Luke 3:21-38

Question: What can be learned about Jesus being baptized, v. 21-22?

Answer: Luke uses a flashback concerning the baptism of Jesus by John. The key here is what happened after Jesus’ baptism and prayer—the heavens opened. The two other parts to the Trinity appeared. The Holy Spirit approved by descending like a dove on Jesus as the Father spoke of His pleasure in His beloved Son. This, in the beginning of His public ministry, shows that Jesus was approved by God and the Holy Spirit.

Question: What can be learned from Jesus’ ancestry in v. 23-38?

Answer: Luke tells us that the work of Jesus began when He was thirty-years old. Since God had authenticated Jesus as His Son in v. 22, Luke traces His ancestry to show Jesus as a physical descendant of God—see v. 38.

This genealogy has a major difference from that of Matthew in that Joseph, the husband of Mary, is said to be the son of Jacob, Matthew 1:16. Luke’s account can be understood by making the parenthesis of Luke 3:23 to be: ‘(as was supposed of Joseph.)’ Greek scholars point out that all the other men in Luke’s account have the words ‘the son of’ before their names. But Joseph does not. This means that “the son of Heli” in v. 23 is Mary’s father and Jesus’ grandfather. Thus Matthew gives the ancestry of Joseph back to King David while Luke provides the genealogy of Mary back to God.

An interesting contrast can be observed between the genealogy of Matthew and that of Luke. Matthew stressed the kings in the lineage. Luke contains only two kings, Zerubbabel and David. Although Luke’s account includes Abraham and Noah, the emphasis is that God, the Father of all mankind, is the ultimate ancestor. This links with the fact that Jesus will be interested in the salvation of all people.

What I learned: Jesus is part of The Trinity. His ancestry can be traced back to God

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