Luke 3:1-211Now 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 Iturea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 4As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 6And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 7Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 10And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. 15And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: 17Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. 18And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. 19But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. 21Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, (Luke 3:1‑21)
This was the son told of by the angel to the priest Zacharias, and said he should be “a prophet to go before the Lord and prepare the way for Him.” But John did not teach the people in the Temple, or serve in its duties as his father, which was the usual work for priests’ sons.
The high priest at that time, and others of the Temple, were unfaithful to God and He could not bless them. John did not receive his teaching from them; no doubt his parents who believed God’s words taught him, and perhaps others, but he is spoken of, when young, as in the deserts. So no doubt he was much alone where he learned what to tell the people (Luke 1:8080And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel. (Luke 1:80)).
John knew the time to begin telling the people to prepare: “The word of the Lord came upon him in the wilderness.” He went to the country about the Jordan River. There were towns and people there, John taught them out of doors away from Jerusalem and the temple.
How were the people to prepare for the Lord? By decorating their buildings, streets, and garments? No, he told them only one way, to repent of their sins, to confess them to God, and turn away from them.
People came from all parts of the land as they heard of John’s preaching, and he spoke so plainly and earnestly that many were truly sorry for their sins, and as a sign of this were baptized by John in the water of Jordan.
The word “baptize” teaches of death. The Jordan reminded especially of death, because it flows steadily doward from high mountains into the Dead Sea, in whose heavy salt water no plant or fish can live.
Some of the people thought John might be the promised Christ. But John told them the One to come was far mightier than he. We would call John a good man and faithful to God, yet he said he was not worthy to loosen the shoes of that One to come.
One day Jesus came to be baptized. John knew that Jesus was from God. He, in grace, would take His place with repentant Israel, in view of the Millennial kingdom. John would know the words of the angels, about the Saviour, and knew His perfect life, he said to Him,
“I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?”
But Jesus said it should be done; He had no sin to confess, or to deserve death.
Some time after this, John was kept from preaching to the people because he had reproved the ruler of Galilee of evil things. He is mentioned again later. He had fulfilled the words that he would turn many to God and many of those followed Jesus.
ML 10/29/1944