LUKE 3

Luke provides some details as to the rulers of the time, in order to have the reader understand the time frame in which the events occurred. We are somewhere around A.D. 26 or 27, and John the Baptist is on the scene preaching repentance, and baptizing those who will publically promise to turn back to God. Isaiah 40 is fulfilled, among other prophecies, in his ministry.

Crowds came to be baptized, and Matthew specifically mentions Pharisees and Sadducees coming to see who this “John” was and what he was doing. When they and many others perceived the baptisms to be a religious ritual, they wanted to participate. They were all about anything religious that looked good.

John greets them with a warm (sarcasm) “brood of vipers”. OK, an obvious insult, but why vipers? And keep in mind, this is the word from God, making John a prophet, just as in the Old Testament. Well, for one, snakes were the most unclean thing Jews could imagine. Further, snakes were and are still known to inject their poison into their prey. So you have religious leaders hearing themselves being called vipers, implying they are spiritually unclean, and even spreading their mere religion to others, much as a snake. So we can safely assert that John the Baptist was no friend of the religious leaders.

But the crowds ask what they should do. So John tells them to change their ways, start behaving as they should. No, he is not advocating works as the means to gain God’s favor, but look at the specifics he tells them; he is going after their hearts. He wants them to sincerely turn to God, and that repentance will show itself by their actions. And simply being related to Abraham (Jewish) means nothing in each person’s relationship to God.

John clarifies that he is not the Christ, and that one is soon coming who is. People are noticing the signs; it has been 400 years since God last spoke through prophets, so this is huge news. And the timeline works out for people paying attention, using prophecies to Daniel and others.

John’s image of the winnowing fork is a favorite of mine. Winnowing was a way to separate good grain from the chaff, allowing the chaff (the fibrous material around the grain) to blow away while the heavier, good grain fell to the floor, to be collected later. In John’s image, the chaff is not merely blown away, but rather it is burned, utterly destroyed. “The Christ is coming”, John is saying, to gather His good grain. Just a great picture of Christ’s ministry.

Jesus comes to John to be baptized, and we see the Son, the Spirit and the Father all present while Jesus prays. This is a solid supporting passage for the Trinity.

John is thrown into prison for preaching about Herod’s public sin; Herod was having an affair with his sister-in-law.

The genealogy that closes the chapter is thought by many to be that of Mary’s, showing Jesus’ biological relationship to Mary, who is also traced back to David directly. The genealogy in Matthew is thought to be that of Joseph, who is legally Jesus’ earthly father, and he, too, is directly related to David. The Messiah was to be a direct descendant of David, to be king forever.

SO WHAT…?

So today, just like then, God wants my heart. He wants me to truly follow Him.

So today, just like then, I need to be aware of vipers who will poison those seeking the truth.

So today, just like then, the Christ is coming again, and soon. The time is now to turn to Him. It makes all the difference eternally.