The ministry of John the Baptist
3
📚Now 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, 3:1 Tiberius was the emperor of the Roman Empire. At this time both John and Jesus were about 30 years old (v 23).⚜
2 📚Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
3:2 Caiaphas was the son-in-law of Annas. The Romans appointed him high priest of the Jews. The Jews continued to recognize Annas as high priest along with Caiaphas. Ordinarily there would have been only one high priest. “The word of God came” is language often used in the Old Testament. Compare Jer 1:2; Ezek 1:3; Hos 1:1.⚜
3 📚 And he came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
3:3 This does not mean that baptism brought either repentance or forgiveness of sins. They repented and confessed their sins and received forgiveness before they were baptized (Matt 3:6, 11). For the forgiveness of sins repentance and faith are necessary (Matt 3:6; Mark 16:15-16). John’s baptism signified this.⚜
4 📚as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying,
The voice of one crying out
in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5 📚Every valley will be filled,
and every mountain and
hill will be brought low,
and the crooked will be made straight,
and the rough ways will be
made smooth,
6 📚And all flesh will see the salvation of God.’
7 📚Then he said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 📚Therefore, produce fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’, for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9 📚And even now the axe is put to the root of the trees, so every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire”.
10 📚And the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?”
11 📚He answered and said to them, “He who has two coats should give to him who has none, and he who has food should do the same”.
12 📚Then 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 what has been appointed for you”.
14 📚Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort from anyone, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages”.
3:10-14 Here is a description of some of the “fruit worthy of repentance” (v 8) – compassion, love, honesty, truthfulness, contentment, a lack of greed. These are some of the things God demands in those who would repent and live in fellowship with Him – things often ignored by many who profess to be servants of God.⚜
15 📚And the people were in a state of expectancy, and everyone was wondering in their hearts about John, whether he were the Christ 📖, or not.
16 📚John responded, saying to them all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but one more powerful than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 📚His winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire”.
18 📚And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.
3:18 For example, see John 1:29-35.⚜
19 📚But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by John concerning Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 📚added this to them all: he shut John up in prison.
The baptism of Jesus
21 📚Now when all the people were being baptized, it happened that Jesus also was baptized. And as he prayed 📖, heaven was opened, 22 📚and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, which said, “You are my beloved Son. With you I am well pleased”.
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,
The genealogy of Jesus
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 Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 📚the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
3:23-38 This genealogy from David to Jesus differs from the version in Matt 1:1-17. Why? A great many Bible scholars believe that Matthew gives the genealogy of Joseph, and Luke the genealogy of Mary. In this case Joseph would have been the son-in-law of Heli. But the word “son” in the Bible can indicate several relationships (see notes on genealogies and relationships in them at Matt 1:1, 8; Gen 5:5-32), and this seems the most probable interpretation.
Notice that Matthew gives Jesus’ genealogy only from Abraham. Luke traces it all the way back to Adam. Matthew’s purpose was to show that Jesus was the king of Israel. Luke shows His relationship with the whole of mankind.⚜
3:38 Adam, the first human being, could, of course, have no human father. He was a direct creation of God, and in this sense God was his father. See Gen 1:26-27; 2:7. Adam was not the unique Son of God as Jesus is (Luke 1:35; John 1:1, 14; 3:16; 17:5).
In vs 23-38 the words “which was” (KJV) are not in the Greek.⚜