Luke 3
The Message
A Baptism of Life-Change
3 1-6 In the fifteenth year of the rule of Caesar Tiberius—it was while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Herod, ruler of Galilee; his brother Philip, ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis; Lysanias, ruler of Abilene; during the Chief-Priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas—John, Zachariah’s son, out in the desert at the time, received a message from God. He went all through the country around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of life-change leading to forgiveness of sins, as described in the words of Isaiah the prophet:
Thunder in the desert!
“Prepare God’s arrival!
Make the road smooth and straight!
Every ditch will be filled in,
Every bump smoothed out,
The detours straightened out,
All the ruts paved over.
Everyone will be there to see
The parade of God’s salvation.”
7-9 When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God’s judgment? It’s your life that must change, not your skin. And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as ‘father.’ Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there—children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. What counts is your life. Is it green and flourishing? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire.”
10 The crowd asked him, “Then what are we supposed to do?”
11 “If you have two coats, give one away,” he said. “Do the same with your food.”
12 Tax men also came to be baptized and said, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He told them, “No more extortion—collect only what is required by law.”
14 Soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He told them, “No harassment, no blackmail—and be content with your rations.”
15 The interest of the people by now was building. They were all beginning to wonder, “Could this John be the Messiah?”
16-17 But John intervened: “I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.”
18-20 There was a lot more of this—words that gave strength to the people, words that put heart in them. The Message! But Herod, the ruler, stung by John’s rebuke in the matter of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, capped his long string of evil deeds with this outrage: He put John in jail.
21-22 After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.”
Son of Adam, Son of God
23-38 When Jesus entered public life he was about thirty years old, the son (in public perception) of Joseph, who was—
son of Heli,
son of Matthat,
son of Levi,
son of Melki,
son of Jannai,
son of Joseph,
son of Mattathias,
son of Amos,
son of Nahum,
son of Esli,
son of Naggai,
son of Maath,
son of Mattathias,
son of Semein,
son of Josech,
son of Joda,
son of Joanan,
son of Rhesa,
son of Zerubbabel,
son of Shealtiel,
son of Neri,
son of Melchi,
son of Addi,
son of Cosam,
son of Elmadam,
son of Er,
son of Joshua,
son of Eliezer,
son of Jorim,
son of Matthat,
son of Levi,
son of Simeon,
son of Judah,
son of Joseph,
son of Jonam,
son of Eliakim,
son of Melea,
son of Menna,
son of Mattatha,
son of Nathan,
son of David,
son of Jesse,
son of Obed,
son of Boaz,
son of Salmon,
son of Nahshon,
son of Amminadab,
son of Admin,
son of Arni,
son of Hezron,
son of Perez,
son of Judah,
son of Jacob,
son of Isaac,
son of Abraham,
son of Terah,
son of Nahor,
son of Serug,
son of Reu,
son of Peleg,
son of Eber,
son of Shelah,
son of Kenan,
son of Arphaxad,
son of Shem,
son of Noah,
son of Lamech,
son of Methuselah,
son of Enoch,
son of Jared,
son of Mahalaleel,
son of Kenan,
son of Enos,
son of Seth,
son of Adam,
son of God.
Luke 3
1599 Geneva Bible
3 3 John exhorteth to repentance. 15 His testimony of Christ. 20 Herod putteth him in prison. 21 Christ is baptized. 23 His pedigree.
1 Now [a]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 country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the Tetrarch of Abilene,
2 ((A)When [b]Annas and Caiaphas were the high Priests) the word of God came unto John, the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
3 (B)And he came into all the coasts about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,
4 As it is written in the book of the sayings of Isaiah the Prophet, which saith, (C)The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness is, Prepare ye the way of the Lord: make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and crooked things shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth.
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
7 Then said he to the people that were come out to be baptized of him, (D)O generations of vipers, who hath forewarned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy amendment of life, and begin not to say with 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.
9 Now also is the axe laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire.
10 ¶ Then the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
11 And he answered, and said unto them, (E)He that hath two coats, let him part with him that hath none: and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
12 Then came there Publicans also to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
13 And he said unto them, Require no more than that which is [c]appointed unto you.
14 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 [d]wages.
15 [e]As the people waited, and all men mused in their hearts of John, if he were not that Christ.
16 John answered, and said to them all, (F)Indeed I baptize you with water, but one stronger than I, cometh, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose: he will baptize you with the holy Ghost, and with fire.
17 [f]Whose fan is in his hand, and he will make clean his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff will he burn up with fire that never shall be quenched.
18 Thus then exhorting with many other things, he preached unto the people.
19 (G)[g]But when Herod the Tetrarch was rebuked of him, for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,
20 He added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
21 (H)[h]Now it came to pass, as all the people were baptized, and that Jesus was baptized and did pray, that the heaven was opened:
22 And the holy Ghost came down in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and there was a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son: in thee I am well pleased.
23 ¶ [i]And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being as men supposed the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
24 The son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph,
25 The son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
26 The son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,
27 The son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
28 The son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,
29 ¶ The son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
30 The son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,
31 The son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
32 The son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
33 The son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
34 The son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 The son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
36 The son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37 The son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,
38 The son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Footnotes
- Luke 3:1 John cometh at the time foretold of the Prophets, and layeth the foundation of the Gospel which is exhibited unto us, setting forth the true observing of the Law, and free mercy in Christ, which cometh after him, using also baptism the effectual sign both of regeneration and also of forgiveness of sins.
- Luke 3:2 Josephus calleth him Ananus.
- Luke 3:13 Require no more than that sum that is appointed for the tribute money.
- Luke 3:14 Which was paid them partly in money, and partly in victual.
- Luke 3:15 If we would rightly, and fruitfully receive the sacraments, we must neither rest in the signs, neither in him that ministereth the signs, but lift up our eyes to Christ, who is the author of the sacraments, and the giver of that which is represented by the sacraments.
- Luke 3:17 The Gospel is the fan of the world.
- Luke 3:19 John’s preaching is confirmed with his death.
- Luke 3:21 Our baptism is sanctified in the head of the Church, and Christ also is pronounced, by the voice of the Father, to be our everlasting King, Priest, and Prophet.
- Luke 3:23 The stock of Christ, according to the flesh, is brought by order even to Adam, and so to God, that it might appear, that he only it was, whom God promised to Abraham and David, and appointed from everlasting to his Church, which is gathered together of all sorts of men.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
