Luke 3:21-38

Butler's Comments

SECTION 4

The Baptizer's Master (Luke 3:21-38)

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22and 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.

23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24the son of Mathat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattaha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33the son of Amminadab, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35the son of Serag, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Luke 3:21-22 Goodness: Jesus came when he was about 30 years of age to submit to John's immersion. The date would have been approximately December, 26 A.D. or January, 27 A.D. It was more than 40 days before He went to the Passover recorded in John 2:13-22. He was led of the Spirit into the wilderness immediately after His baptism to be tempted by the devil. After His temptation He was pointed out by John the Baptist to some of his disciples, He traveled to Canaan of Galilee for a wedding feast, spent a few days in Capernaum (John 1:19, John 2:12) and then went to the Passover. The place He was baptized was probably Bethany beyond the Jordan (John 1:28) also known as Bethabara (house of the ford).

John objected; Jesus insisted. It would be a natural reaction for John to insist that he was unworthy to baptize the Messiah. John had already declared that the One Coming was so much greater than he. It is a clear doctrine of the New Testament that Jesus Christ was without sin. Why then did He need to be immersed with John's baptism? We suggest the following reasons:

a.

Acquiescence:

The message God gave John the Baptist was that anyone who wished to be of the true Israel of God must acquiesce to a righteousness from an obedient heart. Matthew states that Jesus said, ... it is fitting. (Matthew 3:15). The Greek word prepon might be translated, proper. It was proper for Jesus to acquiesce to any revealed commandment of the Father and fulfill righteousness from an obedient heart.

b.

Association:

Jesus, to serve as our pathfinder, redeemer, and faithful High Priest, tested and tried in all points as we are tried, must be made like His brethren in every respect (Hebrews 2:14-18). Jesus in His flesh, has traveled every road we have traveled, been tried in every way we have been tried, and submitted to every command we have been commanded.

c.

Authentication:

God's initial signal that this Person was His Son and the Messiah was at Jesus-' baptism. It was here Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit (John 1:33-34) and approved by the verbal, audible announcement of the Father (Matthew 3:17).

Jesus acquiesced to John's immersion to demonstrate that the man who wishes to be acclaimed good by God must have an obedient heart. Even the Son, who condescended to an incarnate experience, felt it was necessary to obey the Father's will no matter who the messenger might be (cf. Matthew 17:24-27; Matthew 23:1-2; Hebrews 5:7-9). If the sinless Son of God felt the necessity of walking 60-70 miles to submit in obedience to the Father's revealed will to be immersed in the Jordan River, how can any believer today feel that it is not necessary to be immersed in obedience to the Son's command?

Luke 3:23-38 Geneaology: Genealogies are family trees. The ancient Jews were very zealous to keep genealogical records (cf. Ezekiel 13:9; Ezra 2:59; Ezra 2:62). These records were necessary for adjudicating inheritances of tribal lands and for succession of royal and priestly families. They were legal documents. Matthew's genealogy traced Jesus-' lineage through Joseph because it was only through Joseph as His father-of-record that He had claim to David's throne. Luke, probably not primarily interested in Jesus-' legal heritage, gives the parenthetical (as was supposed, the son of Joseph) explanation as he traces Jesus-' lineage back to Adam and God. Luke was more interested for the sake of his Gentile readers to trace Jesus-' ancestry to the original man Adam and thence to God. Luke's genealogy would be a documented rebuttal to the mythological genealogies of the pagan gods. Joseph is distinctly declared by Matthew to be from David through Solomon, back to Abraham (Matthew 1:1-17; see also Matthew 1:20; Luke 2:4). But Joseph was connected to two lines of descent if you compare Luke's list with Matthew'S. How could Joseph be the son of both Jacob (in Matthew) and Heli (in Luke)? As sometimes happened a man and his wife could not produce male heirs to their tribal heritage. God provided in the Old Testament economy what came to be known as the Levirate Law (Genesis 38:8 ff; Deuteronomy 25:5-10) whereby a deceased man's brother or nearest male kin was required to marry his brother's widow and raise up seed in his brother's name. Ruth's marriage to Boaz recognized this law (Ruth 4:1-17). This ancient custom was also applied in the practice of adoption. Orphaned children were often adopted (Esther 2:7) and thus became legal heirs through kinsmen. It is altogether possible that Heli was Joseph's first father and, upon his death, Joseph was adopted by Jacob and became legal heir to Jacob's heritage.

A comparison of Luke's genealogical record of Jesus-' ancestry with that of Matthew will show Zerubbabel as the son of Shealtiel. But according to 1 Chronicles 3:19 Zerubbabel is the nephew of Shealtiel and the son of Pedaiah. Zerubbabel is at one and the same time heir, and, legally son of two men. In Matthew's list Shealtiel is the son of Jechoniah, and in Luke he is the son of Neri. How do we resolve this problem? According to Jeremiah 22:30, Jechoniah was to have no children to succeed him in a legal sense on the throne (he was to be prophetically childless). Shealtiel became legal heir through his father's cousin Neri (see chart, pg. 62). The only place Neri is mentioned is in Luke's list. We assume then that Neri had no sons but when Jechoniah died, Shealtiel, the blood son of Jechoniah, was adopted by Neri (son of David through Nathan). What is true of Shealtiel is also true of Zerubbabel. He became the heir through Shealtiel because Shealtiel had no sons (Pediah and his other brothers had probably died) so Zerubbabel was adopted by Shealtiel who was already legal heir through the Leverite Law. Thus God's prophecy concerning Jechoniah (legally childless) and the David lineage were both preserved.

The main aspect of the genealogical record of Christ's ancestry is to establish God's faithfulness, wisdom, and power to carry out His redemptive plan through the Divine-Man in spite of all obstacles and enemies. Imagine the difficulties that would arise if we did not possess proof that Jesus was the descendant of David! But even more importantly, the genealogies tracing Jesus-' ancestry back to the original man, Adam, prove that God's plan was to save man by a Man. Man's redeemer must be a man; it was necessary that the power of the devil (the fear of death, Hebrews 2:14-15) be conquered in the flesh. Man's sacrifice must be a man; a sinless, perfect man (cf. Hebrews 10:4-10). Man's mediator must be a man (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 2:17-18). Jesus was The Man who redeemed man (cf. Galatians 4:4-5). Furthermore, God's power and faithfulness to overcome all obstacles is revealed in the genealogies of Jesus. God kept His word to preserve a family and a nation through whom He delivered to the world its Savior. In spite of dungeon, fire and sword, He preserved a specific family. In spite of bondage, captivities, and resistance by this chosen nation itself, God preserved a throne. In spite of sinful men and women (David; Bathsheba, Rahab, etc.) in the lineage of Jesus, God produced a believing, humble peasant girl and her fiance through whom to deliver the Messiah to mankind. God's providential power is evident in the genealogies of Jesus.

STUDY STIMULATORS:

1.

What do you think of the historical context in which John the Baptist carried out his mission? Would you be able to maintain an optimistic attitude if you were called to serve God in a similar historical context?

2.

How did John the Baptist serve as a link between the Old and New covenants? What was the response God expected from all who heard his message?

3.

Were people's sins forgiven when they submitted to John's immersion?

4.

Why is it incorrect to state that John's baptism originated in Jewish proselyte baptism?

5.

Why is it incorrect to state that John's baptism originated in the practice of Essene (Qumranian) washings?

6.

Where did John's immersion originate? How did Jesus verify that?

7.

What is the correct New Testament mode of baptism?

8.

Has the Bible given any man or group of men sanction to change the mode of baptism?

9.

Why did John call the Pharisees and Sadducees a brood of vipers? Would this same categorization apply to any contemporary religious teachers?

10.

What is repentance? Is it to be accomplished only once in our lives?

11.

Why is it necessary to repent of erroneous theology before repentance in ethics?

12.

May one continue to be a soldier and please God?

13.

Are all believers to be immersed in the Holy Spirit?

14.

Why did Jesus insist on being baptized by John?

15.

Why is it important that the genealogical record of Jesus-' ancestry be a part of the gospel record?