2. Key Text:
“And the Holy Spirit
descended in bodily
form like a dove
upon Him, and a
voice came from
heaven which said,
‘You are My beloved
Son; in You I am well
pleased’ ”
Luke 3:22
3. But there’s another important reason to mention these
mighty men of power and influence. It is to contrast them
with the humble man of the wilderness, John the Baptist,
God’s chosen messenger who was to “prepare the way” for
the most significant event in all human history so far: the
coming of Jesus, the world’s Redeemer. How interesting
that God chose not one of the world’s “great” men to herald
the Messiah but one of the “lowlier” ones instead.
As we learn last lesson, Luke
provides a list of great
historical dignitaries to, we
believe, help show that his
account of Jesus and John is
as real and as historical as
these powerful men.
4. Scholars put all these
historic personalities
together and give us a
date close to a.d. 27 or
28 for the start of the
ministry of John the
Baptist and Jesus.
It is within the historical time frame of these Roman Empire
luminaries that Jesus was baptized and received the
benediction of Heaven that He is God’s “beloved Son”
(Luke 3:22). Luke establishes this fact right at the outset,
even before he presents to his readers the “orderly
account” of the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.
5. “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of
Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region
of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high
priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.” (Luke 3:1-2)
We find six historical facts in the book of Luke that help us to identify when John
and Jesus began his ministry.
1. The 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. He was
designated Roman Emperor on September 18, 14. The Jews
counted the years of reigns from autumn. Therefore, the first
year of the reign of Tiberius began around autumn 14. The
15th year began around autumn 27.
2. Governor of Judea: Pontius Pilate. Between 26 and 36 AD.
3. Tetrarch of Galilee: Herod. From 4 BC to 39 AD.
4. Tetrarch of Iturea: Philip. From 4 BC to 34 AD.
5. Tetrarch of Abilene: Lysanias. According to the inscription on
an Abilinian temple, he reigned from 14 to 29 AD.
6. High Priests: Annas and Caiaphas. Caiaphas was High Priest
from 18 until 36 AD. Annas had already been dismissed but
the people still considered him a High Priest.
6. “And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism
of repentance for the remission of sins.” (Luke 3:3)
John’s baptism by immersion went through
two phases:
1. Going down into the water.
A public sign of repentance.
2. Coming out of the water.
Being born again. An inner change
that is revealed by doing justice
(Luke 3:10-14)
As they came out of the water, He urged
them to “bear fruits worthy of repentance.”
He said that a greater baptism was about to
come: “but One mightier than I is coming…
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire.”
What is that baptism about?
7. Read Romans 6:1–6.
What spiritual lessons is the apostle
Paul drawing out of the act of
baptism?
Note the comparison he makes
between the act of immersion and
rising out of the water with dying to
sin and living for righteousness.
How have you experienced the reality
of this new life in Christ?
REFLECTION
8. “And He said to them, ‘Why did you seek
Me? Did you not know that I must be about
My Father’s business?’” (Luke 2:49)
“For the first time the child Jesus looked upon
the temple… He beheld the bleeding victim
upon the altar of sacrifice… Day by day He saw
their meaning more clearly… The mystery of
His mission was opening to the Saviour.”
E.G.W. (The Desire of Ages, cp. 8, pg. 57)
9. About 20 years later, Jesus
went to the Jordan river to
be baptized by John. Jesus
was sinless, but He wanted
to be an example for us.
There were three solemn
declarations in that moment:
He was the
“Lamb of
God”,
Saviour of
the world
(John 1:29).
He was the
Christ,
anointed by
the Holy
Spirit
(Luke 3:22).
He was the
Son of God
in whom the
Father had
delight
(Luke 3:22).
10. Think about it: the spotless Son of
God, the Creator of the cosmos, was
baptized by a mere human being, all
part of the plan of salvation.
How should this amazing
condescension on His part help us
to be willing to humble ourselves
whenever the occasion warrants it?
REFLECTION
11. “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by
the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those
days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” (Luke 4:1-2)
The Father just told Jesus: “You are My
beloved Son.” (Lk. 3:22). The devil
introduced doubt: “If You are the Son of
God…” (Lk. 4:3). Nevertheless, Jesus didn’t
doubt but held on to the Word of His Father.
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all
points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
(Hebrews 4:15)
God told Adam and Eve: “for in the day that you eat of
it you shall surely die.” (Gn. 2:17). The devil told them:
“You will not surely die.” (Gn. 3:4). They doubted God
and believed the devil.
12. “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the
world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give
You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I
wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’” (Luke 4:5-7)
Jesus used the Word to repel
temptation again. We
shouldn’t trust our own
strength or wisdom to
overcome temptation. We
must trust the everlasting
Word of God like Jesus did.
Let’s follow Jesus’ example.
God must be the center and
the everything of our
worship.
Satan wanted to be worshipped as god since the beginning of his rebellion (Isaiah
14:13-14). He was willing to renounce his “sovereignty” over this world if his Lord
surrendered to him.
But Jesus was not fooled by his apparent generosity. Jesus was loyal to God only. He
is the only One who must be worshipped.
13. “Now when the devil had ended every temptation,
he departed from Him until an opportune time.”
(Luke 4:13)
In the last temptation in Luke 4, Jesus visits the
temple of Jerusalem for the second time in His
life.
Jesus is then tempted by the devil again. This
time, the devil used the Word of God. He asked
Jesus to prove He was actually the Son of God
(Luke 4:9-12).
If Jesus had done so, He would have
accepted He doubted His own divinity
and mission. But Jesus had no misgivings
at all. He trusted His Father, and He felt
no need to prove He was the Son of God
in that moment.
Jesus overcame “every temptation.”
14. Let’s review four main teachings from the temptations:
“No temptation has overtaken you
except such as is common to man; but
God is faithful, who will not allow you
to be tempted beyond what you are
able, but with the temptation will also
make the way of escape, that you may
be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
15. How can you learn not to
succumb to Satan’s attempts
to get you, as he tries with all
of us, to doubt God’s
promises?
REFLECTION
16. “Every one of us will be sorely
tempted; our faith will be tried to
the uttermost. We must have a living
connection with God; we must be
partakers of the divine nature; then
we shall not be deceived by the
devices of the enemy, and shall
escape the corruption that is in the
world through lust.
We need to be anchored in Christ,
rooted and grounded in the faith.”
E.G.W. (Selected Messages, book 2, cp. 5, pg. 50)
17. THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
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