Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 61 

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; but you shall be called the priests of the LORD; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.” (Isaiah 61, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 4:14-30

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ And he said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ And he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.” (Luke 4:14–30, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

Luke wrote what he wrote in his gospel so that we might be sure that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah who was promised long ago and that we might trust in him for the forgiveness of our sins unto life everlasting (see Luke 1:1-4). And how has Luke presented Jesus to us in his attempt to persuade us about these things? Answer: He has presented Jesus to us at the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures. Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures in his conception, birth, early childhood, baptism, and victory over the Serpent in the wilderness. He fulfilled explicate prophesies. He also fulfilled the types and shadows contained within the Old Testament Scriptures – he is the second and greater Adam, the second a greater Moses, and the true and faithful Israel of God. 

You would do well to notice that Luke continues with this same approach in the passage that is before us today. Here Luke shows us that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 61. In addition to this, Luke wants us to see that from the beginning, Jesus came to bring salvation, not to the Jews only, but to the Gentiles also. Lastly, Luke shows us that this was the thing that most aggravated the Jews and led to their rejection of Christ.  

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Jesus Is The Anointed One Of Isaiah 61

The first thing that we must see in our passage for today is that Jesus claimed to be the anointed one of whom Isaiah spoke. Messiah means “anointed one”. So then Jesus explicitly claims to be the promised Messiah in the passage that is before us. 

Luke 4:14 says, “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.” 

So then, after the victory of Jesus over the devil in the wilderness, he went into the region of Galilee. This is the region north of Jerusalem and to the west of the Sea of Galilee.

Our text says that he went there in the power of the Spirit. This is a reference to the Holy Spirit. We are to remember that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit at his baptism. Luke 3:21 says, when Jesus was baptized and was praying, “the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:21–22, ESV). It was the Spirit who led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted, remember? And it was the Spirit who sustained Jesus so that he would win the victory over the Evil One. Of course, when we speak of Jesus’ anointing with the Spirit, we are to consider him according to his human nature, and not according to his divine nature. The Spirit filled and empowered Jesus as a man to strengthen and uphold him to accomplish his work.

Brothers and sisters,  this is the same Spirit that Christ has poured out on all who have faith in him. If you are in Christ, then you have this Spirit as a seal and as a Helper so that you would have all that you need to walk faithfully. 

Luke does not tell us much about Christ’s ministry in Galilee. He only says that “a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all” (Luke 4:14- 15, ESV).

In Luke 4:16 we are told that Jesus “came to Nazareth [a town in the region of Galilee], where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read” (Luke 4:16, ESV). Notice that it was the custom of Jesus the Messiah to be in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. “Synagogue” means “assembly place”.  Synagogues were meeting houses where the Jews would gather together to hear the Scriptures read and explained, to pray, sing, and fellowship with one another. Does that sound familiar to you? It should, the Jewish synagogues of the first century were the prototypes of our Christian churches. In fact, James refers to the Christian meeting house as a synagogue (συναγωγή) in 2:2 of his epistle. The point is this:  Jesus the Messiah was in “church” – that is to say, in the assembly –  on the Sabbath day. That was his custom. And that should be your custom too, if you are in Christ. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” If you claim to be a Christian and it is your habit to neglect the assembly, that needs to change. Christ was in the synagogue on the Sabbath, and you should be in the Christian synagogue (meeting house) with the people of God on the Lord’s Day Sabbath too, for ​​“whoever says he abides in [Christ] ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6, ESV).

Now, though it is true that we should imitate Christ by assembling with God’s people on the Lord’s Day, we cannot imitate what he did in Nazareth on this particular Sabbath day.  We are told that he “he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him” (Luke 4:18–20, ESV). 

So what was it about what Christ did on this day that caused “the eyes of all in the synagogue [to be] fixed on him”? Well, he must have read this passage in such a way so as to indicate that he was the one of whom this passage spoke. In other words, he read this text, not as if it were about someone else, but as if it were about him. He read this text as if these words were his words. And indeed they were. And then he sat down without comment. This was strange, and so the people stared at him. And a bit later “he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21, ESV). In other words, I am the one of whom Isaiah spoke. I am the Lord’s Anointed. That was his message. And it was a message that only he could proclaim. 

Now, Jesus only read verses 1 and 2 of Isaiah 61. But as I have taught you before, when a verse or two from the Old Testament is quoted in the New Testament, we had better go there and take a look around. The one or two verses that are cited are often times meant to point us to an entire passage or even a broad theme. I’ve told you before that these brief citations are meant to function like hyperlinks on a webpage. We are supposed to click the link, if you will, and then look around.  

We read Isaiah 61 in its entirety at the beginning of this sermon. It is a beautiful passage that reveals the mission of the Messiah. How appropriate that Jesus would refer to this text at the start of his ministry! Here it again: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…” (Isaiah 61:1, ESV), Can you see that this is about the mission of the Messiah? This is what the Messiah was sent to do. Isaiah 61:2 continues, saying, “to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit…” This is what God has called the Messiah to do for his people. 

At the end of verse 3 of Isaiah 61, the focus shifts from the work of the Messiah to the benefits that come to those who are blessed in the Messiah. It says, “that they [those blessed in the Messiah] may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations” (Isaiah 61:3–4, ESV).

We cannot take the time to read again all of Isaiah 61 and to comment on each verse. I have taken you beyond verses 1 and 2 (which Jesus quoted) through verse 4 to show you that there is a lot of good news in this passage for those who are blessed by the Messiah. It is not surprising that Luke tells us in 4:22 that “all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’” (Luke 4:22, ESV). We should remember that the word “marveled” was used back in Luke 2:33 where it is said that Joseph and Mary “marveled at what was said about [Jesus]” (Luke 2:33, ESV). The same Greek word was also used in 2:18, 1:63, and 1:21 – the people “wondered” or “marveled” over what the shepherds told them, what Zachariah wrote, and why he delayed in the temple. The Lord was doing incredible things in those days when Jesus was born, and the Lord was doing incredible things when Jesus began his ministry as our Messiah, and so they marveled. They “marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’” I take this to be an honest question. They were wondering how it could be that this Jesus, the son of Joseph, as was supposed (Luke 3:23), could possibly be the LORD’s Messiah. The question was an honest one, and the response to Jesus in Nazareth was at first favorable.

But things changed for the worse very quickly. And we would be wise to ask the question, why? Why did the people change their opinion of Jesus? How did they go from speaking well of him to wanting to kill him by throwing him off a cliff? Answer: Jesus did not merely tell them what they wished to hear, but spoke the truth instead. 

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Jesus Came To Bring Salvation, Not To The Jews Only, But To The Gentiles Also 

Specifically, Jesus clarified that he did not come to bring salvation to the Jews only, but to the Gentiles also – indeed, he came to redeem all who are poor in spirit and look unto him for salvation. 

Look with me at Luke 4:23. “And he said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’” This hints at the suffering that Jesus would endure as the Messiah, for only he who suffers needs to be healed. We will learn as we progress through Luke (and through the other Gospels someday) that not many were interested in following a suffering Messiah – a victorious and conquering Messiah, yes! A suffering Messiah, no. But those who will have Christ as Savior must have him as a suffering Savior, and humbly identify with him in his suffering. 

And then Jesus predicted that they would say, “What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well” (Luke 4:23, ESV). What did he do in Capernaum? Among other things, he healed people of their physical ailments (see Mark 2:1-12). 

And in verse 24 we read, “And he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian” (Luke 4:24–27, ESV). 

The story about Elijah and Zarephath that Jesus referred to is found in 1 Kings 17. The story about Elisha and Naaman the Syrian is found in 2 Kings 5. What do these two stories share in common? Well, they are both about the faith of Gentiles in the Old Covenant era and of God showing mercy to them while Israel was unfaithful.  

And what do all three of these sayings of Jesus as recorded in Luke 4:23-27 share in common? Well, they all seem to emphasize the heavenly, eternal, and universal focus of Jesus’ ministry, and this ran counter to the earthly, temporal, and ethnocentric expectations that many within Isarel had for their Messiah. 

You are probably familiar with the idea that many within Isarel expected that when the Messiah appeared he would overthrow the Romans and restore Isarel to the glory that she once had in the days of King David. Can you see how that expectation was earthly (it was about a kingdom on earth), temporal (it was about an earthly kingdom now), and ethnocentric (it was about blessings falling on the Jews, but not the Gentiles)? 

And you are probably also familiar with how many were interested in following Jesus when they thought he would feed them with physical bread and heal them of their physical infirmities. But those same people quickly abandoned him when he began to speak of suffering and sacrifice in this life and the heavenly and eternal focus of his ministry (think of the story of the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6).

And do not forget how enraged some of the Jews became when Jesus made it clear that he came to save, not only Jews but Gentiles also. 

This story about Jesus in the synagogue in Nazareth has a little of all that going on, doesnt it? Jesus hints at future suffering. He suggests that he did not come mainly to heal of physical infirmities. And then he stresses his concern for the Gentiles by mentioning the stories of Elijah and Zarephath and Elisha and Naaman the Syrian. And it was at this point that the people turned on him in a violent way.  

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This Was The Thing That Most Aggravated The Jews And Led To Their Rejection Of Christ  

Luke 4:28-30 says, “When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away” (Luke 4:28–30, ESV).

What was it that so aggravated these people leading them to reject Jesus as the Messiah? In brief, it was this: he suggested that the Jews – yes even the Jews in his hometown – would reject him, while many Gentiles would receive him and be blessed by him, just as Zarephath of Sidon and Naaman the Syrian were in the days of Elijah and Elisha. 

If you have read the New Testament carefully you know that this teaching that Gentiles would be included (or engrafted) into to Abraham was very controversial amongst the Jews. It led (in part) to the crucifixion of Christ. And it led to the persecution of Paul and the other apostles too. 

Take, for example, Acts 13:44-52. The context is Paul and Barnabas’s ministry at Antioch in Pisidia. The text says, “The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:44–52, ESV). I cite this text because I think it illustrates the theme that is found throughout the New Testament about the Jews being provoked to jealousy concerning Gentile inclusion through faith in the Messiah. This phenomenon was present at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Even the people in his hometown wished to kill him when he spoke of blessing the Gentiles! This theme continued throughout Jesus’ ministry, and even into the ministry of the Apostles and early church. 

In a sense, it is understandable that the Jews would have a difficult time comprehending and coming to terms with this transition. From the days of Abraham onward, and especially from Moses onward, the Hebrews were set apart from all of the nations as a special and holy people. Special covenants were made with them, the law was given to them, the temple was in their midst, and the promises of God were entrusted to them. Change is difficult (this we all know). And when the Messiah came into the world he brought with him massive changes. He came, not to destroy the law of Moses, but to fulfill it. He was not against the Old Covenant, but he did come to full it and to inaugurate a New Covenant. The kingdom of God would no longer be confined to Israel (in a prototypical way), but came in power and would spread to the ends of the earth after Christ lived, died, and rose again. And the New Covenant people of God would not consist of those who descended from Abraham according to the flesh, but of all who have faith, not only from the Jews but also the Gentiles (see Romans 9-11). These were massive changes. And so we should not be surprised that some struggled to understand these things and to come to terms with them (see Acts 10 & 11).

But in another sense, it is surprising that so many from amongst the Jews were caught off guard by this great transition, for these things were foretold in their own Scriptures. They should have known.

Consider these things:

The Messiah was promised, not first to Abraham, but to Adam and Eve in the curse that was pronounced on the serpent in Genesis 3:15. This means that the Messiah would be the redeemer, not only of the Jews but of the world – that is to say, of all people. By the way, this is what John 3:16 speaks of when it says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV). Nowhere does this text teach a universal atonement. Nowhere does it say that Christ shed his blood for every single person who has ever lived. That idea is read into the text by the universalists. Here is what it does say: God set his love on the world – the whole fallen planet and every nation within – and not the Jews only. Christ came to provide salvation for people from every tongue tribe and nation. And who will be saved? The text says, “Whoever believes in him [will] not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:16–18, ESV). This text is not about the scope of the atonement, friends. But it is about the scope of God’s love and of Christ’s mission. God’s saving love is not confined to the Jews only but is for all nations. Christ’s mission was to earn salvation for particular people from every tongue tribe and nation. That he came to save particular people, namely, the elect, is clearly stated elsewhere in John’s Gospel (see John 6, John 10:11, John 17). But John 3:16 makes this general point: God’s saving love is for the world, that is to say, all nations, and not for the Jews only. And who from amongst the nations will be saved? All who believe. And who will believe? Those chosen by God in eternity. These in due will hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be made alive by the working of the Holy Spirit. This we call effectual calling.  

Back to the point. Luke wants us to see that Jesus is not only the Son of Abraham (the father of the Hebrews), he is the second and greater Adam (the father of humanity). He came, therefore, not as the Messiah of the Jews only, but as the world’s Messiah – he is the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV).

The Messiah was promised, not first to Abraham, but to Adam. That is significant. And even when Abraham and his descendants (the Hebrews) were set apart by God as a special people from all the nations of the earth, it was revealed to him that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through them. “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1–3, ESV). Do you see what I mean when I say the Jews should not have been surprised about the news that the Messiah came to bring salvation to all nations? The very first word that was spoken by God to Father Abraham revealed this aim. Abraham’s descendants would be set apart for a time so that the nations would be blessed through them. 

And the Psalms and Prophets are filled with references to the nations and of God’s plan to reconcile sinners to himself from all nations through Israel’s Messiah. And note this: The book of Isaiah – the book that Jesus read from in Nazareth –  is especially rich with this theme. 

Isaiah 42:6-7 speaks of the Messiah, saying, “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness” (Isaiah 42:6–7, ESV).

Isaiah 49:6 is about the Messiah. The LORD speaks to him saying, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6, ESV).

Isaiah 55:5 also speaks of the Messiah saying, “Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you” (Isaiah 55:5, ESV).

You probably are noticing that we are creeping ever closer to the very passage in Isaiah that Jesus read from in the synagogue in Nazareth (Isaiah 61) and afterward sat down, saying, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”. Isaiah 61 speaks of the nation too. Verse 6 says, “you shall eat the wealth of the nations”. Verses 8 and 9: “I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed”. Verse 11: “For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations”.

This theme of God blessing the nations through Israel and her Messiah runs through to the end of the book of Isaiah and even intensifies. Listen to how the book of Isaiah concludes: “For I know their works and their thoughts [says the Lord], and the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the LORD. ‘For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD’” (Isaiah 66:18–23, ESV).

The point is this: The news that the Messiah would come to save people from every tongue tribe and nation was not new news, but old news brought to fulfillment. And yet, when Jesus suggested to those in his hometown that many from within Israel would reject him, while many from amongst the Gentiles would receive him and be blessed in him, they wished to put him to death. Certainly, this anticipated his death on the cross. But the time was not yet: “Passing through their midst, he went away.”

Before we conclude, I think it is important for us to make a couple of connections between this passage and the previous one. In the previous passage, Jesus was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness and he was victorious. The last line in that passage says, “And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13, ESV). This means that the Devil would continue to tempt Jesus throughout his ministry. I think our minds should especially go to the agony that Jesus experienced in Gethsemane and leading up to the cross. There Satan continued to tempt Jesus to deviate from his mission. But here we see that Satan opposed Jesus through the people in his hometown. More than this, I think it is important for us to make the connection between Jesus’ defeat of Satan in the wilderness and his announcement to the Nazareens that he would bring salvation, not to Jews only, but to the Gentiles. If you remember the sermon on the previous passage, Jesus’ mission was to defeat, cast down, and bind Satan, so that he would no longer hold the nations in darkness. He came to bind the strong man so that he might proceed to plunder his house. So then, after Jesus defeated the Devil in the wilderness, he proceeded to announce that he would have people from every nation as his inheritance. And this was what infuriated the Nazereens, for though they were children of Abraham according to the flesh, they were of the Evil One in the heart and mind. Or to quote Jesus himself,  They were of their “father the devil, and [their] will [was] to do [their] father’s desires” (John 8:44, ESV).

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Conclusion

I’ll conclude now by making a few brief suggestions for application. All of them have to do with not making the same mistakes that those in Nazareth made concerning their expectations for the Messiah. 

One, let us be sure to not reduce Jesus down into a Messiah who has come to merely meet our needs on earth. His blessings are spiritual and heavenly. He will bless us physically and on earth too, but those blessings will come to us at the consummation in new heavens and earth. Life in this present evil age will be marked by trials, tribulations, various sufferings, and ultimately death. But Christ will bless his people in and through these tribulations, to bring them safely home into the heavenly new creation inheritance that he has earned for them.   

Two, connected with this, let us be sure to not reduce Jesus down into a Messiah who has come to merely bless us in the here and now. His blessing are eternal. We are blessed in Christ now – this is true. But we are called to patiently endure until we take possession of the fullness of our inheritance in Christ in the life to come. 

Three, let us be sure to not reduce Jesus down into a tribal Messiah but always remember that he came to save all kinds of people – rich and poor, powerful and weak, people from every tongue tribe and nation. And this is why Paul wrote to Timothy, saying, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:1–6, ESV).

Baptist Catechism 88

Q. 88. Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?

A. Some sins in themselves and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. (Ezekiel 8:13; John 19:11; 1 John 5:16)

Scripture Reading: John 19:1–11

“Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, ‘See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.’ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, ‘Behold the man!’ When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, ‘Crucify him, crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.’ The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.’ When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, ‘You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.’” (John 19:1–11, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

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Have you ever heard it said that all sins are equal in God’s eyes? There is some truth to that statement if by it we mean that all sins, big or small, are in fact sins and make us guilty before God. That is certainly true. And that fact does need to be emphasized for there are many people who think that because they have not committed a big sin — a heinous sin — then they are good with God. That is not true. Sin, we have learned, is any lack of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God (BC 17). And after considering God’s law we have all agreed that we daily violate God’s law in thought, word, or deed (BC 87). We must confess, therefore, that apart from Christ we all stand guilty before God. If that is what people mean when they say that all sins are equal in God’s eyes, then I agree with them. 

But I think you would agree that that phrase can be a little misleading. It can be taken to mean that God does not distinguish between lesser and greater sins at all. That doesn’t sound right does it, for God is perfectly just. And when we consider the civil law that God gave to Old Covenant Israel we see that the punishment fit the crime. Lesser crimes were to receive a lesser punishment, and greater crimes were to receive a  stricter punishment. If we are to uphold justice in this way by distinguishing between lesser and greater evils, then it stands to reason that God, who is perfectly just, does the same. 

The passage that I just read from John 19 speaks to this issue. When Jesus spoke to Pilate concerning his sin he said that the Jews who had falsely accused him, and who were turning the political screws on Pilate to persuade him to crucify Jesus, had “the greater sin”. Both Pilate and the Jews sinned against Jesus by their unjust treatment of him, but the sin of the unbelieving Jews was greater, for they were the ones driving the issue.  

And so this raises another question: if a distinction is to be made between lesser and greater sins, should we expect there to be differing degrees of punishment in hell? The answer is yes, for God is just. The punishment will fit the sin. Jesus also spoke to this when he said that “it will be more bearable on that day [the day of judgment] for Sodom than for that town”, speaking of the town which rejects the testimony of his Apostles  (Luke 10:12, ESV).

So, on the one hand, we must agree that all sin is sin. All lawbreakers stand before God as guilty, therefore. But not all sin is the same. Some sins are more heinous than others.

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Baptist Catechism 88

This is what our catechism teaches. 

Q. 88. Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?

A. “Some sins in themselves… are more heinous in the sight of God than others.” To give an example, the sin of murder is much worse than the sin of unholy hatred. Both are sins. Neither should be tolerated. But one is much worse than the other given the destruction that it causes. 

Ezekiel 8:13 is listed as a proof text. There we read, “He said also to me, ‘You will see still greater abominations that they commit” (Ezekiel 8:13, ESV). The meaning is clear. What Ezekiel had been shown in this vision regarding the sins of the leaders of Israel was bad, but he was about to see even worse things. And again, Jesus’ words to Pilate that have already been discussed prove the point that  “Some sins in themselves… are more heinous in the sight of God than others.”

Our catechism is also right to say that “some sins in themselves and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others.” I think this little phrase, by reason of several aggravations, acknowledges that other factors come into play when determining the severity of a sin. Some sins are, in and of themselves, more heinous than others. But there are other things to consider too when asking, how aggravating is this sin to God. So, for example, I will ask you, is it more aggravating to God when a four-year-old tells a lie or when a forty-year-old tells a lie? The sin is the same, right? But there is a sense in which a lying 40-year-old is worse than a lying 4-year-old. The 40-year-old should know better! And what is worse, a Christian committing adultery or a Pastor? Same sin, but the one is more aggravating than the other. Remember what James said. “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1, ESV). And that passage with Jesus and Pilate is helpful again. Both Pilate and the Jews were guilty of injustice, but the sins of the Jews were greater, in part, because they should have known better (they crucified their own Messiah), and because they were the instigators.  I think that is what the phrase, “by reason of several aggravations”, means. It means that other factors may contribute to make a sin more aggravating in the sight of God.

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Conclusion 

So what difference does this teaching make?

One, it does help us to think and speak clearly regarding the justice of God. He does distinguish between lesser and greater sins. At the judgment, the punishment will fit the sin. And we are to follow his example when executing temporal justice on earth today. 

Two, this teaching should make us eager to avoid all sin, but especially to avoid heinous sin. And we do know that lesser sins do lead to greater sins. Don’t lie when you are 4 because you do not want to be lier when you are 40, which is worse. And do not lust in your heart, for we know that the sin of lust does lead to the sin of adultery. Be sober concerning the severity of all sin, and particularly heinous sin, for is so very damaging. 

Three, this teaching does enable us to correctly distinguish between those who are good and those who are evil in the world. In an absolute sense, is anyone good? We say, no. There is none righteous, no not one. But in another sense, are there good people in the world? Are there good governors, good bosses, good friends, and good parents? Yes! And how can we speak in this way? By understanding that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, some, by God’s grace, are good, caring, faithful, and just, relatively speaking.  Though all are sinners, God, in his common grace, does restrain evil in the world and he keeps even those who do not know Christ from committing heinous sins, thanks be to God. 

Q. 88. Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?

A. Some sins in themselves and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. (Ezekiel 8:13; John 19:11; 1 John 5:16)

Baptist Catechism 87

Q. 87. Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?

A. No mere man, since the fall, is able in this life, perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but daily break them in thought, word, or deed. (Eccles. 7:20; Gen. 6:5; Gen. 8:21; 1 John 1:8; James 3:8; James 3:2; Rom. 3:23)

Scripture Reading: 1 John 1:5–10

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:5–10, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

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Did you know that we spent 17 weeks considering God’s moral law? 

First, we learned that God’s moral law was written on the heart of man at the time of creation. 

Next, we learned that the Ten Commandments are a summary of God’s moral law.   

After that, we learned that the sum of the Ten Commandments is to “love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves.”

And then we proceeded to consider each one of the Ten Commandments, what they require and what they forbid. 

As we progressed through our study it became clear that the first four commandments have to do with our relationship to God. What are the first four commandments?

[SLIDE]

1. You shall have no other gods before me. 
2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image.
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.  
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 

The first four commandments have to do with our relationship to God, and the last six have to do with our relationship with our fellow man. What are commandments five through ten?    

[SLIDE]

5. Honor your father and mother. 
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal. 
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet. 

And where are these Ten Commandments found? Two places: Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.

It is so very important for us to know these Ten Commandments, brothers and sisters. 

Yes, there are some things said in these Ten Commandments that were unique to Old Covenant Israel. 

One, Israel was to rest and worship on the seventh day. We are to honor the Sabbath day on the first day of the week because Christ is risen. The abiding moral law is that one day in seven is to be set apart as holy to the Lord. But the day itself is ceremonial and symbolic. A Sabbath keeping remains for the people of God, but the day has changed.

Two, what is said after the second commandment regarding God “visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments”, has also changed. In Old Covenant Israel physical descent meant a lot. To descend from Abraham physically meant that you were a part of the Old Covenant. Men and women were born into the Old Covenant, therefore. And this Covenant has sanctions attached to it. If the people obeyed God they would be blessed in the land. If they disobeyed God, they would be cursed and vomited out of the land. And because of this, the fathers would sin and their children would pay the price. But it is not so under the New Covenant. No one is born into the New Covenant. To partake of the New Covenant one must be born again and have faith in the Messiah. This generational principle has melted away, therefore. Jeremiah the prophet spoke of this change ahead of time when he spoke of the newness of the New Covenant. In Jeremiah 31:29 we read, “In those days they shall no longer say: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge” (Jeremiah 31:29–30, ESV).

Three, related to this, the command to “Honor your father and your mother” is followed by a promise –  “that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12, ESV). A particular land was given to Old Covenant Israel, and they would be blessed in it if they kept God’s law. Under the New Covenant, no particular land is given to God’s people. We are sojourners, exiles, and strangers on the earth. And so when Paul commands children to honor their parents under the New Covenant, he says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth’” (Ephesians 6:1–3, NKJV). Notice, Paul does not say, “that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you”, but rather, “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth”. The principle of enjoying a blessed life remains but the particular circumstances change with the transition from the Old Covenant to the New.  

So whenever we read the Ten Commandments we should remember that they are indeed a summary of God’s moral law (which does not change), but there are these three things mentioned which were unique to Old Covenant Israel: The seventh-day Sabbath (which corresponded to the Covenant of Works), the principle of national guilt, and the promises of blessing in the land of Cannan. The moral law of God will never change. It is indeed summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments. But there are some things stated in the Ten Commandments that were unique to Old Covenant Israel. 

God’s law is good. Amen?

But do not forget what Paul wrote to Timothy: “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully…” (1 Timothy 1:8, ESV). 

That is a big “if”.  

Whenever we handle God’s law we must remember that it is possible to misuse it. The law is good, but it is easy to misuse. And when it is misused, that which is good becomes bad. 

And how is God’s law misused? It is misused when men and women think that they can stand before God as righteous by the keeping of it. 

This error is so very common. All of the religions of the world with the exception of Orthodox Christianity make this error. They believe that they will stand right before God on the last day because of their good works and obedience.  Many who are non-religious make the same mistake too. They reason like this: If God exists then he will accept me because I am good. But this is a grave mistake. Those who think this way have not understood what God requires of them. They think they are righteous but they are not.  

So common is this error that Paul Apostle calls it the stumbling stone. In Romans 9:30 he says, “What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone…” (Romans 9:30–32, ESV). What is the stumbling stone? It is the false notion that men and women may stand before God right by keeping the law. The scriptures say otherwise. The scriptures teach us (from Genesis 3 onward) that the only way to be right before God is by the grace of God and through faith in the Savior that God has provided.

As we studied the Ten Commandments I tried to remind you of this over and over again. God’s law is good but be very careful not to misuse it! 

God’s law is good because it is used by the LORD to restrain evil in the world today. 

God’s law is good because it functions as a light to the feet of the faithful as they sojourn in this world. It shows us the way that we should go, it makes us wise and is used by the Lord to sanctify us further in Christ Jesus.

And God’s law is good because the Spirit of God uses it to convict us of sin and to cause us to flee to Jesus for refuge from the wrath of God which our sins deserve. God used the law to drive us to Christ initially, and God uses his law to drive us to Christ continuously. 

1 John 1 warns us of the stumbling stone, doesn’t it? “ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” And John does also exhort us to run to Jesus for refuge, saying, “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9, ESV)

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Baptist Catechism 87

Notice that our catechism also guards us against trusting in our own righteousness. Immediately after a long consideration of God’s moral law, our catechism asks, “Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?” The answer is very helpful. “No mere man, since the fall, is able in this life, perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but daily break them in thought, word, or deed.”

Notice a few things, briefly:

One, notice the word “mere”. “No mere man… is able in this life, perfectly to keep the commandments of God…” Why the word “mere”? It is to leave room for the obvious exception of Jesus Christ. He was a man, and he did perfectly keep the commandments of God. But he was no mere man, was he?

Two, notice the phrase “since the fall.” Why this phrase? It is a matter of precision. Adam before the fall was able to perfectly keep the commandments of God, but he was also able to sin, and this he did. Now the children of Adam are born in sin and with corrupt natures. We sin because we are in Adam. 

Three, notice that the catechism does not say that we are not able to keep the commandments of God at all. That is not true. Those who are in Christ do in fact have the ability to obey God from the heart, for they have been renewed. Corruptions remain though. And so it is true. “No mere man, since the fall, is able in this life, perfectly to keep the commandments of God…” 

Four, notice the phrase “in this life”. With these three little words, we are reminded of the life to come and the fact that in the life to come we will no longer be able to sin if we are in Christ Jesus. Lord Jesus, come quickly!

Fifth, and lastly, notice the phrase “but daily break them in thought, word, or deed.” If we understand what God’s law requires of us and what it forbids then we will confess that not a day passes wherein we do not violate God’s holy law in some way. It may be that we violate it in deed, in word, or in thought. Certainly, all will confess that we daily fail to love God as he deserves, and also our neighbor as yourself. 

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Conclusion 

Aren’t you grateful for Jesus Christ? 

Isn’t God’s grace truly marvelous?

Yes, our appreciation for the love of God in Christ Jesus will grow as we consider the gospel. But the gospel can only be truly understood and appreciated when we see it against the dark backdrop of God’s law and our violation of it in thought, word, and deed. 

Baptist Catechism 84 – 86

Q. 84. Which is the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment is, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man servant, nor his maid servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17)

Q. 85. What is required in the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit towards our neighbor, and all that is his. (Heb. 13:5;1 Tim. 6:6; Rom. 12:15; 1 Cor. 13:4-7; Lev. 19:18)

Q. 86. What is forbidden in the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his. (1 Cor. 10:10; James 5:9; Gal. 5:26; Col. 3:5)

Scripture Reading: Leviticus 19:9–18

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God. You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD. You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:9–18, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

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I would like to begin this afternoon by making some general observations about the tenth commandment in relation to the other nine, for the tenth commandment, which is “Thou shalt not covet”, is somewhat unique. 

For one, this commandment is only kept in the heart and in the mind. The other commandments are to be kept in the heart and mind too, but they may also be broken or kept with words and with actions. But covetousness is a sin of the heart. It is an invisible sin. There is no way to covet with one’s lips or to covet in action. 

Now, covetousness in the heart will inevitably produce sinful words and sinful deeds, but those sinful words and deeds will be something other than covetousness. In fact, the one who is wise will see that violations of the other nine commandments do often (if not always) spring up from a covetous heart. Some connections are obvious. Men and women often steal because they are discontent in the heart. They wish to have more than what they have. They wish to possess what others possess, and so they steal. Men and women will lie for the same reason. Adultery also proceeds from the sin of covetousness. In fact, covetousness in the heart will also drive violations of the first table of the law, which has to do with the proper worship of God. Think of Adam’s sin of eating the forbidden fruit. That sin was really about worship. Adam was to have God as God. But instead, Adam listened to the voice of the another. And why did he do it? Why did he violate the first commandment, which was written on his heart?  He listened to the words of the serpent who convinced him that there was more to be had, that God was holding out on him somehow. So, in a sense, it was covetousness that drove Adam to rebel against his Maker and to worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator. 

So then, though it is true that covetous is a sin of the heart, that does not mean that it is any less serious than the other sins. No, an argument could be made that it is a most serious offense, for it does produce all other violations of God’s law.   

I would urge you to reflect carefully upon this, and if you do I think you will agree that covetousness (or discontentment) in the heart is like a polluted spring that bubbles up producing many vile and unpleasant things.

James speaks to this in James 4, where he asks, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” (James 4:1–2, ESV)

Did you hear what James said? Where does murder come from? It starts with covetousness in the heart. Where do unjust wars come from? Covetousness in the heart. Where do our quarrels and fights come from? Often they spring forth from the covetousness that resides with our hearts.

Let me be very specific. How many times have you been cranky and short-tempered with others because… things aren’t going the way that you want them to go. Things are this way, but you want them to be that way, and from that discontent heart, all manner of evil does flow.

Now, think bigger. Think beyond the disappointing day and consider the course of one’s life. Immagine the evil and destruction that will flow from a heart that is discontent with life! 

The point is this: do not mess around with covetousness, brothers and sisters. Stated positively: pursue contentment in life, for “godliness with contentment is great gain…” (1 Timothy 6:6, ESV).

And what is the remedy to discontentment? The remedy is love. Love for God, and love for your fellow man. 

Love for God, and assurance of his love for us, will help to guard our hearts against discontentment regarding his will for us. 

The writer of Ecclesiastes speaks to this when he says, “Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18–20, ESV)

Are you content with your lot in life, brothers and sisters? Are you content with God’s will for you? 

Think of it, it was God’s will for you to be born at a particular time, in a particular place, to particular parents. It was God’s will that you were born a certain gender, with a certain color of skin, not to mention many other physical features that are unique to you. And it was God’s will for you to have particular gifts, resources, and even experience. Are you content with these? Are you grateful to God? Or has your heart been overrun with discontentment before him. 

To love God is to be grateful towards him. And this is why I have said that love for God is a remedy to covetousness. 

But some will respond saying, but what about the hardships that I have endured? What about the suffering? The scriptures do speak to this, don’t they? They command the child of God to rejoice even in the trials and tribulations of life knowing that God works through them for good. This requires faith. This is a perspective that must be maintained. To be content we must love God, and we also must be assured of his love for us. 

Pursue contentment, brothers and sisters. It is great gain. But sometimes it is hard to get and maintain. It is especially hard to get and maintain during times of suffering. By no means am I denying that. But pursue it in Christ Jesus nonetheless. 

It seems to me that covetousness and discontentment is running rampant in our society today. Men and women are discontent with just about everything it seems. And this all begins with their hostility with God. They have no love for God, and they are thoroughly dissatisfied with God’s will for them, and so they war against it continuously by seeking to be god’s themselves. They decide for themselves what is right and wrong, and they even seek to overrule who it is that God made them to be. 

And such were some of you, but you have been washed in the blood of the lamb, and renewed by the Holy Spirit. Of all people, we should be content before God. 

Love for God is a remedy against discontentment, and so too is love for our fellow man. Instead of coveting what others have, if we love them we will rejoice with them concerning their prosperity. Are you poor? Do not look at your brother who is rich, covet his wealth, and complain against God that you do not have what he has. Rather, be grateful to God and rejoice in your brother’s prosperity with love in your heart for him. The very same thing may be said regarding the sick in relation to the healthy, the single in relation to the married, the childless in relation to those with children, etc. These are difficult issues to work through, brethren. By no means am I denying that they are difficult. But we must work through them with love in our hearts — love for God and love for neighbor. 

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Leviticus 19:9–18

Perhaps you noticed that that is how the Leviticus 19:9–18 passage that I read earlier concluded. That passage commanded all kinds of things in regard to our relationship with our neighbor. We are to care for the “poor and for the sojourner”. We must “not steal” or “deal falsely”. We must not “lie to one another”. Neither shall we “oppress”  or withhold from our neighbor, etc. In that passage sins of the heart are also forbidden — hatred and grudge-bearing. But it is all summed up with this command — “you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (see Leviticus 19:9–18, ESV)

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Conclusion 

Love is the remedy to covetousness, brothers and sisters. Love your neighbor as yourself. But love God above all. That is the key. We need to find our satisfaction in him and to be content with his will for us, for God is good, all the time. 

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 40:1–8

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.’ A voice says, ‘Cry!’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:1–8, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 3:1-22

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’’ He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ And the crowds asked him, ‘What then shall we do?’ And he answered them, ‘Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.’ Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than you are authorized to do.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.’ As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, ‘I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison. Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” (Luke 3:1–22, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

Here in the passage that is before us today the public ministry of John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, is described to us. 

Do you remember what the angel Gabriel said about John before he was conceived? Gabriel appeared to John’s father, Zachariah, and said, “you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:14–17, ESV). Here in Luke 3, we find the fulfillment of the words that were spoken by the angel Gabriel about 30 years earlier. Clearly, John’s ministry was one of preparation. He was called to prepare the way, or clear the path, for the Messiah.  And how did he do it? One, by preaching the good news concerning the forgiveness of sins (3:18), two, by urging men and women to turn from their sins and to trust in the Messiah (3:8, 16), and three, by baptizing in water all who professed faith and repentance. 

In just a moment we will return to these three observations to consider them in more detail. But before we do, notice the way in which Luke communicates the time at which this all transpired. He says in verse 1 that these things happened, “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar…” According to our way of dating things, this would mean that the beginning of John’s ministry (and Jesus’) took place in about the year AD 29. Notice, though, how Luke piles up names. If he only wished to give us the date, then the remark about the  “fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” would have been sufficient. When Luke mentions “Pontius Pilate… [the] governor of Judea, and Herod… [the] tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene…”, he paints a picture for us. Rome was in power. Israel was not free but was in subjection to them. This was because of their sin and their breaking of the Old Mosaic Covenant. The time for change had come. The time for redemption was at hand. The Messiah would accomplish this redemption and establish an eternal kingdom. But it would not be the kind of kingdom that most expected – his kingdom would be not of this world.  

After the mention of five Roman rulers, Luke mentions two priests of Israel: Annas and Caiaphas. Some have wondered about this reference to two priests. Israel was to only have one high priest, not two. A few different attempts have been made to explain the difficulty. Some say there were two high priests because of the corruption in Israel. Others say that these two high priests alternated in their service yearly. And others say that Caiaphas was actually high priest, whereas Annas (who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, by the way) was called high priest because he had formerly served as such. It appears that Annas had been high priest from A.D. 6–15, and Caiaphas served from A.D. 18–36. However, Annas’ power and influence were still very great, so Luke mentions him here. Technicalities aside, it seems that Luke wants us to connect this powerful high priestly family of Israel with the powerful rulers of Rome. Again I say, Israel was not free, but under the thumb of Rome. Nowhere will this unholy relationship between Rome and Israel be more evident than in the crucifixion of Christ. The religious elites of Israel wanted Jesus crucified, and they used the Romans to do it. We get a little foretaste of the beast-like persecuting power of Rome in verse 19 of Luke 3 where we read, “But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison” (Luke 3:19–20, ESV).

So then, our passage begins and (nearly) ends with references to those with political power. From the world’s point of view, who are the powerful, mighty men who shape the course of human history? Answer: Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate the governor of Judea, Herod, Philip, and Lysanias the tetrarchs, and even Annas and Caiaphas the high priests. These all possessed political power. But where was the real power found? Not in these men, and not in these places. No, God was working mightily way out in the desert through a poor and insignificant man (worldly speaking) named John. Immediately after the listing of these powerful figures we read at the end of verse 2, “the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness” (Luke 3:2, ESV).

Just think of it. When the word of God came to announce the arrival of the Messiah, it did not come to the powerful figures living in powerful places (be it in Rome or in Israel), but to an obscure figure living in an obscure place with no power at all, humanly speaking. Why? Well, in brief, it was because John the Baptist was called to be the forerunner to the Messiah who would be a prophet, priest, and king of different kind.  The word that he came to speak was not of this world. The temple he came to build was not of this world. And the kingdom he came to establish was not of this world. He was brought into this world to do his work, not in and through the prevailing systems, therefore (for they had grown exceedingly corrupt), but in an obscure and off-the-beaten path kind of way. Both the beginning and end of our passage for today paint this picture.

Let us now consider the ministry of John the Baptist in three parts. How did John prepare the way for the Messiah?

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John Preached The Good News Concerning The Forgiveness Of Sins Through Faith In The Messiah

Firstly, we must see that John prepared the way for the Messiah by preaching the good news to the people. That is what verse 18 says: “So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people” (Luke 3:18, ESV). The question is, what was the content of this good news that John the Baptist proclaimed? The context makes it clear. John the Baptist proclaimed the good news that the Messiah was here and that forgiveness would come to all who believed in him. 

That the good news John preached was about the forgiveness of sins is made clear in verse 3. There we read, “And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3, ESV). 

That the good news was about the forgiveness of sins through faith in the Messiah who had now come is made clear in many places. 

It is made clear by the citation of Isaiah 40:3-5. In 3:4 Luke says, “As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God’” (Luke 3:4–6, ESV). 

Luke wants us to know that John the Baptist was the “voice… crying in the wilderness”, of whom Isaiah spoke. John was the one who prepared “the way of the Lord” – the Lord being the Messiah, God with us. The saying, “every valley shall be filled” communicates that the Messiah would lift up the lowly. The saying, “every mountain and hill shall be made low” communicates that to come to him in faith requires humility. The saying, “the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways”, communicates the need for repentance and that the Lord will sanctify his people. Finally. the phrase, “and all flesh shall see the salvation of God” communicates that the salvation worked by Israel’s Messiah would not be for Israel only but for all people – “and all flesh shall see the salvation of God”, Isaiah says. When Luke cites this text he is saying, the time has come. The things of which Isaiah spoke have arrived. 

We cannot take the time in this sermon to explore this point in depth, but you should know, brothers and sisters that Isaiah 40 is a very important Old Testament text. It begins by speaking of the comfort and peace that God would one day bring to Israel. But here is something important to know. Isaiah 40 introduces an entire section of the book of Isaiah running through to the end of chapter 55. May I encourage you to read that section on your own time later today, or later this week? When you read Isaiah 40-55 I think you will be able to see that it is all about the Messiah. It is about the Savior, the Redeemer, the Chosen One, the Servant of the Lord who would one day emerge from Israel, and the work he would do to accomplish our salvation. As you read Isaiah 40-55, you will notice Exodus themes. And you will probably also be struck by how often the nations are mentioned. Isaiah proclaimed the good news. Some have referred to the book of Isaiah, and particularly this section of Isaiah, as the gospel according to Isaiah. The good news was this: one day a Savior would come who would comfort Isreal with the forgiveness of sins. He would accomplish a second Exodus. He would be a light to the nations. When Luke quotes Isaiah 40:3-5 (and by the way, this is the first full citation of an Old Testament text in Luke’s gospel) he wants us to consider, not just Isaiah 40:3-5, but the whole chapter, and the whole section it introduces, namely Isaiah 40-55. Luke wants us to see that John the Baptist is the one who prepared the way for the Lord. He wants us to view the entire earthly ministry of Christ in light of what Isaiah had to say about him long before he was ever born. Luke wants us to read his gospel against the backdrop of the gospel that Isaiah proclaimed long before.

John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah by proclaiming the good news. The good news that John the Baptist proclaimed was that the Messiah – the one that Isaiah (and others) spoke of beforehand – was here, and that forgiveness was found in his name. 

That John was concerned to exult Jesus Christ is made clear in verse 15. There we read, “As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, ‘I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:15–17, ESV). 

The people – or at least some – were expecting the Messiah in those days. This may have something to do with the prophecy of the 70 weeks of Daniel which indicated the time in which the Messiah would arrive. But notice they were not sure about his identity. Some thought that John might be the Messiah, but he insisted that he was not the Messiah. His job was to prepare the way for him. “I baptize you with water”, John said (we will talk about water baptism in just a moment), “but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” As great as John the Baptist was, Jesus Christ was much greater. “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” What is meant by this? Well, Messiah means anointed one. He would be anointed with the Holy Spirit beyond measure. And, having finished his work of redemption, he would have the authority to pour out the Holy Spirit on his people leading to their salvation. The Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, the text says. Fire refers to judgment. The meaning is this. The Messiah would bring salvation to God’s elect (he would pour out the Holy Spirit on them), and he will judge (he will baptize with fire all who remain in their sins). This meaning is made clear by what John says next: (verse 17) “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire”. 

The point is this: John the Baptist was concerned to the exult, not himself, but Jesus the Christ. The good news that he proclaimed was this: the Messiah is here. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Mary, the Son of God. Forgiveness of sins will come to all who believed in him. 

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John Urged Men And Women To Turn From Their Sins And To Trust In The Messiah 

Secondly, John prepared the way for the Messiah by urging men and women to turn from their sins. Stated differently, he did not only urge men and women to trust in Christ but to repent also. Indeed, true faith will always be accompanied by true repentance. To turn to Christ is to turn from sin. So then, John prepared the way for the Messiah by preaching a message of repentance. 

Look again at verse 3: “And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. In verse 8 John commands the people to “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance”. In Verse 9 he warns, “Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 

Notice that in verse 10 the crowds ask John what this repentance looks like: “And the crowds asked him, ‘What then shall we do?’” And John replies by speaking to the people in general and to tax collectors and soldiers in particular. To the general population, he said, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise” (Luke 3:11, ESV). In other words, he is what repentance looks like. It looks like loving your neighbor. Turn from the sin of self-love, and love your neighbor as yourself. If your neighbor is in need (without food or clothing ), and it is within your power to meet that need, then do it. To the tax collectors he said, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do’” (Luke 3:13, ESV). In other words, turn from the sin of covetousness and thievery. It was not uncommon for tax collectors to take what was owed to the government and a little extra for their own pocket. John the Baptist commanded them to turn from that sin and to Christ. And to the soldiers, he said, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages” (Luke 3:14, ESV). Again, stop oppressing your neighbor, but love your neighbor as yourself.

Brothers and sisters, can you see that John the Baptist did not only preach the gospel – that is to say, the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus the Messiah – he also preached the law. He insisted that men and women turn from their sins as he urged them to come to Christ for forgiveness. John the Baptist proclaimed the law and the gospel, you see. Verse 18 says, “So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.” His preaching of the gospel included exhortations. And in verse 19 we learn that he even exhorted those in positions of power. “But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison” (Luke 3:19–20, ESV).

Dear friends, here is the thing that I want you to recognize. To turn to Christ in faith for the forgiveness of your sins involves turning from sin. It involves repentance. In other words, faith without repentance is not true faith. This does not mean that Christians no longer sin. But it does mean that Christians have turned from sin and to Christ in the beginning and when they do sin, they turn from it and to Christ again and again. The Christian life begins with faith and repentance, and it is characterized by ongoing faith and repentance. It is faith in Christ that saves. But turning to Christ in faith will always involve turning from sin.

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John Baptized In Water All Who Professed Faith And Demonstrated Repentance 

How did John prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah? One, by preaching the good news to the people concerning the forgiveness of sins through faith in the Messiah. Two, by urging men and women to turn from their sins and to trust in the Messiah. This brings us now to our third observation. John prepared the way for the LORD’s Messiah by baptizing in water all who professed faith and demonstrated repentance.

John baptized people in water. This is why he is called John the Baptist. 

To baptize means to immerse or submerge, and this is what John did. He submerged those who came to him in the Jordan River.  

And what is the meaning of this religious ceremony? Well, the ceremony signifies many things. Most obviously it signifies cleansing from sin and a new life.

Who did John Baptize? Notice, he did not baptize everyone who came to him, but only those who professed faith in the Messiah and showed evidence of repentance. He did not baptize infants, therefore. And neither did he baptize adult Jews on the basis of their ethnicity. Under the Old Covenant circumcision was applied to the male children of Isarel, not on the basis of faith and repentance, but on the basis of ethnicity or genealogy. All of the males who were born from the line of Abraham were circumcised, and rightly so, for they were by virtue of their birth members of the Old Covenant, of which circumcision was a sign. This is not the case with baptism which, as you know, is the sign of entrance into the New Covenant. Men and women become members of the New Covenant, not by birth, but by new birth. They enter the New Covenant and partake of all its benefits by the grace of God alone and through faith in Jesus the Messiah alone. Baptism (the sign of entrance into the New Covenant) is to be applied only to those who make a credible profession of faith and demonstrate repentance. 

Here in our text today we see that this was clearly the practice of John. Look at verse 7 and what he said to the crowds who came out to him to be baptized by him. “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.” Evidently, John’s popularity had grown to the point that many came to be baptized by him, but he refused to baptize them unless they repent. He would baptize only those who turned from sin and to faith in the Christ that he proclaimed (see verses 15-18 again).

And evidently, some thought they had a right to be baptized based on their ethnicity. Some of the Jews must have reasoned in this way: I am a physically descended up Abraham, therefore, John ought to apply this baptism to me. Listen to John’s reply in verse 8: “And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (Luke 3:8, ESV). In other words, this baptism and all that it signifies has nothing to do with who your father is. It is for those who repent and believe. And when John said, “God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham”, he was making reference to the Gentiles who would become the true children of Abraham, not according to the flesh, but by faith. This is what Paul famously teaches in Galatians 3:7: “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7, ESV). He teaches the same thing in Romans 9. 

Baptism shares this in common with circumcision: it serves as a sign of the New Covenant just as circumcision served as a sign of the Old. But it differs in this way: circumcision was to be applied to the male descendants of Abraham on the eighth day after birth whereas baptism is to be applied to those who turn from sin and profess faith in Christ. And these differences between the two signs correspond perfectly with the differences between the two covenants. Who were members of the Old Covenant? All who were physically born from Abraham. And who are the members of the New Covenant? All who are spiritually reborn in Christ, not from the Jews only, but from amongst the Gentiles also.

 And this is why John the Baptist spoke to the crows who came out to him to be baptized, saying, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (Luke 3:7–8, ESV). In fact, he warned the Jews who possessed this ethnic pride that a great change was about to take place. He said, “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:9, ESV). You see, this is the great difference between the Old Covenant and the New. The Old Covenant had many members in it who were faithless and fruitless. Not so with the new. Under the New, “every tree… that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire”. 

Or state the matter differently using the language of Jeremiah the prophet: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31–34, ESV). John the Baptist understood that this New Covenant of which Jeremiah spoke was at hand, for the Messiah was at hand, and so he preached and administered baptism as he did – he refused to apply baptism to the unrepentant, and he refused to apply it on the basis of physical birth – he applied water baptism only to those who made a credible profession of faith and repentance. 

This is the first mention of baptism.  Where did this ceremony come from? I think it is right to say that it has its origins in the ceremonial washings of the Old Covenant. We considered these not long ago in our study of the book of Exodus. In the courtyard of the tabernacle (and later temple) there was a large bronze laver, bath, or sea. The priests would wash their hands and feet in it daily, but when a priest was ordained to the office of priest, he would be washed in the water from head to toe. It was a rite of purification. It signified the man’s consecration to the priesthood. 

This observation will help us to better understand why baptism was applied to Jesus, as verses 21-22 of our text describes. Some have wondered, why did Jesus need to be baptized given that he did not need to turn from sin or be cleansed. Even John seemed perplexed by this. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that “John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented” (Matthew 3:14–15, ESV).

Why was Jesus baptized? Not to signify the washing away of his sin, for he had none, but to signal his consecration as our great High Priest, the only mediator between God and man, and the Messiah. Notice what happened at Jesus’ baptism. It confirms what I am saying. In verse 21 we read, “when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:21–22, ESV). And in this way, Jesus was marked off or consecrated as our great High Priest and Messiah. Messiah means anointed one, and at this moment Jesus the Messiah was publicly anointed, not with oil, by the Holy Spirit, marking the beginning of his public ministry. For you and I, baptism signifies the removal of sin and a new life. Through baptism, we too are consecrated to God as God’s name is set upon us. In Jesus’ case, there was no sin to be cleansed from. Instead, he would be the one to cleanse from sin through his atoning sacrifice, for he is our great High Priest, the mediator of the New Covenant, that is to say, the Messiah who was promised from long ago.

I have one last question to ask regarding the baptism of John, and it is this: what is the relationship between the baptism that John applied and that Jesus commanded his disciples to apply? Those who argue for the baptism of babies under the New Covenant, and those who argue for baptism by sprinkling or pouring, tend to want to make a sharp distinction between the baptism of John and the baptism of Jesus as administered by his disciples. And it is not hard to see why they insist that the two baptisms are different and distinct, for it is very clear that John baptized by immersion (see Matthew 3:16), that he would only baptize those who made a credible profession of faith and repentance (Luke 3:7-8), and that he had no regard for physical descent. 

In fact, I think we are to see that the baptism that John applied before the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and the baptism applied by Jesus’ disciples afterward, are very much related. Indeed, it is true that baptism was filled with even greater symbolism after Christ died and rose again, for we know that being taken under the water and brought up again now marks our union with Christ in his death and resurrection (see Romans 6:4). And indeed it is true that those baptized after Christ dies and rose again have a better understanding of how our sins are washed away – through the broken body and shed blood of Christ. So, I conceded that the baptism of John was forward-looking and that it lacked some of the symbolism that would be gained after Christ dies and rose again. But never-the-less, I think it is an error to divorce the baptisms applied by John and by the disciples of Christ before Jesus died and rose again from the baptisms applied afterward. The two baptisms are clearly related.       

One, these were baptisms into Christ, for it was the good news of Jesus Christ that John proclaimed! Stated negatively, these were not baptisms into John or Moses. They were baptisms into Christ! These were not baptisms into the Old Covenant, but into the New, which was at hand. These baptisms that John performed were meant to prepare the way for the Messiah. Why would we divorce the baptism that John applied from baptism into Christ, therefore?

Two, though Luke 3 does not say that John baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is some evidence that the baptism of John was marked by the blessing of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Indeed this is clearly seen in the baptism of Jesus Christ in verses 21-22. Hear it again: “and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:21–22, ESV).

Three, there is no evidence whatsoever that those baptized by John (or Jesus’ disciples) prior to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ were rebaptized with a distinctly Christian baptism afterward. 

Now, some will point to Acts 19 as evidence for this, and I would like to deal with this text briefly to show you that no such evidence is found here. In Acts 19:1 we read, “And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they said, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ They said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ And Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:1–5, ESV). 

Upon a surface reading, I can see how some would conclude that Paul made a sharp distinction between the baptism of John and baptism in the name of Jesus. But a more careful reading of the text reveals that something else was going on. When Paul came to Ephesus he found some men in the church who seemed to be deficient in their understanding of baptism (and even of the gospel of Jesus Christ). Notice what these men said when Paul asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And then Paul asked them, “‘Into what then were you baptized?’ They said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’” Do you notice anything strange about their responses? They claim, on the one hand, to have not known that there is a Holy Spirit, and on the other hand, to have been baptized into John’s baptism. There is an obvious problem, here, for John had a lot to say about the Holy Spirit, didn’t he? His mission was to prepare the way for the Messiah, which means anointed one (anointed with the Spirit, that is). In response to the question, are you the Christ?, John replied, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16, ESV). And when John baptized Jesus we are told that “the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:21–22, ESV). So then, there is something fishy about what these disciples in Ephesus said. They claimed to have been baptized into John’s baptism while at the same time being ignorant of what John taught. And notice what Paul did: he set these brothers straight concerning the things that John taught. In other words, Paul did not say, well John was deficient and his baptism was deficient. You need to be baptized into Jesus now. No! The problem with these men in Ephesus was that they did not understand John! So Paul said to them,  “‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus”. 

All evidence points in this direction: These men who were in the church of Ephesus were taught a deficient gospel. Clearly, they did not hear it from John nor from true disciples of John, for John pointed to Christ, and John taught about the Holy Spirit. These men we likely a part of one of the many John the Baptist cults that popped up after the ministry of John the Baptist was concluded, but the teaching of John the Baptist was clearly distorted there, and Paul set them straight. They were not rebaptized as Christians after having been baptized by John. No, they were baptized as Christians after having been baptized with an invalid baptism by some community that was clearly deficient concerning the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

How did John prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah? One, by preaching the good news to the people concerning the forgiveness of sins through faith in the Messiah. Two, by urging men and women to turn from their sins and to trust in the Messiah. And three, by baptizing in water all who professed faith and repentance. It is my opinion that we are to see more continuity than discontinuity between the baptism that John applied at the baptism that Christ commanded in the great commission, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV). Who is baptism to be applied to according to the great commission? Not infants, not those of a particular ethnicity, but disciples of Jesus only, that is to say, those who have turned from the sins and have believed upon Christ for the forgiveness of sins, for baptism is a symbol of this cleansing, of Spirit-wrought union with Christ in his death and resurrection, of death to the old life and the beginning new life under the New Covenant, which is the Covenant of Grace.

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Suggestions For Application

By way of conclusion I ask, how does this passage that we have considered apply to us today?

First of all, I must urge you to believe in Jesus the Messiah that John the Baptist proclaimed. He is the Savior that God has provided. He is the Redeemer that has rescued his people from bondage to sin, Satan, and the fear of death. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. He is the only Savior, and you must know that he is also the judge. Those who do not have him as Savior will have him as Judge. As Luke 3:17 says, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” And so I urge you to believe upon Christ. Trust in him. Make him your Lord and Savior, and be cleansed. Indeed it is true, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9, ESV)

Secondly, do not forget that true, sincere, and saving faith will be accompanied by true and sincere repentance. To turn to Christ in faith, one must turn from sin. True, it is not the turning from sin that saves you, but rather the turning to Christ. But how can someone possibly turn to Christ without turning from sin? As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:9, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11, ESV). The words, “and such were some of you”, indicate repentance. Those who come to faith in Christ are converted and changed. They are not yet made perfect, mind you. But true Christians are changed. Their life will be characterized by faith and repentance until the Lord returns or calls them home.

Thirdly, those who turn from sin and to Christ for the forgiveness of sins, are to be baptized in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In baptism, the forgiveness of sins, our union with Christ, the death to our old self, and our new life in the New Covenant, are signified. It is not the waters of baptism that do the cleansing or the saving. No, it is only faith in the crucified and risen Christ that saves. But baptism is an outward and visible sign of this inward and invisible faith. In baptism, we profess faith in Christ. In baptism, we say Jesus is Lord. In baptism, we make an appeal to god. And in baptism, the name of the Triune God is placed upon his people, who have been redeemed by the blood of Messiah. Do you have faith in him? Have you turned from your sins and to him? Then be baptized. 

Fourthly, and lastly, we as a church must be faithful to administer baptism according to the Scriptures. We must be faithful to give it, not to infants, not children who are too young to express faith and demonstrate repentance, and not to those who have not turned from sin and to Christ, but to disciples of Jesus only. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are not for the world. They are for those who have Jesus as Lord. And so we must give these to those who have made a credible profession of faith and who “bear fruits in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:8, ESV). May the Lord give us wisdom, courage, love, and grace. May he work mightily in our midst so that we are blessed to baptize many in the years to come, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded.