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GOSPEL OF SAINT LUKE
09 – Baptism in the Jordan
RECAP FROM LECTURE 08
The Infancy narrative insists on
1. The divinity of Jesus
2. The humanity of Jesus
3. The humanity of Mary (she did not understand, she pondered
things in her heart)
4. The centrality of Mary in the mission of Jesus foreshadowing the
Church
5. Jesus loves his mother with the same love he has for his Bride the
Church
6. Jesus’ obedience to the Father through his obedience to his parents
7. Salvation is to come to Israel and the Gentiles
PLAN OF THIS STUDY
1.Reading of Luke 3:1-22
2.Historical setting of John’s ministry
3.Eschatological, Moral and Messianic
Teaching
4.Jesus’s Baptism
OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO LUKE 3:1-22
LUKE 3:1-7
1. In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiber'i-us Caesar, Pontius Pilate being
governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip
tetrarch of the region of Iturae'a and Trachoni'tis, and Lysa'ni-as tetrarch of
Abile'ne,
2. in the high-priesthood of Annas and Ca'iaphas, the word of God came to John
the son of Zechari'ah in the wilderness;
3. and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching 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 brought low,
and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made
smooth;
6. and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
7. He said therefore to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "You
brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
LUKE 3:8-14
8. Bear fruits that befit repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, `We
have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to
raise up children to Abraham.
9. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does
not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
10. And the multitudes asked him, "What then shall we do?"
11. And he answered them, "He who has two coats, let him share with him who
has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."
12. 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 is appointed you."
14. Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them,
"Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your
wages.“
15. As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts
concerning John whether he was the Christ
LUKE 3:16-22
16. John answered them all, "I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than
I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
17. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather
the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
18. So, with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people.
19. But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Hero'di-as, his
brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done,
20. added this to them all, that he shut up John in prison.
21. Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been
baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,
22. and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a
voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well
pleased."
LUKE 3:1-7
1. In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiber'i-us Caesar, Pontius Pilate being
governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip
tetrarch of the region of Iturae'a and Trachoni'tis, and Lysa'ni-as tetrarch of
Abile'ne,
2. in the high-priesthood of Annas and Ca'iaphas, the word of God came to John
the son of Zechari'ah in the wilderness;
3. and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching 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 brought low,
and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made
smooth;
6. and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
7. He said therefore to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "You
brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
LUKE 3:1-7 / 1
John’s prophetic mission occurs within human history and impacts human history.
God works within history and history is his story
Plausible connection with the Essen community: Isaiah 40 is quoted in their Rule
Book and “to enter the Covenant” was for them “to enter into water” (1QS 5:8,13)
For the Essenes, contact with outsiders, even Palestinian Jews not of their own
community, was a source of defilement (Josephus J.W. 2,8,10)
A. N. Sherwin-White (Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament, 166)
states that the “internal coherence of the lengthy [synchronistic] formula… cannot
be challenged for accuracy.”
When Herod’s son Archelaus was deposed (A.D. 6), Judea and Samaria came under
the direct control of Roman officials. Pilate was appointed the sixth prefect of Judea
by Sejanus, Tiberius’ anti-Jewish adviser, and he held the prefecture from AD. 26-36
LUKE 3:1-7 / 2
Herod tetrarch of Galilee: Herod Antipas, younger son of Malthace and Herod the
Great,. He ruled until 39 A.D. when Caligula deposed and exiled him for seeking to
make the courtesy title of him into a real title. “Tetrarch” originally meant one who
rules over a fourth of an area but by the time of the gospel, it had become a
stereotyped title for a petty prince.
Philip was the son of Herod the Great and Cleopatra of Jerusalem. He ruled east of
the Jordan, to the north, bordering on Syria, south of Damascus. He ruled from 4 B.C.
until A.D. 34 hen he died.
Lysanias ruled the territory northwest of Damascus, surrounding the town of Abila at
the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon range. This may indicate that Luke was Syrian
from Abilene or that Theophilus, to whom the gospel is addressed is from that
region.
LUKE 3:1-7 / 3
High priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas: Annas, son of Seth, was appointed high priest
by the Roman governor, P. Sulpicius Quirinius in A.D. 6 and held this position until he was
deposed in A.D. 15. He was then succeeded by Ishmael, son of Phiabi (A.D. 15), Eleazar,
his own son (16-117), Simon, son of Camith (17-18), and eventually by his son-in-law,
Joseph, called Caiaphas. The latter held the post of high priest from A.D. 18 through 36.
Dueal Pair like…. Abiyathar and Ahimelek, his father
A message came from God to John: John is called like Jeremiah in Jer. 1.1 “The word of
God which was directed to Jeremiah son of Hilkiah”.
John belongs to the period of Israel; he is the last of prophets.
In the desert: The importance of silence, contemplation, and the will to seek the Lord are
important elements in the prophetic and Christian life. John is itinerant.
He preaches a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins: metanoia –repentance,
literally a change of mind – conversion, reform of life.
LUKE 3:1-7 / 4
To the Essenes, it was useless to enter the waters unless one were willing to turn
from evildoing.
As it is written: Saint Luke shows that Saint Johns fulfills the words written in the Book
of Isaiah, chapter 40:3-5
Note that the Manual of Discipline of the Essenes relies on the same text to explain
why they chose to live in the desert.
Make ready the way of the Lord: The restoration of the Kingdom of Israel has begun
and it begins with repentance. Similar to making ready the way of a King.
All the flesh shall see the salvation of God: Again, the assertion that salvation is to
extent beyond Israel to the entire world
Brood of Vipers: three samples of John’s preaching are given: eschatological, ethical
and messianic
LUKE 3:1-7 / 5
Verses 7-9 are eschatological. They are meant to show Israel that God plays no
favorite and the wrath of God is real
Verses 10-14 turns Saint John’s attention to ethical conduct: selfless concern for
others. Assistance, honesty, equity.
Saint John manifests a real concern for others but does not seek to upset the social
order. He does not even tell soldiers who are in the case mercenaries to quit, but to
be content with their pay.
Verses 15-18 is messianic and it is the most important section. Saint John defines his
role vis-à-vis the Messaiah, the One who is to come, the more powerful one.
LUKE 3:8-14
8. Bear fruits that befit repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, `We
have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to
raise up children to Abraham.
9. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does
not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
10. And the multitudes asked him, "What then shall we do?"
11. And he answered them, "He who has two coats, let him share with him who
has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."
12. 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 is appointed you."
14. Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them,
"Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your
wages.“
15. As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts
concerning John whether he was the Christ
LUKE 3:8-14 / 1
Brood of viper: This expression is not found in the Old Testament.
Wrath to come: Saint Luke uses this expression here and in 21:23. It refers to a future
manifestation of God’s wrath. This is associated with “The Day of the Lord” in Isa
13:9, Zeph 1:14-16, Ezek 7:19.
Jewish apocalyptic made much use of this expression, depicting God doing battle
with his angles on the side of the “sons of light”.
Bear Fruits that Befits Repentance: Show by your actions and conduct that an inner
change has taken place. Fruits: The virtues. The three theological virtues: Faith,
Hope, Charity. And the Moral virtues: Justice, Temperance, Prudence, Fortitude. The
Seven Cardinal virtues.
We have Abraham as our Father: Refers to the Blessing of Abraham (Gen: 12-13).
Various rabbinical literature played on Israel’s physical descent from Abraham as
protection against God’s wrath.
If Abraham is their father, then they are Abraham’s sons…. And ?
LUKE 3:8-14 / 2
God can raise children to Abraham: God can renew Israel (faithfulness to covenant)
without the Israelites. Also pun in the Aramaic: benayya (sons) from abnayya
(stones)
Axe is laid to the root: Urgency, depth of depravity.
Any tree that fails to produce good fruit: Parable of the fig tree (Luke 13:6-9)
Tax-collector: More accurately, perhaps, is toll-collectors: Jews responsible for the
collection of indirect taxes: (tolls, tariffs, imposts, and customs).
Soldiers: Not Roman soldiers, most likely Jewish men enlisted in the service of
Herod Antipas (Josephus Ant. 18.5,1), as well as mercenaries
LUKE 3:16-22
16. John answered them all, "I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than
I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
17. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather
the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
18. So, with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people.
19. But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Hero'di-as, his
brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done,
20. added this to them all, that he shut up John in prison.
21. Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been
baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,
22. and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a
voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well
pleased."
LUKE 3:16-22 / 1
Baptizing you with water: Indicates intent, not power
He who is mightier than I is coming: (see Malachi 3:1,23)
Adam  Noah
Moses  Joshuah
Abraham  Isaac
Elijah  Alisha
Jacob  Joseph
John the Baptist  Jesus
The thong of whose sandals I am unfit to untie: Indicates the position of a slave, forbidden
by the rabbis in later tradition as a service to be done by a disciple to his master
Baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire: Reference to exodus – Baptism of Judgment
(See wrath beforehand).
Winnowing fork: used to toss threshed grain to the wind to separate the light chaff from
the heavy kernels, which would fall in a heap (see Isaiah 30:24).
Unquenchable fire: God’s reign is for ever.
LUKE 3:16-22 / 2
Beloved Son: Not a messianic title.
We already know that Jesus is “Savior, Lord, and Messiah” (Luke 2:11). We know he is
the Son (Luke 1:32,35) What is the knew is the overshadowing of the Spirit.
Why did Jesus submit to the Baptism of John?
Jesus is conscious of sin, yet recognizing in John’s call for repentance an opportunity for
personal conversion
Jesus approves of John’s ministry
Jesus is a disciple of John
Symbolic anticipation of his passion and the expiatory significance that it would have.
Jesus obeys (Jesus too was baptized) and Jesus sanctifies because he is the only one that
can live-up to John’s calling. The unclean when touched shall be made clean.
LUKE 3:16-22 / 3
Thou art my beloved (agapetos) Son; with thee I am well pleased. Psalm 2: You are my
son, today I have begotten you: an enthronement psalm for some heir of the Davidic
throne.
I am well pleased -- Servant -- I have taken delight. See Isa 42:1 Beginning of the
first Servant Song.
LET’S RECAP
John the Baptist announces a baptism of repentance and forgiveness of sins
To repent and to be forgiven, we need the Grace of God flowing from the Cross.
Thus, Saint John tells those who hear him what they need to do. If convicted of their
sins, they will realize their need for forgiveness and thus will be ready to listen to
Jesus.
Saint John reminds us of the “Wrath to come.” God is the final judge of our lives and
our action orient us towards heaven or hell.
Saint John tells us he is not worthy to untie the thongs of His sandals. Do we say the
same?
FOR NEXT WEEK
Read Luke 3:23-38
Some points of meditation
What is the purpose of a genealogy?
Are there names you recognize? How many?
What of the names you do not recognize? Are they
important? Are they important for you and me?
How does this genealogy compares to the genealogy in
Matthew chapter 1?