Luke 3

So far our story has told us of the origins and early life of John and Jesus. Chapter 3 brings the two together as adults -- John in the midst of his ministry and Jesus at the dawn of his. The focus will then move on to Jesus with Luke only briefly mentioning John in chapter 9 and noting his death. John's role here is to set the stage for the ministry of Jesus and to tell us a bit about the purpose and scope of his work.

But John is an intriguing character whose ministry, as Michelle noted on Sunday, stirred messianic speculation among the people. John strongly stated that he was not the Christ. Luke earlier in the chapter also noted John's role was as a voice calling people to prepare for the Lord's coming. As you read about John in chapter 3, look back at the pre- and post-natal prophesies of the angel in 1:14-18 and Zechariah in 1:68-80. Does the man baptizing in desert fit these descriptions?

As you look at John's message to the people in 3:7-14, what stands out to you? How do you feel about what he says? When he describes the Christ in 3:15-17, do you have any thoughts about what he says or what it means? We'll discuss that Sunday and look back to the passage in future chapters as more about Jesus is revealed. 

I'd also be curious to hear what you think of this long list of names at the end of the chapter. Do you think it serves any purpose? One thing that's significant about the genealogy is that it doesn't stop at David or Judah or Abraham, but traces the ancestry of Jesus back to Adam -- before there was a Jewish people that God chose. Instead he is tied to the father of all people as a Messiah for all of humanity. When Luke (who was a Gentile, not one of those chosen Jews) quotes Isaiah, he also brings up the idea of salvation for all of mankind. This a theme we'll see throughout the book.

I'm loading this blog post up with questions you can ponder and use to bring at least one comment/question/insight/observation to us next Sunday. Here's one more: What does repentance mean to you? Does it play a role in your life? Although it's John pushing people to repent, this is something that Jesus will later call on people to do. And it's a message his apostles and the church down through the ages have also carried.