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The Gospel of Luke Chapter 3:21-4:13 The Baptism of Jesus 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. And while he was praying, the heavens opened. With these verses the primary purpose of John the Baptist’s ministry is realised. John had come to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus Christ and that objective was fulfilled when Jesus approached John to be baptised in the waters of the River Jordan. Luke has already shown us how Jesus fitted into the Jewish family, and took his place among the people of the covenant God had made with Israel. Now he wants to show the relationship between Jesus and the renewed family of God with whom God was about to make a new covenant. Although Jesus himself was without sin, he submits to being baptised by John in order to identify himself with sinners, not as one of them but as their Saviour. As Jesus prayed during his baptism, the sky was opened to reveal the transcendent presence of God above. 3:22 And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight." From God’s immediate presence in heaven, the Holy Spirit came down with indescribable splendour, like a glorious light having substance and form, a form which Luke likens to a pure and gentle dove. This form settled on Jesus and then disappeared inside him as the voice of God the Father came from heaven saying "You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". Notice the similarity with Isaiah 42:1, albeit God here identifies his Servant as his only begotten Son. The call of God does not serve to appoint Jesus as God’s Son,1 merely to identify him being God’s son already; whilst the equipment of the Holy Spirit came in order for Jesus to commence his public ministry.
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This kind of ‘adoption theology’ is ruled out by Luke in 1:35, where Jesus is called God’s son at least from birth; and arguably from before that!
In earlier times God had described Israel as his servant, his firstborn son (Exod. 4:22), but now that title was passed on to an individual, the perfect representative of God in Israel. This is how the servant is seen in the Servant Songs of Isaiah. Israel had been called God’s servant, but had failed to achieve God’s perfect purpose; so God sends his only Son as the one who would bring these purposes to pass.2
The Genealogy of Jesus 3:23-38 So Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years old. He was the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Kenan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. In this part of his gospel, Luke is keen to present Jesus as the Servant of God prophesised by Isaiah the prophet, especially from chapters 40-55.3 In order to do so, he must first show his descent from King David, to whom God had promised that one of his descendants would sit forever on his throne (2 Sam. 7:12-14) and from Abraham, though whose descendent the whole world would be blessed (Gen. 12:3)4 and ultimately from Adam and from God.5 All the creation had come from God, and now God had entered his creation as one of its people. Jesus is identified with the human race in order to become its Saviour (Heb. 2:14). Luke’s genealogy differs considerably from Matthew’s. Some suggest that this is because Luke gives us Mary’s physical line of descent, rather than Matthew who uses Joseph’s family tree. Others prefer Lord Hervey’s explanation that Matthew gives the legal descendants of David i.e. to show who was heir to the throne, whilst Luke gives a literal descent regardless of royal succession. ‘On this view, Jacob, the father of Joseph in Matthew, and heir to David’s throne, died without issue. The
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Hence, in the sense of accomplishing God’s will Jesus is God’s servant, whilst in terms of ontological relationship he is God’s only son. 3 Known by many scholars as Deutero-Isaiah and thought to be by a later, albeit genuine, prophet. 4 Although Paul makes the point that the word descendent can mean the singular i.e. Christ, this does not mean God had not blessed the nations through his revelation to Israel as a whole; for he had often done so. What Paul means is the full expressions of what God promised would come only through God’s Messiah. 5 Some (including Christoph Barth) see it as significant that Christ descends from Shem, for some read Gen. 9:27 to mean that ‘God’ (rather than ‘Japtheth’) will tabernacle among Semites; but this is by no means clear.
succession then passed to the line represented by Eli.’6 But there remains no certainty among scholars about any of this. Jesus began His ministry at the age of thirty; the age at which priests could begin to minister in the tabernacle (Num. 4:3) and interestingly also the age at which Joseph was revealed to the Egyptian people as their Saviour (Gen. 41:46). Luke makes the important point that people only supposed Jesus to be the son of Joseph because Joseph was married to Mary; since Jesus was not born to any man, and yet was fully human, he sees himself as the son of the whole human race – often using the title ‘son of man’ (humankind) in Luke’s gospel.
Jesus Tempted by the Devil 4:1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness. After the Holy Spirit had descended and remained on Him at His baptism, Jesus (still full of the Spirit) was led by the Spirit into the wilderness (the Judean desert). It is important to note that God led Jesus to face the devil and his temptation head on; clearly the encounter had been arranged, and Job 1:12 implies that the devil could not have assailed Jesus without divine permission. 4:2 Where for forty days he endured temptations from the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were completed, he was famished. There Jesus was tempted by the devil for forty days and nights. During these days He ate nothing. When these days of fasting had ending he became hungry; which may suggest that during the time of fasting He was not conscious of being hungry. 4:3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are yet was without sin (Heb. 4:15). Yet the temptations listed here were not connected with the cravings common to all me – which of us would be tempted to turn a stone into bread? Rather, these were temptations of Christ’s deity. Using His hunger as an opportunity, Satan rubbishes Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God, provoking him to prove his divine credentials by turning stones into bread. 4:4 Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone.' " Jesus rebuffed the devil by quoting the scripture (Deut. 8:3). It is not food but the word of God that is most important in sustaining a person’s life. God maintains all creation, including human nature, by his divine word (Heb. 1:3). 4:5-6 Then the devil led him up to a high place and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "To you I will grant this whole realm — and the glory that goes along with it, for it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. The devil next conveyed Jesus to a high mountain and in an instant showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the worldly glory associated with them. What Satan offered to Jesus he did not have 6
Leon Morris, Luke (Leicester: IVP, 1974 [1994]), p. 110
the authority to give; the kingdoms, power and glory of men (Psalm 24:1; Daniel 5:21). To say that this power and glory had been given to him was a lie of the devil for he is a usurper (one who wrongfully or illegally seizes and holds the place of another) for they all belong to God and will be given by God to his Son. 4:7 So then, if you will worship me, all this will be yours. The condition that the devil adds in order for Jesus to receive was that He should bow down and worship him as God in direct disobedience to the first commandment (Exodus 20:3). 4:8 Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.' " Again Jesus defeats the devil by the word of God (Deut. 6:13). There is only one Lord and he alone must be worshiped and served (James 4: and 1 Peter 5:9). Jesus had not come into the world to ascend an earthly throne or receive glory from men. For him would be the cross of shame and the rejection of men; but this would be followed by his exaltation by God to share his father’s throne having all authority (Matt. 28:18) and the highest name (Phil. 2:9-11). 4:9 Then the devil brought him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the highest point of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. Next the devil takes Jesus to Jerusalem and sets him on the highest point of the temple and challenges him to throw himself off to prove that he is the Son of God. 4:10-11 For it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and 'with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' " If you are indeed God's Son then surely, said Satan, no harm could come to you; for God has promised that the angels would guard, keep and watch over his Son so that He would not even hurt His foot against a stone (Psalm 91:11-12). 4:12 Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.' " But Jesus once more overcomes the devil again by the word of God, for what Satan was asking him to do again flouted a direct command of God - men are not to tempt, try or test God (Deut. 6:16). 4:13 So when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time. Satan is ‘decisively beaten’.7 Having exhausted all his resources, the devil was forced to retreat until another opportunity for diabolical success might present itself. In other words, Jesus would face Satan again. ‘There is no freedom from temptation in this life. There was not for Jesus and there is not for us.’ 8 © Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett 2013 Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org
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Morris, Luke, p. 114 Morris, Luke, p. 114