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. (Luke 3:1-6 KJV)
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
John’s baptism introduced a new dispensation, so it was necessary to give a detailed account of it. Glorious things were said of John—that he would be a distinguished favorite of Heaven and a great blessing to the earth (Luke 1:15,17); but we lost sight of him in the wilderness, where he remained until the day he was revealed to Israel (Luke 1:80). Now that day finally dawns—a welcome day to those who waited for it more eagerly than for the morning.
The date of John’s baptism is noted here, though not by the other evangelists, to confirm its truth by establishing the exact time. It is dated by the government of the heathens who ruled over the Jews, showing that they were a conquered people and it was time for the Messiah to come and set up a spiritual and eternal kingdom in place of David’s fallen dominion. It was in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, the third of the twelve Caesars, a corrupt man given to greed, drunkenness, and cruelty. The Jews, after much struggle, had recently become a province of the Roman Empire and were under the dominion of Tiberius. That once-great nation, which had other nations paying tribute to it under David and Solomon, was now an insignificant and despised part of Rome. Their public acts were now dated by the reign of the Roman emperor, showing that the lawgiver had departed from Judah and that Shiloh must come.
It is also dated by the viceroys who ruled various parts of the Holy Land under the emperor, another sign of their subjugation. These governors were foreigners, unlike the days when Israel’s leaders came from among themselves (Jeremiah 30:21). Pilate was the governor, or procurator, of Judea. Historians describe him as a wicked man who had no regard for the truth. He ruled poorly and was eventually removed by Vitellius, the president of Syria, and sent to Rome to answer for his misconduct. The other three were tetrarchs. Some think this title refers to their governing a fourth part of what had belonged to Herod the Great. Others think it refers to their rank—below an emperor, proconsul, or king.
The time is also dated by the Jewish leadership, showing their corruption and the need for the Messiah to come and reform them (Luke 3:2). Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. God had commanded only one high priest at a time, but now there were two—perhaps one serving one year and the other the next, or one being the high priest (Caiaphas) and the other (Annas) the head of the Sanhedrin. But we have only one High Priest now, to whom all judgment is committed.
The word of God came to John (Luke 3:2). He was fully commissioned and instructed by God. The same expression is used for Old Testament prophets (Jeremiah 1:2), for John was a prophet—and more than a prophet—reviving prophecy after a long silence. We’re not told how God’s word came to him—whether through an angel, dream, vision, or voice—but it satisfied John, and should satisfy us. He is called the son of Zacharias, reminding us of the angel’s promise to his father. God found him in the wilderness, for He knows where to find and call those He has prepared. Just as His word reached Ezekiel among the captives and John in Patmos, it now reached John in the wilderness. John, a priest’s son and now thirty years old, could have served in the temple; but God called him to a more honorable ministry, so the Holy Spirit records his appointment here: John the son of Zacharias began his ministry at that time.
The purpose of his baptism was to turn people from their sins and back to God (Luke 3:3). He started in the area around the Jordan, where he had lived. That region was the first Israel entered under Joshua; now, there the gospel was first preached. Though John had lived in solitude, when God’s word came to him, he left the wilderness and went to populated areas. Those content in solitude must willingly go to public places when God calls. He came preaching a new baptism, not a sect or faction, but a public profession.
The ceremony involved water, like other Jewish washings, but its meaning was repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Those baptized by him were required to repent—to be truly sorry for their sins and commit to not repeating them. They professed sorrow and pledged change. He did not bind them to ceremonial traditions, but to sincere transformation—to turn from sin, make new hearts, and live new lives. The gospel aimed to make people devout, humble, honest, pure, kind, and godly, who had once been otherwise. This is true repentance. They were assured of forgiveness if they repented. His baptism, like the Old Testament promise (Ezekiel 18:30), assured that those who turned from their sins would not be ruined.
Luke then shows how John’s ministry fulfilled Scripture. The other evangelists cite the same prophecy from Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3). John is the voice crying in the wilderness, calling people to prepare for the Lord and make His paths straight. His job was to prepare people’s hearts to welcome Christ. Luke quotes more of Isaiah than Matthew or Mark (Luke 3:5–6):
- The humble will be raised up—every low valley filled.
- The proud will be humbled—every mountain and hill made low. Those who repent will be brought low in humility; those who don’t will be brought low in judgment.
- Sinners will be converted—the crooked made straight. Though only God can straighten what sin has made crooked, His grace can do it.
- Obstacles will be removed—the rough ways made smooth. The gospel makes the way to heaven clear and accessible.
Salvation will be revealed to all—“all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Not only Jews but Gentiles will be offered this salvation. When hearts are cleared of obstacles, the grace of God is welcomed.