaven - This is God the Father speaking (because He calls Jesus His Son). This is the first of three recorded occasions when the Father spoke from heaven. The second was when Jesus was transfigured (Luke 9:28–36), and the third was during His last week before the cross (John 12:28).
https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/tools/video-gallery/o/origins-of-baptism says:
ReplyDeleteWhen John the Baptist is in the river baptizing people, people didn’t walk by and say, “What’s he doing? That’s a strange thing!” They knew what he was doing, he was baptizing; and this probably emerges from the idea of ritual immersion that existed in Judaism long before. We have evidence of ritual immersion going on prior to the advent of Christianity because we have mikva’ot (mikvehs) we have Jewish ritual immersion and this was for ritual purity. Before you could go worship, you would ritually immerse yourself and this wasn’t necessarily for hygiene or for cleanliness, it was for spiritual purity. You would make yourself pure so that you could go in the presence of the deity, you could worship, you could offer sacrifices. So, long before Christianity developed the idea of baptism, Jews had been practicing ritual immersion in the form of entering into a mikveh, immersing ones selves and then emerging from that purified.
https://www.theberean.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Home.showBerean/BereanID/8588/Isaiah-40-3-5.htm says:
ReplyDeleteIsaiah 40:3-5:
(3) The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
" Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
(4) Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;
(5) The glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
What did that "voice" say? What did he call on his audience to do? "[P]repare the way of the LORD." Why are we to do this? So that "the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."
Albert Barnes, in his commentary on Isaiah written in 1851, remarks on these verses:
The idea is taken from the practice of Eastern monarchs, who, whenever they entered on a journey or an expedition, especially through a barren and unfrequented or inhospitable country, sent harbingers [forerunners] or heralds before them to prepare the way. To do this, it was necessary for them to provide supplies, and make bridges, or find fording places over the streams; to level hills, and construct causeways over valleys, or fill them up; and to make a way through the forest which might lie in their intended line of march.
Those who went before, to mark and improve the route, were the forerunners. They were "the scouts, the pioneers, the ones sent before a king to prepare the way," as forerunner is defined. Recall Daniel Boone and his party of thirty expert woodsmen laying out a 200-mile-long route. Over time, as more people came over the trail, it was improved, widened, and smoothed. It all began, however, with one man. That man then led others, and it multiplied from there.
John the Baptist was one man "crying in the wilderness," yet he prepared the way for the Son of God. Each of us, in our daily lives, interacts with family, coworkers, neighbors, and others who may know little or nothing of God and His Word. Our words and deeds could well pave the way for any of them to answer God's call at another time.
https://www.gpcweb.org/the-holy-spirit--6-the-holy-spirit-and-jesus-christ says:
ReplyDeleteJohn 1:32-33 "And John bore witness saying, ‘I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He [the Spirit] remained upon Him [Jesus]. . .
"Remaining upon Him" in this verse is very significant. Up until now the Spirit had come in whatever measure was necessary for whatever time was needed for a certain task to be done. But now He comes and remains.
What does it mean that Jesus was filled with the Spirit? Why did Jesus need the Holy Spirit? It wasn’t in terms of personal righteousness. Jesus was perfect. It was in terms of power. It was to equip Him with supernatural powers for His great work.
It was by the Spirit's power that He performed signs and wonders (Matt. 12:28; Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38), it was by the Spirit’s power that He cast out demons (Matthew 12:28), and it was by the power of the Spirit that He proclaimed the gospel (Luke 4:18; Matt. 12:18; Acts 1:2). Just as He was directed not by His own agenda, but by His Father's (John 5:19-20,30; 8:26-29,42; 14:10,24), so He was driven not by His own power, but by the Spirit's. Jesus was sent to earth by the Father with a mission to fulfill. When the time for the mission arrived, God gave Him the Spirit to empower Him to fulfill the mission.
But why would the Son of God need the power of the Holy Spirit? It was not the divinity of Jesus but His humanity that was being anointed and that needed the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 10:38 Peter says, "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him." When it says "God anointed Him" it literally means, "God made Him Messiah." The Greek word for anoint is chrio, which is where christos comes from, meaning "one who has been anointed" or "anointed one." Christos is the Greek word for the Hebrew messiah, both words meaning anointed one.
Now He is referred to as the Christ before this (e.g. Matt.2:4, Luke 2:11) . . . it would seem that messiahship is a function or office that Jesus assumed at His baptism. But now a Man was sent who was not going to live by human power but by the power of God’s Spirit.
At His baptism Jesus entered into a new age, an age into which He would eventually lead His people at Pentecost.
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. v3 - If they had the sacrificial system, why did people think they needed their sins forgiven?
First of all, for a Jew to be baptized is huge! The only people who were baptized were Gentiles entering the Jewish faith. These Jewish people were recognizing that they were so far from God that they were not saved under the covenant.
This is a testament to the power of John's teaching. He convinced these people that they were not saved, although they were Jews under the covenant. Also, it describes the people who were willing to be baptized - those who were felt they weren't a part of the Jewish religion and the religious leaders. Elsewhere, Jesus talks about the kinds of people who were baptized by John - the tax collectors and sinners.
2. v5 - What does it mean that every valley will be filled, etc?
In ancient times, before a king came to visit, people were sent ahead to grade and smooth the roads, which included filling in valleys. This refers to that. John came to prepare the way for King Jesus.
3. v11 - Why is John telling people to be good as opposed to be baptized?
He was talking to the people who were already baptized. He was telling them what their natural response should be. In fact, they were asking him how they could respond to what happened. And John gave them examples of what a changed person looks like.
4. v16 - What does the reference to not being worthy to untie His sandals mean?
John is putting himself very low compared to Jesus indeed. Only a very lowly servant would dirty their hands taking off their master's sandals. There was even rules prohibiting religious leaders to expect this from acolytes. John is saying he's not even worthy as the lowest form of servant to Jesus.
5. v21 - What did it mean that the Holy Spirit came down upon Jesus at this time?
This is a complex question. The one truth is that the Trinity was making itself manifest at this very powerful beginning to Jesus' ministry. As far as questions about whether this is the first time the Holy Spirit entered Jesus or what it means that the Holy Spirit came down at this time - I don't know if anyone has the answer.
One could speculate that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit as a 12 year old, when He proved to be so wise. One could also speculate that when He was baptized, He had a special infilling of the Holy Spirit.
I do tend to agree with those who claim that Jesus depended on the Holy Spirit for miraculous signs and knowledge. But I don't think we can say for sure.