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Luke Chapter
Three
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Son of Man the Savior was Recommended
and Introduced
I. The appearance and message of John the Baptist who
recommended the Lord (v.1-14).
II. John the Baptist recommended the Son of Man the
Savior to men (v.15-17).
III. John the Baptist was shut up in prison (v.18-20).
IV. The Son of Man the Savior was baptized and the
voice of praise came from heaven (v.21-22).
V. The genealogy of the Son of Man the Savior
(v.23-38).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Luke. 3:1 “Now in the fifteenth year
of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod
being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region
of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,”
YLT: “And in the
fifteenth year of the government of Tiberius Caesar Pontius Pilate being
governor of Judea, and Herod tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother,
tetrarch of
Literal Meaning: “in the fifteenth
year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,” Tiberius Caesar was an adopted son of
Caesar Augustus (See 2:1) and he was officially appointed to be the Roman
Emperor from A.D. 14 to A.D. 37. However, he had already replaced Caesar
Augustus to rule the
“Pontius Pilate being governor of
“Herod being tetrarch of
“His brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea
and the region of Trachonitis” “Philip” (Philip
Herod) was another son of Herod the Great. His land was in the northeast of
“And Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene” The dominion of “Lysanias” was in the
north of the mount Hermon and in the east of the mountain chain of Lebanon and
the Jews were almost unrelated to these places.
Luke. 3:2 “while Annas and Caiaphas
were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the
wilderness.”
YLT: “Annas and Caiaphas
being chief priests there came a word of God unto John the son of Zacharias, in
the wilderness,”
The
Background: after the ancestors
of the Jews were delivered out of
Literal Meaning: “while Annas and Caiaphas
were high priests” “Annas” was in
office as the high priest from A.D. 6 to A.D. 14 and he was removed from post
by the Roman governor, however, he was still regarded as the official high
priest in the hearts of the Jews (See Acts. 4:6); “Caiaphas” was the son-in-law
of Annas (John. 18:13) and he was in office as the high priest from A.D. 18 to
A.D. 36. He was the high priest that was recognized by the Roman Government.
When John the Baptist started to preach, it was Caiaphas that took office,
however, Annas still played a decisive role and therefore Luke mentioned both
of their names here.
“The wilderness” indicates the waste
place where nobody resides. It was the dry land in the north and west of the
Dead Sea, including the vast land of the
“The word of God came to John” This shows that “the word of God” was the
origin of the power of the preaching of John the Baptist.
Spiritual Meaning: “wilderness”
symbolizes that it is separated from the world.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Only when we are separated from the world (“in
the wilderness”) and will the word of God come to us.
2) If anyone loves the world, the love of the
Father is not in him (1John. 2:15). Therefore anyone that serves God should
come out of the world first and live a life in reliance of God by faith.
3) John grew in the deserts (See 1:80) and preached
in the wilderness. This shows that the message that he preached was in complete
accord with his life.
Luke. 3:3 “And he went into all the
region around the
YLT: “and he came to all
the region round the
Meaning of Words: “preaching”:
proclaim loudly; “repentance”: the change of minds, the change of thoughts;
“baptism”: in the original it means being fully immersed into water.
Literal Meaning: “preaching a baptism
of repentance” “Repent” in the original means the change of views and thoughts
instead of the change of behavior. It indicates that men’s thoughts are
originally against God and far away from God and today they have to turn to God
from their hearts.
The baptism of John was different from
the baptism of Christians by the name of the Lord Jesus. The baptism to
Christians emphasized on the union with the Lord and it includes both the
negative aspect------burial which means we are dead with Christ and the
positive aspect------resurrection that we shall also live with Him (Rom.
6:3-5). The baptism of John is bringing others to believe into the one who is
mightier than him and is coming (see v.16). It merely emphasized on the
negative aspect------they ended their past sins that they departed from God
through the baptism of water. So it is also called “the baptism of repentance” (Acts.
19:3-4). “The baptism of repentance” does not mean the one who was baptized was
united into Christ, but he had changed his view towards himself. Men came to be
baptized by John to confess their sins. The wage of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).
Therefore through the baptism they declared that they were only worthy of
death.
Spiritual Meaning: “a baptism of
repentance” is immersing the one who repents into water. Through this it shows
that the one who is baptized has changed his views towards himself and he holds
that he is only worthy of death and therefore he is buried.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Repentance does not mean the change of behavior.
So it is not forsaking evil to do goodness. Repentance, the change of thoughts,
is to turn one’s thoughts to God from all the others besides God.
2) Men’s greatest sin before God is the
disobedience to Him. That’s the “sin” we have to confess when we repent. All
sins of men start from the disobedience to God.
3) We should repent when we only care about the
religion, doctrines, letters and services and neglect the Lord Himself.
Luke. 3:4 “as it is written in the
book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘The
voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare
the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.”
YLT: “as it hath been
written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, ‘A voice of
one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight make ye
His paths;”
Meaning of Words: “prepare”: make
ready, provide; “way”: highway, road; “make”: do, hold, keep; “paths”: line,
track.
Literal Meaning: “as it is written in
the book of words of Isaiah the prophet” This verse is quoted from the third to
fifth verses of the fortieth chapter of the book of Isaiah and there is only a
little discrepancy of words.
“Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths
straight.” It shows that the task of John the Baptist is to prepare the way for
the Lord------make men’s thoughts turn to the Lord so that the Lord would have
flat way to enter the hearts of men and reign there. Please note that here it
indicates “the Lord’s” way and “His” paths and it does not indicate “the paths
of righteousness” that we have to walk in after we have believed in the Lord
(Ps. 23:3).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Voice fleets and vanishes without a trace. John,
the messenger of the Lord, was only “a voice” of the Lord and kept nothing for
himself. We should bear witness of the Lord instead of ourselves.
2) Anyone who serves the Lord should do his utmost
to bring others to the Lord regardless of his own gain and lose, status, and
fame. He should never intend to bring others to follow himself.
3) “Crying” shows that John was full of burden in
his heart so that he couldn’t help crying. It is the burden that makes us serve
the Lord. We should endeavor to pour out the burden inside.
4) Our hearts were originally rugged and crooked.
The true “repentance” is to bring it low and make it straight------“prepare the
way of the Lord, make His paths straight.”
Luke. 3:5 “Every valley shall be
filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be
made straight And the rough ways smooth;”
YLT: “every valley shall
be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall
become straightness, and the rough become smooth ways;”
Literal Meaning: this verse indicates
that the states of men’s hearts are like these:
1) “Valley” specially indicates that men
are boundlessly and insatiably avaricious.
2) “Every mountain and hill” specially indicate that men are
supercilious and arrogant.
3) “The crooked places” specially
indicate that men are crafty and treacherous and dishonest.
4) “The rough ways” specially indicate
that men are willful and with wavy motions.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We should not only turn our hearts to the Lord,
but also let the Lord have low and straight way in our hearts so that He could
occupy every corner of our hearts.
2) Only when men receive the salvation of God (See
v.6) will they: a) be satisfied because the lusts of their hearts have been
“filled”; b) be humble because the arrogance of their hearts have been “brought
low”; c) be honest and harmless because the crookedness of their hearts have
been “made straight”; d) be peaceful and magnanimous because the stormy waves
of their hearts have been “made smooth”.
Luke. 3:6 “And all flesh shall see
the salvation of God.’”
YLT: “and all flesh shall
see the salvation of God.’”
Literal Meaning: “all flesh” indicate
all the people.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Jesus Christ is the salvation of God: seeing Him
is seeing the salvation.
2) The salvation is for all men and the problem is
whether those who see the salvation are willing to accept the salvation. Those
who accept (believe in) the salvation gain the salvation.
Luke. 3:7 “Then he said to the
multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, ‘Brood
of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
YLT: “Then said he to the
multitudes coming forth to be baptised by him, ‘Brood of vipers! who did prompt
you to flee from the coming wrath?”
Literal Meaning: “Brood of vipers” were sinners with evil
hearts (Matt. 12:34).
“The wrath to come” It indicates that God’s wrath
towards sinners who are treasuring up wrath for themselves will be revealed in
the day of the righteous judgment of God (
The words used by John to blame all the people may
be quoted from the warms of Jeremiah the prophet. It indicates that they are as
snakes which stayed in the forests and fled away when men come to hew and burn
the trees (Jer. 46:22). When the judgment of Jehovah was about to come, they
intended to flee from the wrath of God through the baptism of John.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The liberalists believe in nothing and the
orthodox Christians only believe in creeds and know nothing about the mighty
power of God. Therefore both of them were “brood of vipers”.
2) We are “brood of vipers” according to our
nature. If we have not known this, probably we won’t be like Christians and
will fail in the end.
3) Today in the world of Christianity, many
so-called ministers are “brood of vipers”. They have committed sins and they
even preach evil teachings which could poison and affect others.
4) Only when we have seen that we are not better
than others under the great light of God will we fall down and rely on God’s
grace. A cup has to be put under the kettle if being poured with water. The one
who receives the grace should fall down into dust and then God’s grace should
come upon him.
5) To hypocritical ones, John the Baptist resisted
them openly and convicted them of sins bluntly. This is the attitude that a
servant of the Lord should have.
6) John, with the spiritual sight of a prophet,
could see the intentions of men. Today those who serve the Lord lack spiritual
discernment and it is no wonder that there are so many mixed multitudes in the
assembly.
7) Today, if a man wants to be baptized to the
Lord, he will be accepted no matter he does it sincerely or not. Consequently,
the quantity of people in the assembly increases but the spiritual quality
decreases.
Luke. 3:8 “Therefore bear fruits
worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God
is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.”
YLT: “make, therefore,
fruits worthy of the reformation, and begin not to say within yourselves, We
have a father Abraham; for I say to you, that God is able out of these stones
to raise children to Abraham;”
Meaning of Words: “raise up”: rouse from
death, rise, and give birth.
The
Background: the Jews highly
esteem Abraham their ancestor and hold that they are the only legal inheritors
of blessings which God had promised to Abraham and the other races (including
the descendants of Ishmael, Esau and so on.) have nothing to do with God’s
blessing.
“And
do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our
father.'” “Abraham our ancestor sat on the gate of
the hell and did not allow anyone of his descendants to go to hell”, as the old
Jewish saying goes. They hold that God will treat the Jews kindly because of
Abraham.
Literal Meaning: “therefore bear
fruits worthy of repentance” John meant that if a man wants to flee from the
wrath of God, he should not only be outwardly baptized but also prove his inner
repentance by the change of life and behavior.
“For I say to you” This expresses the
tone of the prophet who spoke with authority by the working of the Holy Spirit.
“Stones” are lifeless things. Though
Abraham’s body already became dead, he was blessed by God because of faith and
many descendants were raised up (Rom. 4:17-20).
The word of John the Baptist in this
verse indicates that: the fleshly offspring have nothing to do with Abraham.
The fleshly descendants of Abraham may be not the children of Abraham. Those
who were not the fleshly descendants of Abraham may be the children of Abraham.
Here it implies the effect of faith. Only through faith men can be acceptable
to God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God regards
spiritual reality as important and does not pay attention to outside forms.
2) The true Christian should prove
his inner repentance by his real life and behavior. Therefore, a man after he
was saved should conduct himself worthily of the glad tidings of Christ (Pill.
1:27), and be different from the nations (Eph. 4:17-22).
3) What God values is our inner
reality instead of our status. What God values are our present spiritual states
instead of our spiritual genealogies.
4) Repentance and turning to the
Lord are quite personal and these are irrelevant to traditions. All spiritual
things should be counted until we have personal experience and the experience
of others could never be counted as ours.
5)
Christians should never live an aimless and self-indulgent life, holding that
we have been saved and will never perish. What we have to know is that and the
situation after one was saved will also be judged by God who is righteous.
6) Not only the Jews boast that they are the
descendants of Abraham so that they do not need to worry about, but also many
Christians boast that they belong to some groups or they are the students of
some spiritual giants today so that they are all overcomers.
Luke. 3:9 “And even now the ax is
laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good
fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’”
YLT: “and already also
the axe unto the root of the trees is laid, every tree, therefore, not making
good fruit is cut down, and to fire it is cast.’”
Literal Meaning: “And now the ax is
laid to the root of the trees.” It is a metaphor indicating that the tree may
be cut down at any time, warning that one should seize chance to repent for
there is a little time.
“Every tree which does not bear good
fruit” was the one who repent insincerely. They have not manifested the life of
God outwardly because they have not been born from above.
“Is cut down and thrown into the fire”
indicates that they will be judged in future and abandoned by God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) A kind of tree (life) would bear that kind
of fruits (behavior). A good tree cannot produce bad fruits, nor a worthless
tree produce good fruits (Matt. 7:18).
2) Any fruit borne from the tree of natural
life would never be acceptable to God and the tree will be cut down. The
nations are “estranged from the life of God”, so that they “work all
uncleanness with greedy unsatisfied lust” (Eph. 4: 17-19).
3) Any one who could not manifest Christ (“good
fruits”) will lose value in the eternity.
Luke. 3:10 “So the people asked him,
saying, ‘What shall we do then?’”
YLT: “And the multitudes
were questioning him, saying, ‘What, then, shall we do?’”
Literal Meaning: “What shall we do
then?” means that how to “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (See v.8)?
Luke. 3:11 “He answered and said to
them, ‘He who has two tunics, let
him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.’”
YLT: “and he answering
saith to them, ‘He having two coats let him impart to him having none, and he
having victuals in like manner let him do.’”
Literal Meaning: “He who has two
tunics, let him give to him who has none” “tunics” indicates the long clothes
that you wear under other clothes. Under normal conditions, one kind of this
tunic is enough for one and therefore here it is said that, “let him give to
him who has none”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Giving tunic to
him who has none and giving food to him who doesn’t have food are the
manifestation of someone who loves his neighbor as himself.
2) If one is able to share clothes and food with
others, it shows that his heart has been corrected and he is no longer greedy,
proud, absurd or rude (See v.5).
Luke. 3:12 “Then tax collectors also
came to be baptized, and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’”
YLT: “And there came also
tax-gatherers to be baptised, and they said unto him, `Teacher, what shall we
do?’”
The
Background: “tax
collectors” were the Jews who collected taxes for the Roman Government. They
bullied and oppressed their fellow citizens and extorted more taxes to line
their pockets and therefore they were hated and despised by the Jews.
Luke. 3:13 “And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than what is appointed for you.’”
YLT: “and he said unto
them, `Exact no more than that directed you.’”
Literal Meaning: John meant that
uprightness and honesty are the manifestation of one’s true repentance.
Luke. 3:14 “Likewise the soldiers
asked him, saying, ‘And what shall we do?’ So he said to them, ‘Do
not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.’”
YLT: “And questioning him
also were those warring, saying, `And we, what shall we do?’ and he said unto
them, ‘Do violence to no one, nor accuse falsely, and be content with your
wages.’”
The
Background: “soldiers” were the
guards who were hired locally besides the Roman garrison. At that time limited
security guards were allowed by the Roman Government to stay in the vassal
states and in the
Literal Meaning: the good behavior is
not the requirement of one’s being saved, however, the good behavior is the
outward evidence of one’s being saved (See Eph. 2:8-10).
Luke. 3:15 “Now as the people were in
expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the
Christ or not,”
YLT: “And the people are
looking forward, and all are reasoning in their hearts concerning John, whether
or not he may be the Christ;”
The
Background: at that time, the
Jews were under the control of the Roman emperor and the people expected the
anointed one that God had promised to save them.
Literal Meaning: “Christ” is the
synonym of the Hebrew word “the Messiah” which means “the anointed one”.
Enlightenment in the Word: the deeds of John the Baptist made others regard
him as Christ. The Lord’s servant should live out Christ like this: he bore
witness to Christ by his words and deeds and supply Christ to those who “expected”
Christ.
Luke. 3:16 “John
answered, saying to all, ‘I indeed baptize you with
water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to
loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
YLT: “John answered,
saying to all, `I indeed with water do baptise you, but he cometh who is
mightier than I, of whom I am not worthy to loose the latchet of his sandals he
shall baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire;”
The
Background: “whose sandal strap
I am not worthy to loose” In ancient times, the Jews put on sandals without
uppers when they went out, and took off the sandals when they entered their
houses. One of the works for the lowest bondmen was to loose the sandal straps,
take off and carry the shoes for their hosts and guests, and then took a basin with water to wash their feet.
Literal Meaning: “I indeed baptize
you with water” In the original “I” and “with water” are with the tone of
emphasis. This shows these things are what John could do at most.
“One mightier than I” One indicates
Jesus Christ.
“Whose sandal strap I am not worthy to
loose” shows that John considered himself not to be worthy of His servant.
Spiritual
Meaning: “I indeed baptize
you with water” “baptism of water” is the mark of the ministry of John the
Baptist and it means to immerse the one who repents into water and end his old
life.
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit
and fire.” The conjunction “and” in the original shows that the words before
and after the conjunction should be of the same class. Since “the Holy Spirit”
was explained literally, “fire” should be explained literally. We should not
explain “fire” spiritually according to “parted tongues, as of fire” (Acts.
2:3) and “fervent in spirit” (Rom. 12:11). Here it declares the two sides of
the work of the Lord Jesus:
1) To those who repent sincerely and believe in Him, He will baptize
them into the Holy Spirit to make them have the life of God and become the body
of Christ------the assembly (1Cor. 12:13, Acts. 2:2-4)
2) To those who are unwilling to repent and believe in the Lord and the
nominal Christians, He will baptize them with fire which is the fire of
judgment (Rev. 20:15).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) John the Baptism, the forerunner of the Lord, was
to bring others to repent and direct others to Christ. We should also bring
others to the Lord.
2) The repentance is only a way, instead of
the aim, to bring men to Christ (“He who is coming after me”). Repentance enables men to lose themselves and
faith enables men to obtain Christ. The former is negative and the latter
positive. Repentance should be with faith. Repentance alone is of no effect
because repentance only makes men continually pay attention to their failures
and it is just like what they used to pay attention to their “goodness” before
they have repented.
3) Jesus Christ is the Son of God and therefore He
owns heavenly and exceeding might (“He is mightier than I”).
4) Those who serve the Lord should have the same
humble and gentle attitude with John the Baptist (“whose sandals I am not worthy to carry”).
5) The baptism of water is the end of the old life
and the baptism of the spirit is the beginning of the new life. Men should
repent to receive the former and men should believe in the glad tidings to receive
the latter.
6) If men do not repent and receive the baptism of
water, they will be baptized with fire in future. Today everyone who is willing
to repent and receives the baptism of water will be baptized with the Holy
Spirit at the same time (1Cor. 12:13).
Luke. 3:17 “His winnowing fan is in
His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the
wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.’”
YLT: “whose winnowing
shovel [is] in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his floor, and will
gather the wheat to his storehouse, and the chaff he will burn with fire
unquenchable.’”
The
Background: in ancient times,
after the Jews had reaped wheat, they dried wheat in the sun and grinded wheat
to make grain separate from chaff. Then they threw the wheat mixed with chaff
into the air with dustpan and the heavier wheat would fall down around and the
lighter chaff would be blown away by the wind. By this way the wheat and chaff
were separated. They gathered the clean wheat into the barn and burned the
chaff as burning materials.
Literal
Meaning: When the Lord Jesus
comes back, He will do the work of separation and judgment. He will judge who
is the wheat with God’s life and who is the chaff with vain appearance. The
former will be gathered into the barn in the heaven (i.e. into the eternity)
and the latter will be thrown into the lake of fire (i.e. the eternal
perdition).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Satan wants to sift men as wheat (Luke.
22:31). But our Lord will “thoroughly clean out” His threshing floor. If we
were the heavier “wheat”, we would only suffer at this time. If we were the
lighter “chaff”, we would suffer forever.
2) The aim of the judgment of the Lord is
“cleaning out”, purifying and separating. Anyone who is willing to receive the
judgment of the Lord today will stand before the judgment in future.
3) The nominal Christians are the “chaff”. They
have the similar appearance with the “wheat” but they do not have the life in
them.
4) The Lord does not want His believers to stay in
the original world for a lifetime. One day, the believers and unbelievers will
be separated forever.
5) That which is born of the flesh is the flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is the spirit. The cross will do the work
of separation in us all the time.
6) The cross would root out the life of the old
creation. Anything that is of the nature will perish.
Luke. 3:18 “And with many other
exhortations he preached to the people.”
YLT: “And, therefore,
indeed with many other things, exhorting, he was proclaiming good news to the
people,”
Luke. 3:19 “But Herod the tetrarch,
being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for
all the evils which Herod had done,”
YLT: “and Herod the
tetrarch, being reproved by him concerning Herodias the wife of Philip his
brother, and concerning all the evils that Herod did,”
Literal Meaning: “concerning
Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife” “his brother” indicates his consanguineous
brother Philip, however, this Philip was not the tetrarch of Iturea (See v.1); this Philip was not the tetrarch
and he lived in Roman. “Herodias” was the granddaughter of Herod the Great and
she married her uncle Philip in Roman and when her husband was still alive, she
remarried her another uncle Herod Antipas.
Enlightenment in the Word: the Lord’s servant should not fear the authority of
men and should bluntly blame others’ sins no matter how high their positions
are and to bear strong witness to the Lord.
Luke. 3:20 “also added this, above
all, that he shut John up in prison.”
YLT: “added also this to
all, that he shut up John in the prison.”
Literal Meaning: “also added this” It
indicates that another evil thing added this (See v.19).
“Above all, that he shut John up in
prison.” The event that John the Baptist was shut up in prison took place after
the Lord Jesus began to preach (See John. 3:22-24), however, Luke purposely
finished the records of the working of John the Baptist and then began to
record the working of the Lord Jesus.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If one does not deal with sin well, his sin
shall add.
2) The true witnesses of the Lord shall unavoidably
be persecuted by the power of darkness and they even sacrifice their lives for
the Lord. It is no wander that “witness” and “martyr” are the same in the
original.
Luke. 3:21 “When all the people were
baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed,
the heaven was opened.”
YLT: “And it came to
pass, in all the people being baptised, Jesus also being baptised, and praying,
the heaven was opened,”
Literal Meaning: “while He prayed”
Please note that only Luke recorded the prayer of the Lord Jesus when He was
baptized (See Matt. 3:16; Mark. 1:10) because prayer is one of the themes of
the Gospel of Luke.
“The heaven was opened.” It indicates
that men could see the scene in heaven with their eyes (Acts. 7:56).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It has not been recorded in the Gospel of John
that the Lord Jesus was baptized because the Gospel of John indicates that He
is God; the other three Gospels all recorded that He was baptized because they
all indicate that He is the man. Every man should be put to death.
2) The Lord Jesus “also was baptized” and this
shows that all that is of men, no matter it is good or not, should be put to
death and then men could be used by God.
3) The Lord Jesus was sinless and there was no need
for Him to repent and be baptized, however, He was willing to stand in the
position of sinners and submitted to God and confessed that men deserve death;
shall we not much rather repent and submit to God?
4) The Lord started His work on earth through the
baptism. This shows His principle of service------supplying life through death.
5) “The heaven was opened” is the answer to the
Lord. When men are willing to seek God through prayers, they will always see
the wonderful works of God.
6) The heaven is only open to men who rise from the
dead. If believers stand in the position that we die and rise with the Lord, the
heaven will be likewise open to us.
7) He inherits every spiritual blessing and as long
as we are united to Him will we be partakers of heaven and everything that is
of heaven.
Luke. 3:22 “And the Holy Spirit
descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven
which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’”
YLT: “and the Holy Spirit
came down in a bodily appearance, as if a dove, upon him, and a voice came out
of heaven, saying, `Thou art My Son the Beloved, in thee I did delight.’”
Literal Meaning: “a voice came from
heaven” It is the voice of God our Father (2Pet. 1:17).
“This is My beloved Son.” It is God’s
proclamation and introduction to Jesus, showing the divinity of Jesus who came
to the world to declare God the Father (John. 1:18).
“In whom I am well pleased.” God
admitted who He is and what He has done all well pleased God the Father. It
implies that we should hear Him (Matt. 17:5).
Spiritual Meaning: “in bodily form like
a dove”, “dove” is the sign of the Holy Spirit, symbolizes the gentleness, the
meekness and the simplicity of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God descended
upon Him, showing that He is Christ (the anointed one) who is anointed by God
with the Holy Spirit.
The heaven was opened to him (See v.21).
This shows that He was acceptable to God; and the Holy Spirit descended upon
Him, showing that God gave Him the power of service.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord had been baptized with water and the
Holy Spirit before the assembly received the baptism of water and the Spirit.
It shows that all spiritual reality and principles are firstly in the head. The
full Christ is the fountain of all spiritual abundance.
2) The heavens, used to be shut up because of men’s
betrayal, were opened to Him for His obedience to the authority of the heavens.
Then all the heavenly abundance was brought down-------the Spirit of God, the
words of God and the delight of God.
3) We should ask the Lord to pour the Holy Spirit
out on us richly (Tit. 3:6) to make us receive the power and bear good witness
of the Lord (Acts. 1:8, 2:18-21).
4) The one who is full of the Holy Spirit will be,
like a dove, gentle to men and sincere and simple to God.
5) The anointing oil declares the ownership of God
(Lev. 8:12, 30). If we want to be possessed by God, we must go through the
procedure of rising up from the dead.
6) Jesus is God’s Beloved Son------son is the
manifestation and declaration of father------only through the Lord Jesus could
we see and know God.
7) In Christ God is well pleased------if we
want to please God, we should listen to the Lord only and abide in the Lord.
8) The praise from God the Father to the Lord shows
that:
a) The life of thirty years of the Lord Jesus before the baptism well
pleased God.
b) The obedience of the Lord Jesus that was shown by the baptism was
well acceptable to God.
Luke. 3:23 “Now Jesus Himself began
His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of
Joseph, the son of Heli,”
YLT: “And Jesus himself
was beginning to be about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, son of
Joseph,”
The
Background: the sons of Levi
were able to enter into the service from thirty years old (See Num. 4:3, 47).
Literal Meaning: “being (as was
supposed) the son of Joseph.” The Lord Jesus is the Holy one who was conceived
in Mary by the Holy Spirit (See 1:35) and He was not the son of Joseph.
However, Joseph became the husband of Mary later and therefore He was regarded
as the son of Joseph in the eyes of men.
“The son of Heli” Joseph was actually
the son of Jacob (See Matt. 1:16) and Heli was the father of Mary and the
father-in-law of Joseph. The relationship between the Jewish father-in-law and
the son-in-law is like the relationship between father and son and the Jewish
father-in-law call his son-in-law “son” directly (See 1Sam. 24:16).
The Bible scholars generally believed
that the line of Joseph was recorded in the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew
and the line of Mary was recorded in the Gospel of Luke and there were four
reasons at least:
a) The genealogy of Joseph has already
been recorded obviously in the Gospel of Matthew (Matt. 1:2-16).
b) In the beginning of the Gospel of
Luke, the position of Mary was more prominent than that of Joseph (See
1:27-38), however, the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew was contrary to that
in the Gospel of Luke (See Matt. 1:16-25).
c) Luke, unlike Matthew who recorded the
genealogy with “somebody begot somebody”, recorded the genealogy with
“somebody, the son of somebody” to show that the former may not be the latter’s
own, for example: the Lord Jesus was not Joseph’s own and Joseph was not Heli’s
own.
d) In the original, there is a definite article (the) with the
possessive case before every name in the genealogy that was recorded in the
Gospel of Luke. But the only exception is that there is not the definite
article (the) before the name of Joseph. This shows that the reason why Joseph
was in this genealogy is His marital relation with Mary.
Luke. 3:24 “the son of Matthat, the
son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph,”
YLT: “the [son] of Eli,
the [son] of Matthat, the [son] of Levi, the [son] of Melchi, the [son] of
Janna, the [son] of Joseph,”
Luke. 3:25 “the son of Mattathiah,
the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,”
YLT: “the [son] of
Mattathias, the [son] of Amos, the [son] of Naum, the [son] of Esli,”
Luke. 3:26 “the son of Maath, the son
of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of
YLT: “the [son] of
Naggai, the [son] of Maath, the [son] of Mattathias, the [son] of Semei, the
[son] of Joseph, the [son] of Juda,”
Luke. 3:27 “the son of Joannas, the
son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,”
YLT: “the [son] of
Joanna, the [son] of Rhesa, the [son] of Zerubbabel, the [son] of Shealtiel,”
Luke. 3:28 “the son of Melchi, the
son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,”
YLT: “the [son] of Neri,
the [son] of Melchi, the [son] of Addi, the [son] of Cosam, the [son] of
Elmodam, the [son] of Er,”
Luke. 3:29 “the son of Jose, the son
of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,”
YLT: “the [son] of Jose,
the [son] of Eliezer, the [son] of Jorim, the [son] of Matthat,”
Luke. 3:30 “the son of Simeon, the
son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,”
YLT: “the [son] of Levi,
the [son] of Simeon, the [son] of Juda, the [son] of Joseph, the [son] of
Jonan, the [son] of Eliakim,”
Luke. 3:31 “the son of Melea, the son
of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David,”
YLT: “the [son] of Melea,
the [son] of Mainan, the [son] of Mattatha, the [son] of Nathan,”
Literal Meaning: “Nathan, the son of
David” “David” was also recorded in the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew (See
Matt. 1:6) and the difference between the two genealogies is that in the Gospel
of Matthew the ancestor of Joseph was Solomon who was another son of David and
the ancestor of Mary here was Nathan who was the son of David. Joseph was a
descent of Solomon and Mary was a descent of Nathan.
Luke. 3:32 “the son of Jesse, the son
of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,”
YLT: “the [son] of David,
the [son] of Jesse, the [son] of Obed, the [son] of Booz, the [son] of Salmon,
the [son] of Nahshon,”
Literal Meaning: the genealogy from
David to Abraham (v.32-34) is on all fours with that in the Gospel of Matthew
(See Matt. 1:2-6).
Luke. 3:33 “the son of Amminadab, the
son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of
YLT: “the [son] of
Amminadab, the [son] of
Luke. 3:34 “the son of Jacob, the son
of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,”
YLT: “the [son] of Judah,
the [son] of Jacob, the [son] of Isaac, the [son] of Abraham, the [son] of
Terah, the [son] of Nahor,”
Literal Meaning: the genealogy of the
Gospel of Matthew only dates back to Abraham and it indicates the Lord Jesus’
relation with the
“Abraham, the son of Terah” Please see
the genealogy from Terah to Shem in Gen. 11:10-26.
Luke. 3:35 “the son of Serug, the son
of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,”
YLT: “the [son] of Serug,
the [son] of Reu, the [son] of Peleg, the [son] of Eber,”
Luke. 3:36 “the son of Cainan, the
son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,”
YLT: “the [son] of Salah,
the [son] of Cainan, the [son] of Arphaxad, the [son] of Shem, the [son] of
Noah, the [son] of Lamech,”
Literal Meaning: “Shem, the son of
Noah” Please see the genealogy from Noah to Adam (v.38) in Gen. 5:1-32.
Luke. 3:37 “the son of Methuselah,
the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,”
YLT: “the [son] of
Methuselah, the [son] of Enoch, the [son] of Jared, the [son] of Mahalaleel,”
Luke. 3:38 “the son of Enosh, the son
of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”
YLT: “the [son] of
Cainan, the [son] of Enos, the [son] of Seth, the [son] of Adam, the [son] of
God.”
Literal Meaning: “Adam, the son of
God” It does not mean that God begot Adam and it means that God created Adam
(See Gen. 5:1-2); “sons” are of fathers and God is the origin of Adam.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Example of the
Lord’s Servants
I. The beginning of the service------the
word of God came to John (v.2)------God’s calling and instruction.
II. The message of the service:
A. He preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins (v.3).
B. He spread Christ (v.15-17).
C. He preached the glad tidings (v.18).
III. The attitude of the service:
A. The voice of one crying (v.4a)------he did not seek his own glory and
was only a “voice”; “crying” shows that he was fully burdened in himself.
B. Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
(v.7)------he convicted others of guilt bluntly and directly.
C. He blamed Herod the king who committed sins (v.19-20)------he did not
fear the authority of men and stood up for justice.
IV. The aim of the service:
A. Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight (v.4b)------pave
the way for the Lord.
B. All flesh shall see the salvation of God (v.6)------make men receive
the salvation of God.
V. The items of the service (v.5):
A. Every valley shall be filled------deal with the lust of men’s hearts.
B. Every mountain and hill brought low ------deal with the pride of
men’s hearts.
C. The crooked places shall be made straight------deal with the
deceitfulness of men’s hearts.
D. The rough ways smooth ------deal with the unpeace and resentment of
men’s hearts.
VI. The way of the
service------individualized instruction:
A. To common people------help the poor (v.10-11).
B. To tax collectors------do not blackmail anyone (v.12-13).
C. To soldiers------do not intimidate anyone (v.14).
The Knowledge of the
Repentance
I. The expression of the
repentance------receive the baptism of the repentance (v.3b).
II. The aim of the repentance------for the
remission of sins (v.3c).
III. The result of the repentance------flee
from the wrath to come (v.7).
IV. The proof of the repentance------bear
fruits worthy of repentance (v.8).
Three Kinds of
Baptisms (v.16)
I. John’s baptism of water------makes men
repent and confess their sins.
II. The Lord’s baptism of the
spirit------makes men have the life of the spirit.
III. The Lord’s baptism of fire------it is
for judgment and it burns everything that is besides God.
The Meaning of the
Baptism of Fire (v.16)
I. The fire cleanses men------remove the
impurities of life.
II. The fire shines men------the Holy Spirit
shines as fire and makes men know God and truth.
III. The fire lightens men------the Holy
Spirit lightens the spirit of men with the heavenly fire.
Two Kinds of People
(v.17)
II. “Chaff” ------with vain appearance------will
be “burned up with unquenchable fire”.
The Results of the
Lord’s Being Baptized (v.21-22)
I. The heaven was opened.
II. The Holy Spirit descended in bodily form
like a dove upon Him.
III. A voice of praise came from heaven to
bear witness of Him.
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren