Knowing The Word in Luke 3:1-6, John the Baptist Prepares the Way

Luke lists seven powerful men in setting up the ministry of John the Baptist, suggesting a date around AD 29. Then he turns to one of his favorite themes in his Gospel: repentance. He uses both the noun “repentance” and the verb “to repent” more often than the other three Gospels combined. In the days of Jesus, baptism was a rite of cleansing used in several ancient religions. It seems certain that at this time the Jews practiced proselyte baptism, meaning those who converted to Judaism from a Gentile religion were bathed in water as a sign of their conversion. This ceremony was meant to cleanse converts from the defilement the Jews saw as characteristic of all Gentiles. The sting in John’s practice was that he applied to Jews what they required of Gentiles. He basically said that the Jews were just like the Gentiles in the eyes of God. He denounced those who expected that in the day of judgment God would deal harshly with Gentile sinners, but that the Jews, the descendants of Abraham, would be safe. He removes their unfounded security. In other words, he is preparing them for the need of outside help in the person of a Savior.

1 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, 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.’”

Prayer: Father, give us grace not only to hear your Word with our ears, but also to receive it into our hearts and to show it forth in our lives; for the glory of your great name. Amen.