Luke 3:23-38

Applebury's Comments

Scripture

Luke 3:23-38 And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son-oí Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Jesus, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Symeon, the son of Judas, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, 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 Arni, 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.

Comments

And Jesus himself.Luke has presented strong evidence in support of his claim that Jesus is the Son of God. The climax of that evidence is the report of God's public acknowledgment of His Son when He said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. He is now ready to tell Theophilus about the ancestors of Jesus who is also the Son of Man. Matthew began the birth record with David and Abraham and traced it to Joseph, the husband of Mary of whom was born the Christ. But Lukethis is much more meaningful to a Gentilebegan with Jesus and traced His lineage through Nathan to David and finally to Adam and then adds the final note, the son of God.

as was supposed.Two interesting items open the paragraph: (1) Jesus was about thirty years old when He began to teach; (2) It was assumed by those who didn-'t know the facts that He was the son of Joseph.

Why did He wait until He was thirty? Our impatience makes us wonder why He didn-'t begin much sooner. But God had waited until the fulness of time to bring His Son into the world. There are many things involved in that statement, but one thing is clear, the world was ready for Him; the Jewish people were in expectation; even Gentiles were glad when they heard the news of salvation through Him. The simple answer, of course, to the question is that Jews expected their teachers to have some maturity when they began, This does not bar a younger man who is prepared to undertake a ministry for the Lord today.
It was only natural for those who did not know the facts to suppose that Jesus was the son of Joseph. He grew up in Joseph's home and was obedient to Mary and Joseph. Of course, Mary and Joseph knew that He was the Son of Godhow well they understood it may be a questionbut there was no good way to tell others about it until after His ministry where He demonstrated it and His resurrection that proved it beyond a doubt. Even the Lord's brothers were not aware of the truth that He is Lord and Christ until after they had become convinced of it by the force of the evidence of the resurrection.

the son of Heli.The names in this list differ somewhat from those given in Matthew 1:1-16. But both Matthew and Luke and Paul make it clear that Jesus, according to flesh was born of the seed of David (Romans 1:3). Both Matthew and Luke make it clear that Joseph was not Jesus-' father; the conception was a miracle and Paul affirms that the resurrection designated Him as Son of God. The difference in the two lists may be explained by assumingwe have no way of proving itthat Luke gives Mary's genealogy and Matthew gives Joseph'S.

of Nathan, the son of David.Matthew traced the line through Solomon, suggesting that Joseph was the legal heir to David's throne. Luke traces it through Nathan, suggesting the blood line of Mary of whom was born Jesus the Christ.

the son of Adam.Adam was the head of the human race; Christ is the head of the new creation (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). Adam was created by God and so was the son of God. But Jesus-' relation to God is unique, for, as John says, He was God (John 1:1) and became flesh (Luke 3:1-14). Therefore, He can rightly be called the only begotten Son of God (John 1:18).

Summary

With this chapter Luke completes the evidencewith the exception of the account of the Temptationthat presents Jesus as the Son of God and the Son of Man who is ready to begin His ministry. He begins with a brief account of the ministry of John, then tells of the baptism of Jesus, and closes the chapter with the genealogy of Jesus.
John came with his stirring message at a time when all the people were in expectation, wondering if he could be the Messiah. But he was not the Christ; he was the prophet of God sent to tell the people to make ready for the coming of the Lord. He had a harsh message, for they were sinners. They were like valleys that had to be filled, mountains that had to be leveled, and curves that had to be straightened so that their lives might be suitable for the Lord. They were a fruitless tree that was about to be cut down. He commanded them to repent; he baptized them in the Jordan for the remission of their sins.
John's message bore fruit. Crowds flocked to hear him from Jerusalem and the surrounding country. He baptized them as he saw that they were heeding his command to repent. Tax collectors came asking what they should do; soldiers wanted to know what to do. His answer was simple and direct: Repent and let your lives show that you have changed from your evil ways.
But John directed them to Jesus. He said, I baptize you in water, but the One who is coming after me will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire. By the baptism in the Holy Spirit He was to enable the apostles to tell men what to do to be saved and like wheat be gathered into the granary. But those who will not respond to their message will, like chaff that is burned up, be destroyed when Christ comes again.
Luke gave only a summary of what John did and taught. Among the many things which he did, John reproved Herod the tetrarch for the evil he had done, including his marriage to the wife of his brother. And for this, John was put in prison.
The climax of the evidence that presents Jesus as Son of God and Son of Man ready to begin His public ministry, came at the time of His baptism. John baptized Jesus because He said it was right to do the thing that God approves, and also that he might see the sign that shows Him as Son of God. At the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the Father said to Him, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Not until this evidence had been presented was Luke ready to tell about the ancestry of Jesus. He traced the line from Jesus all the way to Adam and to God.
One more incident belongs to this section of Luke's story and that is the account of the temptation of Jesus which is in chapter four. It shows that Satan was unable to shake the evidence that proves that Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man.

Questions

1.

What was the most important event, from the Christian's point of view, in the reign of Caesar Augustus?

2.

For what things do we remember Herod the tetrarch?

3.

How did it happen that both Annas and Caiaphas were high priests at the same time?

4.

What is the significance of the statement that the word of God came to John?

5.

What is meant by baptism of repentance?

6.

What was the purpose of John's baptism?

7.

How does Isaiah's prophecy fit the condition of John's time?

8.

Why is John called the voice of one crying in the wilderness?

9.

What Scriptures did the Jews have in mind when they asked if John was the prophet or Elijah?

10.

How was John to prepare for the Lord?

11.

What is there in the prophecy of Isaiah that indicates that the Gentiles were to share in the salvation through Christ?

12.

What was John's attitude toward the multitudes who came to hear him?

13.

Why did he liken them to a tree about to be cut down?

14.

What did he mean by saying that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham?

15.

What did John tell the crowds to do? the publicans? the soldiers?

16.

What does Luke say about the attitude of the people at the time of John's appearing in the wilderness?

17.

Why should we say that John baptized in water rather than with water?

18.

How could John's baptism be for remission of sins?

19.

Into what two elements was Jesus to baptize?

20.

What was the purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit?

21.

What is the baptism in fire?

22.

With what illustration did John explain the two baptisms?

23.

Why was John imprisoned?

24.

Why was Jesus baptized?

25.

What did the descent of the Spirit on Jesus mean to John?

26.

What was Jesus doing when He was being baptized?

27.

What is the significance of the fact that the Voice of God spoke at the baptism of Jesus?

28.

Why did Luke wait until this point in his narrative to give the genealogy of Jesus?

29.

How are we to understand the statement that Jesus was the son of Joseph (as was supposed)?

30.

How account for the difference between Luke's list and Matthew'S?

31.

Why did Luke trace the genealogy to Adam?

32.

What is the connection between the temptation of Jesus and what was said about Him at the time of His baptism?