Luke 3:1-6
The Proclamation of John the Baptist
(Mt 3.1—12; Mk 1.1—8; Jn 1.19—28)
1 In
the fifteenth year of the reign[a] of
Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was
ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler[b]
of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word[c]
of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.[d]
3
He[e]
went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance[f] for the
forgiveness[g] of
sins,[h] 4 as
it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,[i]
‘Prepare
the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5
Every valley[l]
shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made
low,
and
the crooked shall be made straight,[m]
and the rough ways made smooth;
Comment:
The second Sunday of Advent
traditionally honors John the Baptist and this is the quintessential passage
for John. Like the Malachi and Isaiah 40 passages which it quotes (incorrectly,
actually), it has a life and integrity of its own, that is sometimes lost in
the seasonal fru fru about it.
Vss. 1-4 is sometimes known as
Luke’s “Second Prologue,” because the Gospel proper begins here. There are
several reasons for calling it that. First, the “First Prologue” (Luke 1:1-2)
is a complete stand-alone unit, a mini-musical complete with songs and
pageantry, and characters that never show up again. It was probably added later
after the Gospel was finished.[p] Second,
note that here, in chapter 3, John is introduced to readers as Zechariah’s son
(v.2b) as though they had never heard of him before, and had not just read of
his birth, in chapter 2. Third, notice too that Luke frequently refers to this,
and not the earlier stories, as the true arche,
“beginning” of his gospel (See Acts 1:22, “‘So one of the men who have accompanied
us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until
the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us
to his resurrection.’” And Acts 10:37, “That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John announced....” [I added the italics in case no one could tell]).
Finally, the second prologue is probably the true beginning because it begins
where Mark begins: with John the Baptist.
The purpose of the First
Prologue, with all the birth stories, could be described as “Luke’s summation
of the OT, waiting for the fulfillment of the messianic promises.[q]
The purpose of the second prologue is to “present John as the one called by God
to prepare for the inauguration of the period of salvation.”[r]
There are three reasons (that I
know of at least) for Luke beginning his [second] prologue the way he does.
First, he does it to situate the Advent of Jesus in concrete historical time
and place. He does it by listing historical political leaders in a formal
classical style. (For other prologues that begin like this second prologue, see
Jeremiah 1:1, Hosea 1:1 [“The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri,
in the days of Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, and in the
days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel.”], and Amos 1:1). Luke has a
profound sense of history, and his heilsgeschichte,
or “salvation history,” encompasses all people, sacred and profane. Mark
subsumed all of history, even the words and deeds of Jesus, under the Gospel
kerygma. In Matthew, “Jesus was not presented as a figure in world history, but as it’s conclusion.”[s]
But for Luke, this is a story of history itself breaking forth. All of history
is taken up into the event of Jesus. He believes that a new age is breaking in
in world history. In a sense, Matthew and Mark do also, but for Luke, it breaks
in in stages (see the three stages below).
Another goal for Luke was to
write in such a way as to smash the sacred and profane abruptly into each other
almost for the shock value. Notice how the descriptions go from the most powerful
(who in God’s world are weak) to the most weak (who in God’s world have the
most power). “In the fifteenth year of...governor of...ruler of...ruler
of...during the high priest of...and of...the word of God came (not to them,
but) to John, son of Zechariah, in the
wilderness” (Luke 3:1-2). (Take that you pompous despotic wind bags!)
The word of God shows up (by design) in the most unlikely passages and places.
Placing the lowly John here proclaiming the word of God also shows the reader
just who exactly is in charge.
The rest of the world knew of
none of this. Josephus’ references to John stress almost totally John’s political
background. Herod was afraid that John’s followers would rise up “for it seemed
that they might to go any length on his advice.”[t]
On the other hand, the gospels seem almost totally interested in his moral
teachings as the cause for his imprisonment.
Conzelmann,[u]
and others following him divide Luke’s theological/historical understanding
into three epochs, or periods.
1. Promise (the time of the Hebrew scriptures,
up to chapter 3 of the gospel).
2. Jesus (the time of the gospel itself).
3. Church (Acts).
He further divides the Jesus period (#2) into three
parts,
1. The struggle with Satan (chs. 3:1-4:13 [up
through the temptation and just before Jesus’ sermon in the synagogue in Nazareth]),
2. The “satanless” time (4:14-22:2, “When
Satan had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time”
[Luke 4:13]).
3. The final struggle with Satan (Luke
22:2-24:53, “Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot....” [Luke 22:3
ff.]).
Today’s is, of course, from the beginning of the
“Jesus period” within the larger gospel, and the beginning of the “conflict
with Satan” period within that.
There are three themes,
important for the rest of the Gospel, found here.[v]
1. The word
of God (rëma tou theou). Here it
is the initial presence of God with John, his prophetic call (prophetes, a “word speaker”). Later it will
be the content of the call (Acts 2:14, 5:20). Also in acts, it becomes more
cosmic, the Gospel itself, the logos tou
theou. There it is the embodiment of the teaching of the church (Acts 6:2,
12:24).
2. Repentance (metanoias).
“Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”) John’s work and words not
only prepare the way for Jesus, but for the future work of the church. “John’s
action serves as the prototype of the church’s preaching of baptism and its
declaration that in Jesus God forgives human sins.”[w]
He is portrayed here as what they would later be charged to do: “here, folks,
is the model of how to proclaim Jesus. How ya doin’ on that yourself?”
3. Salvation
of God. (soterion). This is the central theme of
the Gospel: Salvation for all creation. Note especially the lines of Zechariah
in Luke 1:76-77, “And you, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you
will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the
forgiveness of their sins.” And Lk 2:29-30 “‘Master, now you are dismissing
your servant in peace…for my eyes have seen your salvation.’”
In the context of the gospel,
John is portrayed by Luke as the forerunner for Luke’s theology: forgiveness
and salvation. In the context of Advent, John tells Christians of the need to
be prepared for the re-presenting of the Christ. Prepare the highways, make
them serviceable, repair the things that are broken or get in the way of his
coming. Tear down the walls.
The Famous Isaiah Misquote Story
Luke has John quote loosely from Isaiah
40:3-5. Mark, his primary source, quotes both Isaiah and Malachi (our first reading),
while calling both Isaiah. Luke untangles the quotation by removing Malachi,
and then he goes on to use a larger portion of the Isaiah passage. A careful
read, however shows that he not only quotes it, but misquotes it in an interesting
way. All four Gospels cite the Isaiah passage and all make the same error in
the citation. The reason is that they all are quoting from the lxx, translated the Hebrew into Greek
incorrectly. The Isaiah passage reads:
“A
voice cries out:
‘In
the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a
highway for our God.’”
Notice that Luke (and the
others) have the voice crying in the wilderness, not crying out about the wilderness. It becomes not a sentence
about the wilderness, but a sentence that
takes place in the wilderness.
“The Isaiah quotation sets
forth one of the key theological themes that runs throughout the Gospel of
Luke, what some have called the theology
of reversal. Isaiah is prophesying a messianic age which Luke sees as being
fulfilled in the coming of Jesus. Isaiah describes the messianic age with
images of reversal, valleys lifted up, mountains brought low, the crooked made
straight and the rough made smooth. This symbolizes for Luke the leveling of society
in the messianic age, the rich and powerful being brought low, while the poor
are lifted up.[x]
Isaiah 40:1-5
40 Comfort, O comfort my
people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to
Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s
hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be
lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord
has spoken.”
Detailed
exegetical notes (from Homiletics, Vine’s,
Proclamation, Strong’s etc.) on the
passage
3:1
“ In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius...”
Tiberius was the
stepson of Augustus Caesar, and was disliked by all of Rome because he wasn’t
really blood lineage. He only became leader because Augustus was unable to produce
a male offspring, so the stepson had to do. There were numerous attempts to overthrow
him during his reign.
“when
Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea...”
He rose to this
position from a “middle manager” position in the Roman Government. He came up
from the ranks by beating everyone else down. Ruthless. “Knowing that his hold
on Judea was tenuous, he made up for his weakness by periodically unleashing a
reign of terror through his soldiers on the citizenry.” The rule of Pontius
Pilate is also found in the writings of Josephus, J. W. 2.9.2-4 (2.169-77) and Ant.18.3.1
(18.55-59).
“and
Herod was ruler of Galilee...”
Not Herod the King, but his son. Equally unsavory
character. He was later deposed and beheaded for his attempts to get himself
appointed real king. He ruled from 4 B.C.-AD 39, sharing the rule of his
father’s realm with his two brothers. One brother, Archelaus (Matt 2:22) was
banished in AD 6 and died in AD 18; the other brother, Herod Philip (mentioned
next) died in AD 34.
“Ruler,” tetrarch.
Originally the title for ‘a ruler of a fourth of the
territory’ or ‘one of four rulers.’ In Hellenistic and Roman times, however, it
is applied somewhat loosely to petty rulers of dependent states; a tetrarch is
lower in status than an ethnarch, who, in turn, is lower than a king. The term
occurs seven times in the nt, with
three of these occurrences in Luke 3:1. The other four occurrences refer to
Herod Antipas (Matt. 14:1; Luke 3:19; 9:7; Acts 13:1). On the other hand, Herod
Antipas is called ‘king’ in Mark 6:14, 26, suggesting that some equivalence may
have existed between the two titles.[y]
“and
his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias
ruler of Abilene...”
Not as much known
about these two probable brothers of Herod. But we do know that they fought
over property of Judea. Fought to keep Israel fractured and divided among
themselves. Fought for the spoils of the country. Each had their own demands
for power which prevented a united kingdom. A legacy we still experience in the
middle east even today.
“Phillip,” refers to Herod Philip, son of
Herod the Great and brother of Herod Antipas. Philip ruled as tetrarch of
Iturea and Trachonitis from 4 B.C.-AD 34. “Lysanias”: It may not be historically
accurate to list Lysanias here because Josephus (Ant. XXVII. I) tells of a Lysanias who was King of Abila up to b.c.e. 36 as the one referred to by
Luke, but with the wrong date. But recently an inscription has been found on
the site of Abilene with mention of “Lysanias the tetrarch” and the stone is
dated at about the time to which Luke refers, so it may be correct.[z]
But then who knows? (And who cares?)
2
“during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas...”
Luke is noting in
passing the division even within the house of God: Caiaphus was Annas’
son-in-law, and supposedly succeeded him in 18 c.e.
but the older man never quite gave up the reigns. Like a preacher who retires
but never leaves the congregation and still controls things from behind the
scenes.
“the
word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness...”
Note the simplicity
of John in contrast to the powerful kings and rulers with whom he is compared.
Zechariah: Note also that no other Gospel mentions Zechariah. If the so-called
“first Prologue” had originally been a part of the Gospel, then Luke probably
would not have seen the need to re-introduce John as the “son of Zechariah,”
something that had just been discussed in great detail in the previous chapter.
Wilderness: “The
desert is not only a geographical reference; it also recalls the place of
Israel’s formation as God’s covenant people and hence implies a return to God.
John’s ministry centered in the Jordan Valley where he preached a baptism of
repentance for forgiveness of sins (cf. Mark 1:4). This baptism differs from
proselyte baptism that was for non-Jews, and Qumran baptism that was a repeated
act of cleansing. Repentance and forgiveness of sins constitute the gospel for
Luke (24:47)””[aa]
Definitions
of these key terms (mainly
from Strong’s)
“proclaiming a baptism of repentance for
the forgiveness of sins”
proclaiming (kerusso),
of uncertain affinity; to herald (as a public crier), especially the gospel,
preach (-er), proclaim, publish.
Baptism (baptisma), According to Strong’s:
1) immersion, submersion
1a) of calamities and afflictions with which one
is quite overwhelmed
1b) of John’s baptism, that purification rite by
which men on confessing their sins were bound to spiritual reformation,
obtained the pardon of their past sins and became qualified for the benefits of
the Messiah’s kingdom soon to be set up. This was valid Christian baptism, as
this was the only baptism the apostles received and it is not recorded anywhere
that they were ever Rebaptized after Pentecost.
1c) of Christian baptism; a rite of immersion in
water as commanded by Christ, by which one after confessing his sins and
professing his faith in Christ, having been born again by the Holy Spirit unto
a new life, identifies publicly with the fellowship of Christ and the church.
In Rom. 6:3 Paul states we are
“baptized unto death” meaning that we are not only dead to our former ways, but
they are buried. To return to them is as unthinkable for a Christian as for one
to dig up a dead corpse! In Moslem countries a new believer has little trouble
with Moslems until he is publicly baptized. It is then, that the Moslems’ know
he means business, and then the persecution starts.[bb]
Forgiveness (aphesis)
1)
release from bondage or
imprisonment
2) forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been
committed), remission of the penalty
Repentance (metanoea) a change of mind, as it appears to one who repents, of a purpose he has
formed or of something he has done.
According
to Vine’s, to translate metanoea as “repentance” is “possibly
the worst translation in the New Testament.”[cc]
Louw and Nida’s rough definition would be, “to
change one’s way of life as the result of a complete change of thought and
attitude with regard to sin and righteousness - ‘to repent, to change one’s
way, repentance.’”[dd] The trouble is that the English word
“repent” means “to be sorry again (repeatedly).” It comes from the Latin (impersonal).
John did not call on the people to be sorry, but to change their mental attitudes
and conduct. It has been hopelessly mistranslated. “The tragedy of it is that
we have no one English word that reproduces exactly the meaning and atmosphere
of the Greek word. The Greek has a word meaning to be sorry (metamelomai) which is exactly our
English word repent and it is used of Judas (Matthew 27:3). John was a new
prophet with the call of the old prophets: “Repent ye!” (Joel 2:12; Isaiah
55:7; Ezekiel 33:11, 15).[ee]
of
sins (hamartia)
1) equivalent to 264
1a) to be without a share in
1b) to miss the mark
1c) to err, be mistaken
1d) to miss or wander from the path of
uprightness and honor, to do or go wrong
1e) to wander from the law of God, violate God’s
law, sin
2) that which is done wrong, sin, an offence, a
violation of the divine law in thought or in act
3) collectively, the complex or aggregate of sins committed either
by a single person or by many.
“Crying out,” to call, shout (for help or in a
tumultuous way), cry out. (Acts
21:34 “Some in the crowd shouted one thing, some another; and as he could not
learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the
barracks.”)
From Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary on
“crying out.”
1. βοάω boáō; contracted boṓ,
fut. boḗsō, from boḗ, cry. To cry aloud, exclaim (Luk_18:38;
Act_17:6; Act_21:34. break forth and shout Gal 4:27; (both Is 54:1) (The Complete Word Study Dictionary).
2. Cries of anguish or for help: Jesus on the
cross: Matthew 27:46 (And about three
o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”); Mark 15:34 (At three o’clock
Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”); evil spirits when leaving a
person: Acts 8:7 (for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of
many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were
cured); sick people: Luke 9:38 (Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher,
I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child.); 18:38 (ἐβόησεν λέγων, “Then he
shouted, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’”).
3. Of prayer as calling on God, Is 58:9; Luke
18:7 (And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and
night? Will he delay long in helping them?); Num. 12:13.
4. In this context, the word signifies:
(a)
“to raise a cry,” whether of joy, Gal. 4:27,
or vexation, Acts 8:7;
(b)
“to speak with a strong
voice,” Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; 15:34; Luke 3:4; 9:38 (some mss. have anaboao, here: see No. 2); John 1:23;
Acts 17:6; 25:24 (some mss. have epiboao,
No. 3, here);
[a] “Reign,” hegemonia, from the word for “government,”
i.e. (in time) official term, reign. It’s where we get the English word, “hegemony.”
[b] “Ruler,” tetrarch, a governor of the fourth part of a region. Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon, (Oak Harbor,
WA: Logos) 1995.
[c] “Word.” The term
translated “word” here is not logos
which is laden with heavy theological weight, but rhema, which means an utterance, a matter or topic, a saying.
Because of its simplicity, some conservative commentators have seen the
possibility in it of reference to the call of God to John to begin ministry. I
don’t see that, but it may just be me.
[d] “wilderness,” or “desert,”
eremos. The Synoptics differ widely
as to details, but all three locate him “in the wilderness,” cf. Mark 1:4;
Matthew 3:1 (adding “of Judea”). See more on note m.
[e] “And he.” “Here” (kai) is not translated because of
differences between Greek and English style. Due to the length and complexity
of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[f] “Repent,” metanoeite. To think differently or
afterwards, i.e. reconsider, repent, reversal (of a decision).
[g] Aphesis, freedom, pardon, deliverance,
forgiveness, liberty, remission. The word (aphesis)
“occurs in Luke more frequently than in all the other New Testament writers
combined” (Vincent’s Word Studies).
In medical writers it is used for the relaxing of disease.
[h] hamartia, sin, offense, sinful.
Originally from hamartano, to miss
the mark (and so not share in the prize), i.e. to err (especially morally), to
sin, for your faults, offend, sin, trespass.
A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was a call for
preparation for the arrival of salvation. To participate in this baptism was a
recognition of the need for God’s forgiveness with a sense that one needed to
live differently as a response to it (Luke 3:10-14).
[j] “Crying,” boao. To call, shout (for help or in a
tumultuous way), cry out.
[k] Wilderness or “desert.”
The syntactic position of the phrase “in the wilderness” is unclear in both
Luke and the LXX. The MT favors taking it with “Prepare a way,” while the LXX
takes it with “a voice crying out.” If the former, the meaning would be that
such preparation should be done “in the wilderness.” If the latter, the meaning
would be that the place from where John’s ministry went forth was “in the
wilderness.” There are Jewish materials that support both renderings: 1QS 8:14
and 9.19-20 support the MT while certain Rabbinic texts favor the LXX (see D.
L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:290-91(cited
in Vincent, Word Studies). While it
is not absolutely necessary that a call in the wilderness led to a response in
the wilderness, it is not unlikely that such would be the case. Thus, in the
final analysis, the net effect between the two choices may be minimal. In any
case, a majority of commentators and translations take “in the wilderness” with
“The voice of one crying” (D. L. Bock; R. H. Stein, Luke [NAC], 129; I. H. Marshall, Luke [NIGTC], 136 (cited in Vincent, Word Studies).
[l] Valley (pharagx).
Here only in N.T., though in the LXX
and ancient Greek. A ravine or valley hedged in by precipices.
[m]This call to “make
paths straight” in this context is probably an allusion to preparation through
repentance as the verb the verb ποιέω (poieō)
reappears in vv. 8, 10, 11, 12, 14 (NET).
[n] All flesh (πᾶσα
σὰρξ, pãsa sàrx). In the NT, this
word is only used of the human race. However, in the LXX it also is occasionally used of animals. The figurative
language speaks of the whole creation preparing for the arrival of a major
figure, so all obstacles to his coming are removed. It is like creation’s rolling
out the red carpet.
[o]The salvation of
God (σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ, to sotērion tou
theou). The saving act of God. This phrase is a good description of a key
element of Luke’s Gospel which has in mind the message of Christ for all humanity.
It is the universal Gospel. Cf., Luke 1:76-77, Luke 2:29-30. It is a quotation
from Isa 40:3-5. Though all the synoptic gospels use this citation from Isaiah,
only Luke cites the material of vv. 5-6. His goal may well be to get to the
declaration of v. 6, where all humanity (i.e., all nations) see God’s salvation
(see also Luke 24:47).
[p] So Joseph
Fitzmyer (Gospel According to Luke:
Anchor Bible Series, Vol. 28, [Doubleday], 1981, p. 450) though Craddock (Harper’s Bible Commentary [New York:
Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.], 1988, p. 1010) disagrees.
[q] Reginald Fuller, The Atonement (Doubleday, 1987), p.
95).
[r] Fitzmyer, op. cit., p. 452.
[s] Rudolph Bultmann,
Theology of the New Testament, Vol. 2, (Scribners
and Sons, 1935), p. 126).
[t] Josephus, Antiquities,18.5,2.
[u] Hans Conzelmann, The Theology of Luke, Philadelphia:
Fortress Press, 1974).
[v] Following Beverly
Gaventa, Texts for Preaching (W/JKP,
1994), p. 18.
[w] Ibid., p. 18.
[x] J. Christian
Wilson, in Lectionary Homiletics,
Vol. IX, Number 1, December, 1997, p.2.
[y]Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row,
Publishers, Inc.) 1985.
[z] William Blake
MacCauley, Luke the Historian in the
Light of Research (London: Dinsmore Press, 1937), pp. 167f.
[aa]Mays, James Luther, Ph.D., Editor, Harper’s Bible Commentary, (New York:
Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.) 1988.
[cc] Archibald Thomas
Robertson, Word
Pictures In The New Testament, Vol. 2: Luke & John (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1937, 1997).
[dd]Louw, Johannes P. and Nida, Eugene A., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
based on Semantic Domains, (New York: United Bible Societies) 1988, 1989.
[ee] Robertson, Word Pictures.
[ff]W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old
and New Testament Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson), 1996.
