Luke 6: 1-26, Building Disciples

Jesus continues his ministry in Galilee, running into opposition from the religious authorities, a group called the Pharisees.

Luke 6: 1 - 5, Jesus confronts legalism on the Sabbath
One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."

Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

The disciples are hungry and, as is the custom, they get a small amount of food by "gleaning" in the wheat fields.  There is nothing unlawful about this ... except that the Pharisees consider this to be "work" (harvesting) and so it should not be done on the Sabbath.

David's request for consecrated bread occurs in I Samuel 21: 6.  There are more important things than mere religious ritual!

Luke 6: 6 - 11, Healing on the Sabbath
On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?" He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored.

But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

The Jewish Sabbath (beginning at sunset on Friday) was a common time of community meeting and worship.  And so it is not surprising that a healing would occur there. But presumably this meant Jesus was "working" and so the Pharisees object to this good deed.

We can each be so obsessed with an idea that we completely ignore more important principles and actions.  The Pharisees are so obsessed with defending their religion by defending the Sabbath that they miss the Messiah!

Luke 6: 12-16, The twelve (after a night in prayer)
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

What would it be like spending a whole night praying? Wouldn't it be boring? What do you say?

Jesus picks out Judas, who would become a traitor.  Why?

Luke 6: 17 - 26, The Beatitudes
He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.

"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

"But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

Jesus begins a series of teachings often called "The Sermon on the Mount". (Here is Wikipedia's article on the sermon.)  Luke here records the sermon as occurring on a flat place after coming down from a mountainside. Thus some conclude that this is a separate event from Matthew's sermon on the mountainside (see Matthew 5:1-2.)  It is likely that Jesus gave versions of this sermon numerous times and in numerous places. But it is  also easy to believe these could be the same event, a sermon given on a flat spot on a mountainside.

Much more important than where Jesus spoke is the moral "geography" he sets by overturning the popular assumptions about the world system.  "Blessed are the poor, ... those who weep, ... those who are hated...."  Jesus's sermons will continually overturn the popular beliefs, emphasizing a "Kingdom of God" viewpoint that is 180 degrees from the popular viewpoint of the earth political and religious systems.

As chapter 6 is another long chapter in Luke, we will break it into two pieces. We will continue with Jesus's sermon tomorrow, in the remainder of chapter 6.

Luke 5, Miracles, Disciples, Wineskins

Jesus has begun to preach in the region of Galilee, near the town of Capernaum.

Luke 5 : 1-11, Jesus calls Peter, James and John
One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

The Lake of Gennesaret is also called the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus will speak from boats on a regular basis.  It may have been a convenient way to speak to a large crowd and may also have reflected the type of people he was trying to reach, people who lived off the lake?

The words Jesus spoke from the boat are not recorded by Luke.  Presumably Jesus spoke a number of different messages that were repeated later.

From Peter's reaction, this experience is miraculous, dramatic, and evidence of the Messiah. Peter's first reaction is fear (agreed!) and recognition of his unworthiness (very natural!) But Jesus seems unconcerned about the sinfulness of Simon Peter.

It is not clear why Jesus chooses these three men.  We know little about them, except Jesus has already healed Simon's mother-in-law.

Luke 5 : 12-16, Jesus heals a man of leprosy & then retreats to pray
While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him. 

Then Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."

Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Jesus tells the man to go to a priest so that he can complete the Judaic requirements for completing the healing and returning to society.

Why does Jesus tell the man not to tell anyone?

If Jesus is God, why does he have to pray?

Luke 5 : 17-26, Jesus forgives the paralytic
One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Get up and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."

Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."

The house, in the desert climate, was probably quite open, and it would be easy for Jesus to be mobbed by a large crowd.  But people often slept on the roofs in the heat. Once on the roof, one could then remove slabs from the rooftop to lower the man down. That would be an easier (and creative) way to reach a man mobbed by a crowd.

What is said about the faith of the paralytic? about the faith of his friends? (Is there a difference?)

The men ask Jesus to heal their friend; he instead forgives his sins. Then when challenged about that statement, he heals the man. Jesus appears to be deliberately contrary here, not following the demands or expectations of the crowd.

Luke 5: 27-32, Jesus calls the tax collector
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and `sinners'?"

Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Jesus picks a tax collector (representative of Rome) to follow him. We are given no explanation for this, but Levi responds with enthusiasm, dropping what he is doing and following Jesus, then later hosting a banquet. At Levi's banquet are, of course, others like him, other tax collectors and their friends. As tax collectors have sold out to the dominating Roman empire, this is a dirty, sinful group.

What do the Pharisees think of Jesus' lifestyle?  How does Jesus respond to this criticism? Why would Luke have been particularly attracted by the answer of Jesus?

Luke 5: 33-39, New wineskins
They said to him, "John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking."

Jesus answered, "Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast."

He told them this parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, `The old is better.'"

The Pharisees continue to complain about Jesus.  No matter what he does, they are upset.

Why is fasting attractive? (Are there legitimate reasons for fasting?  What are they? How/why does one fast?)

In this story, Jesus is clearly the messianic bridegroom who explains that yes, there will be a time of distress and fasting.

In the time of Christ, wine was made by putting the juice from crushed grapes into a flexible bag (a wineskin) and letting the mixture sit and ferment.  As the alcohol was produced, the carbon dioxide byproduct stretched the wineskin.  Once the wineskin was stretched, it could not be used again since a second round of fermentation would burst the now brittle fabric. The "new wineskins" Jesus is preaching is a reformation of Judaism, confronting the commonly accepted teachings of the legalistic Pharisees.

For further thought: Throughout this chapter, Jesus is constantly challenging the status quo. He makes things "New"; he reacts to the society of that day as if he were a divine outsider, making changes, lifting up the hurt and marginalized, creating "new wineskins". Is this consistent with the actions of his followers today?

Luke 4: 31-44, Early Galilean Miracles

Jesus has begun his ministry in Nazareth, in Galilee (northern Israel) speaking in the local synagogue. He has already briefly visited Capernaum and now returns.

Luke 4:31 - 37, An evil spirit confronted
Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.

In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice,"Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!"

"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!"

Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.

In verses 14-15 of this chapter, Luke mentions that Jesus had already been ministering in the region prior to visiting Nazareth. If Luke is putting his story in chronological order then Jesus is returning to that ministry in the Galilee. Although Jesus is identified as "Jesus of Nazareth", he will spend much of his ministry centered around the Galilean town of Capernaum, apparently the home of Simon Peter.

Jesus's teaching is backed up here by an unexpected authority and power that catches his audience off-guard.

Why does the demon announce Jesus? And why does Jesus tell him to be quiet? (What temptation is being offered to Jesus here?)

Luke 4:38 - 41, Simon and his mother-in-law

Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.

Luke records a miracle witnessed by Simon Peter, the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. After the incident in the synagogue and the healing at Simon's home, people begin to bring him sick people, including those with an "unclean spirit".  Again, Jesus tells the unclean spirits not to speak and does not wish them to announce him!

How does one "rebuke" a fever? (Luke, identified by Paul as a doctor, says it was a "high" fever.)

Luke 4:42 - 44, Jesus moves on
At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

After the initial events in Nazareth and Capernaum, Jesus moves on to "other towns".  Judea is to the south, centered around Jerusalem.  But some early manuscripts have "land of the Jews" or "Galilee" instead of Judea.  Jesus traveled back and forth between Galilee and Judea on several trips to Jerusalem; all of this is in the more general "land of the Jews".

There are even more "announcements" by the demons in verse 41. Again Jesus does not allow them to continue to speak.

For further thought: what Messianic agenda would be ruined by the demons announcing that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ)? What does this say about the overall plan of Jesus's ministry?

Luke 4: 1-30, Temptation and First Sermon

Jesus has just been baptized by John and is now ready for his public ministry, a time period which will last about three years.

Luke 4: 1-4, Jesus goes into the desert
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."

Jesus answered, "It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone.'"

Jesus initiates his ministry with a time of prayer and fasting in the desert solitude. Luke reports that the devil suggests to Jesus that he can resolve his hunger by working a miracle.  The temptation offers a shortcut, suggesting that Jesus's physical needs have priority over other things.  Jesus responds with a quotation from the scriptures of that day, from the book of Deuteronomy, in the Torah: Deuteronomy 8:3.

Luke 4: 5-13, The Temptation of Jesus
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours."

Jesus answered, "It is written: `Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"

The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: "`He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' "

Jesus answered, "It says: `Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' "

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Eventually there are three temptations offered to Jesus; he responds to each with a quote an Old Testament passage, citing Deuteronomy 6:13, in response to the devil's worldwide control. When the devil offers Psalm 91:11-12, Jesus responds again from the Torah, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16.

The second temptation is to worship Satan and set up an earthly rule. Again, the temptation involves replacing spiritual values by material, earthly ones. (Who gave Satan all this authority? Jesus does not dispute it.) The third temptation is to show off his power and "force" God to act in a certain way.

What does it mean to "put the Lord your God to the test"? Why is this wrong?

Did Jesus really stand on the highest point? How did he get there? Or was this a "thought experiment"?

Why did Jesus have to be tempted? What would've happened if he had failed? These seem to be genuine tests.

Luke records that “the devil left him until an opportune time”, a clear statement that the temptations are not over.  Throughout the gospel of Luke we should look for these temptations to reappear.

Luke 4: 14-19, Synagogue in Nazareth
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 

Jesus returns to Galilee from Judea.  He will spend most of his ministry time in an around Galilee and so he returns, briefly, to Nazareth where he grew up.  Jesus has already made a name for himself by this time, speaking in nearby villages but Luke leaves out the details.

As is customary, there is a reading from the scriptures and Jesus reads a Messianic passage from Isaiah 61:1-2 announcing freedom and healing.

Luke 4: 20-21, First sermon

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

It was apparently customary that the reader also makes some relevant comments on the scripture (just as I am attempting to do in this blog!) But Jesus does not read the Old Testament passage as old Scripture speaking of a future time. Instead, he simply says, "This scripture speaks of Today!"  It is a stunning announcement.

Luke 4: 22-30, First sermon

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked. 

Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: `Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.' I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian."

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

After everyone is amazed, Jesus seems to start an argument.  The details are not clear. Jesus has already begun to do and say remarkable things in nearby Capernaum. The crowd's response, “Isn’t this Joseph's son?” suggest a denial of the Messianic announcement in Jesus's message.

Why are the people of Nazareth angry at the end of his sermon? Because Jesus, after miracles in Capernaum, seems ready to go on to Gentiles, not the Jews, just as Elijah did long ago! Luke (not a Jew) will repeatedly record the ministry of Jesus to the Gentiles.

For future thought: The temptations by the devil, in the desert, put in stark and explicit terms a common set of subtle temptations we generally do not see.  Why is the work of God so invisible to us (me)? Materialism and naturalism are so easy for me.  Why does God insist on being subtle, on not interfering with our world. We apparently have to seek Him, look for Him and his work.

I see in the three temptations the invitation to take the easy, obvious, visible way out, instead of seeking for the spiritual (and subtle) solution.

Luke 4 is another long chapter in Luke and so we will break it into two parts. We will continue with Jesus's ministry tomorrow with the second half of Luke 4.

Luke 3, The Baptizer and the Messiah

After covering the birth of both the Baptizer, John, and the Messiah, Jesus, Luke has briefly mentioned events from Jesus's childhood. His story then moves on to the beginning of Jesus's ministry, when Jesus is introduced to the world by John.

Luke 3: 1-6, The ministry of John the Baptist
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene-- during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.'"

The Old Testament quote in verse 6 is from Isaiah 40:3-5.

The first two verses are an attempt to provide a precise historical date.  Note Luke's emphasis on historical details.

Some say Annas and Caiaphas were never high priest together; others say they rotated the position.

Luke is fascinated by the life of John the Baptist; he even included material about John’s birth, unlike the other gospels.  Luke, who is not a Jew, is learning as much as he can about the Jewish culture and preparation for the Messiah.

What is the theme of John's preaching? Why might this message have seemed strange to the Jews? (This is probably in keeping with Zechariah's original prayer when the angel visited him in chapter 1!)

Baptism was a strange concept then. It does not appear in the Old Testament and probably grew out of Jewish rituals on washing and cleansing. It would have represented conversion to Judaism and so is initially insulting to the native Jew.

Why do roads need to be "straightened"? What is the significance of lowering mountains and filling in valleys?

Luke 3: 7-9, Repent!
John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

John calls his listeners a “brood of vipers”. There are some today who try to mimic John's confrontational methods, without his motivation.  John's preaching is specifically directed at his Jewish brothers and sisters, confronting the general apathy of the Jews.  It would have been easy for Jews to say, "We are God's special people" and use this designation for complacency.  But John, like ancient prophets, stresses that God could move on and leave them behind. (That is the meaning of the ax metaphor in verse 9.)

Luke 3: 10-14, Good works
"What should we do then?" the crowd asked.

John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."

Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?"

Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them.

Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?"

He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely--be content with your pay."

What question does the crowd ask?  What is John’s answer to their question?

Aren't John's answers a little too specific? What good does it do for pagan Roman soldiers to merely be content with their pay? Shouldn't they turn to God?

Luke 3: 15-18, The real baptizer
The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.

What is the winnowing fork? What is the significance of the threshing floor metaphor? How is verse 17 to be considered “good news”?

How does John’s baptism compare with the real baptizer who is coming?

Luke 3: 19-20, The Baptizer imprisoned
But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

The Baptist was fearless, a wild and scary man. Note Luke's deliberate irony in verse 20.

Luke 3: 21-22, The baptism of Jesus
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Why was Jesus baptized? If Jesus was perfect, why did he go to John, whose baptism was one of repentance?

Did baptism involve a time of prayer? Or was this prayer (verse 21) after the baptism.

How did the Holy Spirit descend? What must that have looked like (really)? Why did the Holy Spirit have to descend on Jesus? Wasn't he already God?!

I wonder who heard the voice.

Luke 3: 23-38, The genealogy of the Messiah
Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. 
He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, 
the son of Heli, 
the son of Matthat, 
the son of Levi, 
the son of Melki, 
the son of Jannai, 
the son of Joseph, 
the son of Mattathias, 
the son of Amos, 
the son of Nahum,
the son of Esli, 
the son of Naggai, 
the son of Maath, 
the son of Mattathias, 
the son of Semein, 
the son of Josech, 
the son of Joda, 
the son of Joanan, 
the son of Rhesa, 
the son of Zerubbabel, 
the son of Shealtiel, 
the son of Neri, 
the son of Melki, 
the son of Addi, 
the son of Cosam, 
the son of Elmadam, 
the son of Er, 
the son of Joshua, 
the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim, 
the son of Matthat, 
the son of Levi, 
the son of Simeon, 
the son of Judah, 
the son of Joseph, 
the son of Jonam, 
the son of Eliakim, 
the son of Melea, 
the son of Menna, 
the son of Mattatha, 
the son of Nathan, 
the son of David, 
the son of Jesse, 
the son of Obed, 
the son of Boaz,
the son of Salmon,
the son of Nahshon, 
the son of Amminadab, 
the son of Ram,
the son of Hezron, 
the son of Perez, 
the son of Judah, 
the son of Jacob, 
the son of Isaac, 
the son of Abraham, 
the son of Terah, 
the son of Nahor, 
the son of Serug, 
the son of Reu, 
the son of Peleg, 
the son of Eber, 
the son of Shelah, 
the son of Cainan, 
the son of Arphaxad, 
the son of Shem, 
the son of Noah, 
the son of Lamech, 
the son of Methuselah, 
the son of Enoch, 
the son of Jared, 
the son of Mahalalel, 
the son of Kenan, 
the son of Enosh, 
the son of Seth, 
the son of Adam, 
the son of God.

Seventy five generations are recorded here!!

NIV Footnotes: Apparently ancient manuscripts vary considerably in verse 33 ("the son of Amminadab....")

The genealogy in Luke is different from that of Matthew. Is Luke’s genealogy that of Mary? (Some suggest that; note the phrase “so it was thought” in verse 23.) Or were Heli and Jacob brothers?

For further thought: The ministry of John, the Baptizer, is one of reformation. John anticipates a new Judaism. Had you, as a serious Jew, been along the Jordan River listening to this reformation prophet, what was the primary message you heard? (No, I don't think it was just about Jesus.)

The ministry of Jesus begins in the next chapter.

Luke 2: 36-52, Two Incidents from Childhood

After Simeon has prophesied over the newborn child, a woman, Anna, appears.

Luke 2: 36 - 40, The visit of Anna
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 

And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

NIV Footnotes: the Greek phrase translated "widow until she was eighty-four" could also be translated "widow for eighty-four years".  The second option is less likely.

Here is another who has been promised by God that she will see the Messiah. (She is a woman and is identified as a "prophetess."  So far in these narratives, we have heard from three women, Elizabeth, Mary, Anna, and one man, Simeon.  Anna has probably personally served in the temple for sixty years or so.  Even after Joseph and Mary leave, Anna continues to tell everyone about Jesus, claiming that he is the long awaited Messiah.

Anna was of the tribe of Asher. Asher was one of the ten lost tribes of Israel, originally given land in western Galilee, along the Mediterranean coast.

Matthew records that the young family went away to Egypt for a time? Why doesn't Luke mention that?

Luke 2: 41-51, Childhood trip to Jerusalem
Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom.

After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.

After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.

When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."

"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

This is the only account we have of Jesus as a young adult. Why does Luke choose it (while skipping the story, in Matthew, of the trip to Egypt)? Barclay suggest this might have been the family's first trip, taken when their oldest child turned "adult" at age 12 (bar-mitzvah).

The trip to Jerusalem, of about 75 miles or more, must have been an inconvenience. It would have probably required 4 or 5 days travel, one way.

Barclay: notice how Jesus takes the "Your father and I...." and turns it into "my Father's house..." Jesus subtly points out that he has a different or greater "father".

Where do you think they looked for him? Why did it take three days to find him in the temple courts?  (Presumably they search along the way and searched the place they had stayed or camped during the feast?)

In verse 48 we hear a natural question from a mother.  Surely this incident has been relayed personally by Mary.

Luke 2: 52, Summary of childhood
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

What does it mean for Jesus grow in favor with God?

For further thought: Once again, we might wonder what the child Jesus was like. At age 12 he is obviously a young man thinking deeply about the Scriptures. What role did the Holy Spirit play? Did Jesus know who he was?  Isn't there a hint of immaturity here, of not realizing what will happen if he stays behind in Jerusalem?! (Otherwise, why does it seem important to mention that he was "obedient" to them after that?)

We move on to Jesus's adult life in the next chapter.