Luke 1:1-7
The Purpose of the Gospel Unfolds
Luke 1:8-17
Gabriel Announces John’s Birth
Luke 1:18-25
Zacharias is Unable to Speak
Luke 1:26-38
Christ’s Birth is Announced
Luke 1:39-56
Mary Visits Elizabeth
Luke 1:57-66
Elizabeth Gives Birth to John
Luke 1:67-80
Zachariah Prophesies of John’s Ministry
Luke 2:15-20
The Shepherds Visit Jesus
Luke 2:21-24
Jesus is Circumcised
Luke 2:39-52
Jesus Celebrates the Passover
Luke 3:1-14
The Message of John
Luke 3:15-22
The Imprisonment of John
Luke 3:23-38
The Genealogy of Jesus
Luke 4:1-13
The Temptation of Christ
Luke 4:14-21
Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth
Luke 4:22-30
Jesus Makes Three Important Announcements
Luke 4:31-37
Demons Are Cast Out
Luke 4:38-44
Jesus Heals Many People
Luke 5:1-11
A Miraculous Catch of Fish
Luke 5:12-16
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
Luke 5:17-26
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
Luke 5:27-39
Matthew was Called to Follow Jesus
Luke 6:1-11
Jesus Works and Heals on the Sabbath
Luke 6:12-26
Jesus Selects the Twelve Apostles
The Message of John
Luke 3:1–14
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)
Two fellows opened a butcher shop and prospered. Then an evangelist came to town, and one of the butchers was saved. He tried to persuade his partner to accept salvation also, but to no avail. “Why won’t you, Charlie?” asked the born-again fellow. “Listen, Lester … More
This passage gives us precise historical information about the secular leaders of that day and specifically brings before us the baptism of John the Baptist and his message of repentance (vv. 1-6). Luke tells us exactly when John began his ministry. Isaiah wrote about John in Isaiah 40:3-5. It was in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberias Caesar (v.1). Tiberias was the step-son of Augustus Caesar and secular history portrays him as a very evil man. Luke then goes on to introduce us to both political and religious leaders who would later determine the death of Jesus Christ. John says that repentance is not genuine unless it is morally productive. He challenged the people to bring forth fruit as an indication of their belief (vv. 7-9). He was clear that being a member of the nation of Israel would not save anyone (v. 8), and that judgment was coming to anyone who did not evidence a genuine repentance (v. 19).
Three groups responded to John’s warnings: the people (vv. 10-11), the tax collectors (vv. 12-13) and the soldiers (v. 14). The virtues God demands are not mere legal technicalities but are:
The crowd, all asked, What should we do to give evidence of genuine repentance? In response John told the people to be (a) generous (3:11), (b) honest (v. 13), and (c) content (v. 14).
Application
These three virtues that John said were evidence of genuine repentance are certainly missing in the day in which we live. On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself in the areas of generosity, honesty and contentment?
Luke 3:1-14 (English Standard Version)
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