ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Luke 3

Luke 3:1–4:15 Preparation for the Ministry of Jesus. Luke describes John the Baptist’s ministry of preparation for Jesus (3:1–20). Then the focus shifts to Jesus himself (3:21–4:15).

Luke 3:1 In the fifteenth year of . . . Tiberius Caesar is probably a.d. 29 (plus or minus a year). Tiberius reigned as emperor from 14 to 37. Pontius Pilate . . . governor of Judea. Pilate ruled over Judea a.d. 26–36 (see note on 23:1). Herod Antipas was a tetrarch, ruling Galilee and Perea from 4 b.c. to a.d. 39 (see Matt. 14:1). Herod Philip II was tetrarch of the territories east of the Jordan River and largely north of the Yarmuk River from 4 b.c. to a.d. 34. Antipas and Philip II were both sons of Herod the Great. They were designated as Herod’s heirs upon his death in 4 b.c. Lysanias ruled a territory near Damascus. Luke’s precision in naming five Roman officials with their specific titles shows his concern for historical detail. Historical records outside of the Bible confirm Luke’s accuracy.

Luke 3:2 high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the actual high priest at this time (a.d. 18–36). Annas had been high priest a.d. 6–15 but was still called “high priest” after he left office (see notes on John 18:13; 18:24). The word of God came to John designates him as a prophet like the OT prophets (compare 1 Sam. 15:10; Jer. 1:4; Ezek. 1:3). After a silence of some 460 years, God was once again speaking to his people (see note on Luke 1:5–25). in the wilderness. See Isa. 40:3.

Luke 3:3 baptism of repentance. To repent, or “change one’s mind,” called for a change in a person’s attitude toward God that affected one’s actions and life choices. Baptize means “to dip or immerse.” When people were baptized by John, going under the water symbolized the cleansing of sin. See note on Mark 1:4. John apparently baptized in several locations throughout the region near the Jordan River (see note on John 1:28).

Luke 3:4–5 The quotation is from Isaiah 40:3–5. These metaphors of “preparing” the way of the coming Messiah involve both the removal of obstacles (every mountain and hill shall be made low) and the bringing about of moral reform (the crooked shall become straight; compare Luke 1:52; 14:11; 18:14; Acts 2:40).

Luke 3:6 All flesh shall see predicts the salvation of the Gentiles (see 2:30–32).

Luke 3:7 vipers. Poisonous snakes. Who warned you to flee? That is, “Who has told you to flee the coming wrath by merely submitting to a rite of baptism?”

Luke 3:8 “We have Abraham as our father.” Compare John 8:39, 53. One is not a member of God’s family by birth but by responding personally to God’s call.

Luke 3:9 the axe . . . trees. A warning that the coming judgment is very close (compare 13:6–9).

Luke 3:10 What then (in light of vv. 7–9) shall we do? See vv. 12–14.

Luke 3:11 tunics. Garments worn under the cloak (see 6:29).

Luke 3:12–14 Tax collectors. See note on Matt. 5:46–47. They collected tolls, tariffs, and customs, and were notoriously dishonest and despised. soldiers. John does not say that working for the Roman government as a tax collector or soldier is in itself morally wrong, but God expects upright conduct from all his people.

Luke 3:16 He (the Messiah) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. This baptism took place at Pentecost in Acts 2. Whether being baptized “with the Holy Spirit and fire” will be positive (the purifying fire of the Spirit at Pentecost; Acts 1:8; 2:3) or negative (the divine judgment of fire; Luke 9:54; 12:49) depends on the response of the individual person. See notes on Matt. 3:11; Acts 2:3.

Luke 3:17 winnowing fork. A wooden pitchfork used to throw chaff and grain into the air to separate them. Unquenchable fire portrays the horrible nature of the final judgment.

Luke 3:18–20 John is different from the OT prophets because he is the first preacher of the good news of the kingdom of God (see 16:16).

Luke 3:21–4:15 Jesus’ identity as God’s Son (1:31–35) is confirmed at his baptism by a voice from heaven (3:22) and his anointing by the Spirit (3:22; 4:1; 18); by his genealogy (3:38); and by Satan’s acknowledgment of him as the Son of God at his temptation (4:3, 9).

Luke 3:21–22 Jesus submits to John’s baptism of repentance to identify with Israel’s sin. This foreshadows the vicarious judgment he will endure at the cross.

Luke 3:22 the Holy Spirit descended on him. The Holy Spirit prepares Jesus for his ministry (see 4:1, 14, especially vv. 18–19). You are my beloved Son. God’s declaration (compare 1:31–35; 2:49) will be repeated at the transfiguration (9:35). Well pleased shows that the Father takes delight in all that Jesus is and has done. It may also refer to Isa. 42:1.

Luke 3:23–38 Luke traces Jesus’ lineage back to Adam to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of the hopes of all people (compare note on Matt. 1:17). The genealogies in Matthew and Luke differ significantly in the period from David to Jesus, even naming different fathers for Joseph (Jacob in Matt. 1:16; Heli in Luke 3:23). The most commonly accepted explanation for this difference is that Matthew traces the line of royal succession while Luke traces Joseph’s actual physical descent. Both lines converge at Joseph. In this scenario, a second marriage of Joseph’s mother is usually assumed (sometimes a levirate marriage; see note on Matt. 22:24), so that Joseph was the legal son of one of her husbands but the physical son of the other. In any case, both of these genealogies emphasize that Jesus was the “son of David” (Luke 3:31; see Matt. 1:6). Luke further emphasizes the virgin birth (see Luke 1:34–35) with the wording “being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph” (3:23).

Luke 3:23 If Jesus was born sometime before Herod the Great’s death in 4 b.c. (see Matt. 2:16) and began his ministry c. a.d. 28 (see Luke 3:1), he would have been about thirty years old (or in his early 30s).

Luke 3:38 For the son of God, see 1:31–35; 2:11; 3:22.