04-03-2022 – “Prepare the way of the Lord”

Bible Text: Luke 3:1-6 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

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April 3, 2022
“Prepare the way of the Lord”
Luke 3:1-6

Luke 3:1-6

1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,

‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,

MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.

‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,

AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW;

THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT,

AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;

AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’”

Read Luke 3:1-2a…

2a in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,

Luke begins this chapter by naming seven men, and giving a timeframe, to set the historical background for the beginning of John’s ministry.

The fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar would have been A.D. 26, because Tiberius became co-regent with Augustus (the previous Caesar), in A.D. 11.

John would have been about 30 years of age in A.D. 26, because he was just 6 months older than Jesus, and Luke tells us

(Luke 3:23),

23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,

Jesus was about thirty years of age when He began His ministry.

The next man mentioned is Pontius Pilate, appointed governor of Judea by Tiberius Caesar, in A.D. 26. Pilate served until A.D. 36, when he was removed, because of his inability to maintain control of the Jews.

Luke now moves to Herod and his brother Philip; two of the sons of Herod the Great (who died in 4. B.C., when Jesus was about two years of age).

The Herod mentioned in

Luke 3:1,

is Herod Antipas, who ruled the region around Galilee until A.D. 39. His brother Philip ruled the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis (northeast of Galilee); it was Philip’s wife (Herodias) with whom his brother Antipas had an adulterous affair and was confronted by John, leading to John’s death.

The third local ruler was Lysanias (not much is known about him), he ruled the area of Abilene (northwest of Damascus).

The five men we have just talked about were Gentiles, now Luke records two Jewish high priests: Annas and Caiaphas. Annas was Israel’s high priest from A.D. 6 to A.D. 15, when he was removed from office by Valerius, the man who became governor of Judea after Pilate was removed.

Annas’s son-in-law, Caiaphas was Israel’s high priest from A.D. 18 to A.D. 36. Just like previous presidents of the United States retain the title of “Mr. President,” even after they leave office, so it was with Israel’s high priests. In fact, according to Mosaic law (cf. Numbers 35:25), high priests served for life.

Annas was well connected to prominent and powerful Jews, and also Gentiles (who could benefit him). Annas was the family patriarch of the men who had ruled the high priesthood in Israel for 20 years, and as such, he held much power over the people (after Annas’s removal as high priest, five of his sons and one of his grandsons served as high priest, and now his son-in-law was high priest).

One thing that Annas and Caiaphas had in common was their hatred of Jesus, Who had (two times) disrupted their very lucrative business in the temple

(cf. John 2:13-16;

13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.

15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;

16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”

Matthews 21:12-13).

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.

13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN.”

Another thing they had in common was their greed. They were both receiving a share of the money paid by the people who came to get an approved animal for sacrifice; they also got a share of the fees the money changers were charging to exchange foreign currency, as the temple tax had to be paid in Jewish currency.

Annas’s greed was so well known that the outer courts, where the sacrificial animals were sold and the money changers were ripping people off, became known as the Bazaar of Annas, i.e., Annas’s own private enterprise.

Read Luke 3:2b-3…

2b the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

The desolate and barren wilderness area of Judea stretched from the western hill country of Judah to the Dead Sea in the east, and then went north to the Jordan River valley. That is where John, under the power of God’s Spirit, stepped out and began calling Israel to repentant.

As I mentioned last week, we don’t know anything about John’s childhood or young adulthood. Luke tells us, at John’s circumcision, after Zacharias prophesied about the ministry his son would have

(Luke 1:80),

80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

We know his parents were “advanced in years”

(Luke 1:7),

7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

and it is likely they died while he was young. But when it was time for him to step out onto the world stage and fulfill his mission Luke says, “the word [rhema] of God came to John.”

God called-out John to ministry, just as He had the prophets to the Old Testament (cf.

Jeremiah 1:1-2;

1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,

2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

Ezekiel 1:3;

3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there the hand of the LORD came upon him.)

Hosea 1:1;

1 The word of the LORD which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

Joel 1:1;

1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:

Jonah 1:1;

1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying,

Micah 1:1;

1 The word of the LORD which came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Zephaniah;

Haggai 1:1).

1 In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,

“The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai.”

John went from being an unknown, to being a Prophet of God, proclaiming the word of God, breaking God’s silence with Israel, calling the people to repent of sin.

Israel had turned the special relationship they had been given with God [as His called-out people], into a legalistic, ritualistic religion based on human works.

During Jesus’ first sermon (Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7), He made it clear that religious rituals and law-keeping will not save anyone, because God’s standard for relationship with Him is perfect holiness.

Eternal relationship with God

(cf. Matthew 5:1-12)

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

is granted to those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are gentle, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful, those who are peacemakers, those who are persecuted because of Christ; they will inherit the kingdom of heaven, for they are sons and daughters of God.

The prideful and showy public displays of praying, fasting, tithing, and giving to the poor, as the religious leaders of Israel exhibited, were nothing but outward acts, reflective

(cf. Matthew 7:13-14;

13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:21-23)

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

of those who are on the broad road that leads to death and destruction in hell, rather than the narrow path (that only a few find) that leads to life and exaltation in heaven.

Jesus made it clear that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, those who realize they are damned apart from the saving grace that has come through God’s Son.

The Jewish people knew forgiveness was promised through the prophets.

Jeremiah 31:34,

34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Psalm 32:1-2,

1 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered!

2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

Psalm 32:5,

5 I acknowledged my sin to You,

And my iniquity I did not hide;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”;

And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

Psalm 130: 3-4,

3 If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

4 But there is forgiveness with You,

Isaiah 1:18,

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the LORD,

“Though your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool.

Micah 7:19,

19 He will again have compassion on us;

He will tread our iniquities under foot.

Yes, You will cast all their sins

Into the depths of the sea.

Zacharias had prophesied

(Luke 1:76-77)

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation

By the forgiveness of their sins,

that John would declare forgiveness from God, to all who acknowledge their sin and repent, to receive forgiveness.

Ezekiel 18:30-32,

30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,” declares the Lord GOD. “Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.

31 Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?

32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord GOD. “Therefore, repent and live.”

Romans 12:9,

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor [hate, turn away from] what is evil; cling to [follow, do] what is good.

Repentance is to turn away from sin and turn toward God.

Biblical repentance is to turn away from sin and turn toward God for salvation; This kind of repentance is not just about regret, guilt, or shame; but it strongly implies making a decision to turn around, do an about face, and head in a new direction; to hate life apart from God, and to love life with God, through Christ.

1Corinthians 1:18-21,

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written,

“I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE,

AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”

20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

2Corinthians 7:9-11,

9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.

10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

True repentance that brings salvation is a willful response to the Holy Spirit’s conviction in your heart

(John 16:8-9),

8 And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me [Jesus Christ].

John the baptizer was

(cf. Luke 3:3)

3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

The baptism of John was not Christian baptism symbolizing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; because Christian baptism was not instituted until the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit of God came upon and indwelled the 120 believers in Jerusalem; after which, Peter began to preach.

Acts 2:21,

21 ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

Acts 2:36-38,

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.”

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”

38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

At the time of John’s appearance in Luke 3, there was no baptism for Jews in Judaism. However, the Jews did baptize Gentile converts to Judaism, Gentiles who wanted to turn from their pagan worship and idolatry to serve the God of the Jews, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.

The Jews who came out to John

(cf. Matthew 3:6),

6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

Jews were acknowledging that they were sinners just like the Gentiles they despised. But it would seem most of those being baptized were not truly repentant, for we know the nation of Israel later rejected their Messiah [Jesus Christ], and put him to death on a cross.

Matthew 3:7-11,

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;

9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.

10 The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Water symbolizes a desire for a clean conscience, i.e., to acknowledge your sins, to publicly state you have sinned against God and are seeking God’s forgiveness.

The Holy Spirit symbolizes spiritual birth into God’s family, as a genuine believer who is marked and protected by God’s Spirit.

Fire symbolizes judgment, for those who reject Christ do not have the Holy Spirit in them, they are condemned to the Lake of Fire.

Read Luke 3:4-6…

4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,

‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,

MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.

5 ‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,

AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW;

THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT,

AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;

6 AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’”

Seven hundred years before John was born, this prophecy was made about him

(pp. Isaiah 40:3-5).

3 A voice is calling,

“Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;

Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

4 “Let every valley be lifted up,

And every mountain and hill be made low;

And let the rough ground become a plain,

And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,

And all flesh will see it together;

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

We have already studied how John fulfilled this prophecy, calling out people to acknowledge their sin before God and to repent, for John was, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight’”

But look again at

Luke 3:5,

5 ‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,

AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW;

THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT,

AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;

This seems rather obscure at first reading, but further study brings to light the meaning. When a prominent person was traveling on a long journey, perhaps in country unknown to him; he would send messengers out ahead to make sure that the roads were safe and free of danger and debris, i.e., to fill in holes, and remove obstacles, so that their master could pass through without incident.

That is exactly what John did for his Master! He prepared the people for the coming Messiah! Calling them to genuinely repent, confessing their sins, and turning their hearts back to God, so that they might “see the salvation of God,” Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord of all, but the Savior only of those who believe in Him.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and that He alone provides forgiveness for sin and eternal life?

John 3:16,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

No wonder Jesus said

(John 14:6),

6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father

[i.e., no one is forgiven, no one receives eternal life,

no one gets into heaven] but through Me.”

There is only one way to be saved

(2Corinthians 5:20-21),

“Therefore, [as an] ambassador for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through [me]; [I] beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. [God the Father] made [God the Son] who knew no sin to be sin on [your] behalf, so that [you] might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

1Timothy 2:3-4,

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Remember what Peter proclaimed in

Acts 2:21,

“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord [for the forgiveness of sin] will be saved.”

Have you done that?

Romans 10:9-10,

“if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Romans 10:13,

“Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Pastor Mike
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