Luke chapter 3
King James Version

1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: 17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. 18 And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. 23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, 25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, 27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, 28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, 29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, 31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, 34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, 35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, 36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, 37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

What does Luke chapter 3 mean?
Once again, Luke establishes historical context for his account (Luke 1:1–4; 2:1–2). The reference to political and religious figures serves two purposes. First, it grounds these events in actual history and provides a rough estimate of when they occurred. Second, it creates a potent contrast. While famous men are in positions of power, God's Word comes to an obscure hermit with an odd lifestyle (Luke 1:80; Matthew 3:4). This highlights how the Lord often works through those the world dismisses. John's essential message is a call to repentance, evidenced by baptism (Luke 3:1–3).

John the Baptist's ministry corresponds to Old Testament prophecy. Centuries before John, Malachi spoke of a herald who would prepare people for Messiah (Malachi 3:1; 4:5–6). Centuries even before Malachi, Isaiah described someone who would point others towards the Promised One (Isaiah 40:3–5). Luke cites Isaiah to indicate John's preaching is a fulfillment of God's promises (Luke 3:4–6).

Even for his era, John the Baptist was very direct in his style. His aggressive approach might be partly because of the presence of certain local religious leaders (Matthew 3:7–12); these are the same men Jesus would later criticize for their hypocrisy (Matthew 23:15). Even as he baptizes, John condemns those who pursue shallow faith. He ominously implies that judgment is near—just as if an axe was resting by the roots of a tree about to be cut down (Luke 3:7–9).

In response, the people ask John how they should then live. His answer is that their lives ought to reflect their claim to repentance. Luke records advice given to three groups: the people in general, tax collectors, and soldiers. Each reflected a temptation commonly associated with that group. John encourages self-sacrificial charity, honesty, and integrity. Those who truly repent should be expected to "bear fruit" matching their claims (Luke 3:10–14).

John's unusual style and forceful preaching led many to wonder if he was the promised Messiah. This is a mistake John openly and clearly rejects (John 1:19–20; 3:28–30). His role is that of a herald, not a savior. In that era, one of the lowest roles was that of washing the feet of guests; John indicates he's not even worthy to untie Messiah's sandals. The baptism of Christ, according to John, involves both fire and the Holy Spirit. There is an element of judgment involved in this. The imagery includes a farmer sorting good grain from chaff that is to be burned. This direct style of preaching made John popular with the people, but also earned him enemies. Among those is the local ruler, Herod, who would have John jailed for criticizing his illegitimate marriage (Luke 3:15–20).

Luke provides relatively little detail about Jesus' baptism. He shares the same core elements as other gospel writers. Jesus is baptized by John, resulting in a display of heavenly power and approval (Luke 3:21–22).

Scholars are split on the exact motives behind Luke's genealogy. A common understanding is that Luke establishes Jesus' physical heritage, as a blood relative of David, while Matthew (Matthew 1:1) records Jesus' legal lineage. In any case, Luke makes it clear that Joseph is not Jesus' birth father, and proceeds from there (Luke 3:23).

Luke's genealogy of Jesus contains many familiar names. Until arriving at David, most of these men are obscure, at best carrying the same name as a famous figure from the Old Testament. Eventually, Luke shows that Jesus is a true son of David. By extending the genealogy all the way to Adam, Luke underscores the idea that the gospel is meant for all people, in all nations (Luke 3:24–38).

The early part of Luke's gospel alternates between the histories of Jesus and John the Baptist. The genealogy given at the end of chapter 3 divides his account, which will focus almost exclusively on Jesus from this point forward. In the next passage, Luke will depict Christ's temptation by Satan and the beginning of His public ministry.