Luke 3
by Pastor David Groendyk

“Is this truly the Son of God?” That’s the question that Luke 3–4 seek to answer. Remember that the angel Gabriel had emphasized to Mary that the son who would be born to her was the “Son of the Most High” and the “Son of God” (Luke 1:32–35). That was the title he was given right off the bat. Everything from John the Baptist’s ministry to Jesus’ baptism to the genealogy to the wilderness temptations confirm that this was him.

We’ve known from the beginning of this Gospel that John is not the coming Messiah. His parents were told by the angel that he would make ready the way for the real Lord to come, acting as the Elijah figure whom Malachi predicted would come just before the Sun of Righteousness would dawn (Luke 1:16–17; cf. Mal. 4:1–6). However, the 1st-century Jews were not quite as sure. They question if John could be the Christ, but John is adamant that he is not. He points to the real Messiah who would possess the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority to judge (vv. 16–17). While John was merely a “prophet of the Most High” (Luke 1:76), this other someone would be the “Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32). Almost in the very next breath, Jesus comes on the scene and has the Holy Spirit descend upon him (vv. 21–22). Additionally, the Father speaks from heaven at Jesus’ baptism loudly and clearly that Jesus is the Son of God that was promised and for whom the Jews had been waiting for centuries. John the Baptist, the Father, and the Holy Spirit all confirm Jesus’ identity.

Luke then adds his own confirmation by inserting Jesus’ genealogy. Of course, this is one of two genealogies we have of Jesus (the other being in Matthew 1), and the two differ in a couple of respects. Some names in the lineage change between the two books. Although that appears to be a troubling mistake made by either Luke or Matthew or both, keep in mind who these authors are. Matthew was a Jew, and any Jew worth his salt would’ve known well the lineage of their fathers Abraham and David; likewise, Luke was an educated physician with the mind of a researcher and a journalist, so he surely did his due diligence. There are good explanations for the differences, which you could find outlined in any study Bible or (trustworthy) commentary/online source. The much bigger difference is where the genealogies begin. Matthew only goes back to Abraham, thus emphasizing the Jewish heritage of Jesus. Luke goes all the way back to Adam and God himself, thus emphasizing that Jesus is the savior and the hope, not just for Jews, but for all of humanity.

His identity and mission are clear. Jesus is the better “son of God” who represents the human race and obeys his Father perfectly. He comes in and with the power of the Spirit and with full authority both to judge and to save. He is baptized with John’s baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins—why?—not because he has sins that need to be forgiven like everyone else, but to stand with his people and stand in their place as the one who will take on their sin. There is one human race who has fallen away from God, there is one Savior to whom everyone must look, and there is one gospel message that must go out. Spend some time thinking and praying about how that should impact and change your everyday life.