Luke 3 – 4
Notice when reading Luke he gives more historical details and time frames so people can understand the period when Jesus lived. Also notice he gives scripture references for the prophecies which Jesus fulfilled. Verse 3:4 references Isaiah 40:3-5:
As Isaiah the prophet had said,
A solitary voice is calling:
“Go into the wilderness;
prepare the road for the Eternal One’s journey.
In the desert, repair and straighten
every mile of our True God’s highway.
John the Baptist was preparing the way for the Lord. I often wondered how much interaction these two had since John’s mother Elizabeth and Mary were cousins. Mary spent the first few months of her pregnancy with Elizabeth so I assume John had contact with Jesus. We read these accounts and it’s like they first met when Jesus was baptized, but I have to wonder.
John’s message was hard hitting and in their face. Verse 3:13 had his response to the tax collectors asking what God wanted:
Stop overcharging people. Only collect what you must turn over to the Romans.
This why Matthew was considered a questionable “disciple” since he was of this ilk. See the tax collectors collected more than they sent to Rome to line their pockets. This made them very unpopular with the Jewish people and John the Baptist calls them out on doing this.
Verse 3:16 sets the stage for Jesus:
I baptize you with water, but One is coming—One far more powerful than I, One whose sandals I am not worthy to untie—who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
They are still expecting Jesus to overturn Rome and free them, but did not expect what actually happened. Again I wonder if the Church today would reject Jesus if He came in another way than on a white horse with smoke and pageantry. Be aware and don’t reject someone saying they are Jesus just because they are in jeans and a tee.
Chapter 4 opens with the Devil tempting Jesus. Verse 4:13 caught my attention:
The devil had no more temptations to offer that day, so he left Jesus, preparing to return at some other opportune time.
When does Satan come back to tempt Jesus? Or does he return to corrupt Judas? Which leads me to the question if Judas and Jesus were working together without anyone else’s knowledge? Think about it Jesus knew, but did He help Judas along the way? One of the “Gnostic Gospels” is that of Judas which implies this was orchestrated since it had to be done.
Notice in the remaining of the chapter, he heals and then get over run by people wanting the same thing. I can see how “healing ministries” get so much support. There is a lot of pain and hurt in this world which these ministries take advantage of. Not saying that all a frauds, but it’s been shown how many are “setups” and stage “healings”. That just shows the enormity of the problem and how much he would be in demand today!! Could you imagine the riots that would follow Jesus just trying to get to Him? Now we can understand the pressure He felt.