My Beloved Son

Luke 3:15–22 – Luke
Epiphany of the Lord – January 4th, 2026 (am)     

If we hadn’t already experienced it in the content, structure, and flow of Luke’s telling of the story of Jesus’ birth, we can see as his Gospel begins in earnest here in c.3 that he’s a careful historian and also just a very good story-teller. You can hear echoes of OT historians and prophets in the details Luke includes in his opening two verses of c.3. And that continues from a different angle as he records God’s calling of John the Baptist (3), then ties in John’s identity and historical role by anchoring it to Isa.40:3-5 (4-6).

As for John’s message, it’s both clear and straight to the heart of what Isaiah prophesied. Luke called it good news (gospel [εὐηγγελίζετο]) (18). God’s wrath is coming against every form of unrighteousness, and it’s already at hand (9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. …). Repentance in full dependance on the mercy of God is the only hope of reconciliation to Him in any generation. It’s not going to come by birthright (8), even if you’ve misunderstood God to be promising that. Genuine repentance bears unmistakable fruit (9 … Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.). And if the people wanted to be ready for the promised Messiah, they needed to be genuinely repentant, to be bearing that fruit in their lives.

So, what does that fruit look like? In essence, it looks exactly like you’d expect it to look when you 10:27 … love the Lord your God with all your heart and… soul and… strength and… mind, and your neighbor as yourself. John explained this to the crowds (10). 11 … “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 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.”

John [was calling the] people to turn away from their sins and [to accept] his baptism was a sign that they had done this. The purpose was forgiveness—God’s forgiveness. Baptism was a rite of cleansing in a number of religions. It seems certain that at this time the Jews used proselyte baptism, a ceremony to cleanse converts from the defilement they saw as characteristic of all Gentiles. The sting in John’s practice was that he applied to Jews the ceremony they regarded as suitable only for unclean Gentiles (Morris 112).

For us, note that we can see elements of the [gospel] in John’s ministry, although blurry and indistinct. But for them, it was different enough from what they were used to for the crowds to begin to wonder if John might be the Messiah. And that brings us to our passage today. Let’s walk through it in three steps.

The People’s Response to John’s Ministry – 15-18

15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them all, with clarity and directness, but also with vivid imagery that was characteristic of his preaching, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, there’s his ministry calling being realized. Even so, it’s a vast understatement. The actual truth about the greatness of this coming One, John says, is that [I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals]. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

We need to unpack these descriptions a bit. There are several pieces here. First, regarding the sandals image: there’s [a] rabbinic saying (in its present form dated c. 250 but probably much older) [that states], ‘Every service which a slave performs for his master shall a disciple do for his teacher except the loosing of his sandal-thong’ (SB, i, p. 121). Untying the sandal-thong was just too much to ask. But John selects precisely this duty, which the rabbis regarded as too menial for a disciple, as that for which he was unworthy (Morris 114-5) in service to the coming Christ. Such is Messiah’s greatness. And the people would’ve immediately understood this from John’s image.

But it’s not just His intrinsic, personal worth that John spotlights, it’s also the greatness of what He does. [His baptism will be different that mine], says John. 16 … I baptize you with water—an image of cleansing the body and therefore also, symbolically, the soul—in spiritual preparation for this new stage in life. But when Messiah baptizes, it will mean much more than that.

16 … He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. The fullness of John’s meaning here was almost certainly not clear immediately, but they would’ve discerned several important aspects of it. And it’s an exceedingly important statement to understand. First, they’d have heard him referring to a single baptism (one that includes both the Holy Spirt and fire), not two separate baptisms (one with the Holy Spirit and another with fire), as both terms are governed by one preposition (en, “with”), and the address is directed to one group (Pao & Schnabel 279).

Second, the implication of this single-but-two-part baptism would somehow be a cleansing on a wholly deeper level, and of a wholly new sort, Spirit and fire rather than water. Both the Spirit and fire are associated with judgement in the OT (Pao & Schnabel 279). But they’re also both associated with purification (Leifeld & Pao 91). So, this may’ve landed on the people’s ears with contrast, even irony: a wholly deeper purification ritual that is also marked with images or aspects of divine judgment.

However, third, if we see these two elements (the Holy Spirit and fire) as describing a singular reality, unified in meaning much as they’re unified in description here, there are still several possibilities of how to understand John’s meaning. I’d suggest we hear it as an announcement of both purification through the regenerating work of the Spirit (salvation) for those who believe, and the flipside of judgment on those who don’t. 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.” In Luke’s other two mentions of the baptism of the Spirit (Act.1:5; 11:16), there is no mention of… fire (Stein 135), likely because the listeners there are clearly believers. Here that’s not clear (thus, judgment saturates John’s message [7, 9, 17]). So, it seems best to [understand] John as [referring to the] positive and negative aspects of Messiah’s message (Morris 115) here: [salvation] for those who believe, judgment for those who don’t (Stein 135).

But also, we shouldn’t miss the fact that Jesus Himself quoted John here when He was instructing His followers on what to do next once He ascended back to the Father. Act.1:4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” … And 8 … you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” What we can’t miss is that this promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus links to John’s words isn’t talking about salvation. It’s spoken to believers (cf. Luk.24:45-53), promising divine power to fulfill the great commission in obedience to Jesus, more like what we call filling, the very word Luke use in the next chapter (Act.2:4).

This observation beckons us to pause and ponder, to step back and consider all that Jesus has given to believers, to us, in the Holy Spirit. Theologically, we often summarize the work of the Holy Spirit with four words: baptism (1Co.12:12-13), indwelling (Rom.8:9-11), sealing (Eph.1:13-14), and filling (Eph.5:18; cf. Act.2:4).

Baptism (as Paul defines it [1Co.12:12-13]) describes much the same reality as regeneration (Tit.3:4-7; cf. Joh.3:5-8), namely, our being joined to Christ by the sovereign work of God, made alive in Him, cleansed, justified, counted as members of [His] body (1Co.12:12) and as heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Tit.1:7). Thus, [we believe] the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a one-time event that occurs at salvation (GCD Doctrinal Statement).

Having made us alive in Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells (Rom.8:9-11) us, takes up residence in us (Joh.14:15-16), making us into the new temple (Eph.2:19-22), writing the law of God on [our] hearts (Jer.31:33; Eze.36:26-27), resensitizing our consciences, awakening them from the dead.

Then the Holy Spirit seals us (Eph.1:13-14), making us safe and secure in Christ, guaranteeing our eternal inheritance in Him until we take possession of it (cf. Eph.4:30).

Finally, He also fills us (Eph.5:18; cf. Act.2:4). He strengthens us toward obedience, toward living to please God and away from all things that would grieve Him (Eph.4:30) or quench the Spirit’s voice, His influence in our lives (1Th.5:19). All of this is ours through the work of the Holy Spirit as we believe in Jesus. Quite possibly this is more of what John had in mind when he was preaching about the greatness of the coming Christ (16), not just salvation or judgment based our faith-responses to Messiah, but the full ministry of the Holy Spirit of God with which all who believe would be baptized due to the life and ministry of the Son.

This is the good news that John preached to the people (18).

Herod’s Response to John’s Ministry – 19-20

The world may disapprove of Jesus. That’s precisely what we see in this account of Herod the tetrarch (19; cf.1). This is Antipas, son of Herod the Great and younger brother of Archelaus (Mat.2:22), a Jewish family but appointed to their roles by Rome. This Herod is the one Jesus called that fox (13:32). Here he’s simply an example of how not to receive Messiah, actually the values of Messiah’ reign. He didn’t like the repentance preached by this forerunner, so 20 … he locked up John in prison. There’s Herod’s response. It recalls the words of John the Evangelist: Joh.1:11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

God’s Response to John’s Ministry – 21-22

Back to the crowds (10): 21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized, to fulfill all righteousness (Mat.3:14) in His full identification with humankind (Heb.2:14-18), displaying the humility of the Son, of God, that wouldn’t be fully expressed until Jesus laid down His life to achieve, in richest mercy yet truest justice, the forgiveness that was experienced by this crowd, and by us, and was praying, communing with His Father and the Holy Spirit, the heavens were opened, God’s approval unable to be contained or concealed, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove, the third Person of the Trinity now also incarnate, but only for a moment to facilitate this trinitarian expression; and a voice came from heaven, the Father’s presence also now discernible to human senses, saying, as Jesus received John’s baptism, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Not only does this response from heaven to this early display of the Son’s humility dwarf immeasurably the response of the crowds, it renders naïvely absurd the unforgivably arrogant response of Herod.

Conclusion

What do we learn from these encounters?

Three Undeniable Truths

1. Receiving God’s Son as enthusiastically as He does only seems to make sense. Why would we ever knowingly make ourselves an enemy of God? Why would we reject something He so fully approves? Why would we choose to despise something He so clearly loves? That doesn’t even make sense!

2. Receiving God’s Son like this brings us the forgiveness and cleansing we need. It reconciles us to God, to our Creator, Whom we were designed to worship and with Whom we were made for relationship. Why would we choose to be His enemy?

3. Receiving His forgiveness and cleansing brings us His Holy Spirit. We become partakers of the divine nature (2Pe.1:4), participants in it, as the Spirit takes up residence in us. We gain assurance of our good standing with God here and now (Rom.8:16) and a guarantee of our eternal inheritance in heaven (Eph.1:13-14). Why would we ever knowingly bypass such a blessing?

Unbeliever, have you ever considered the simple truth that refusing to trust Christ as Savior just doesn’t make sense? It truly is the worst form imaginable of self-destructive behavior. I urge you, receive Jesus today.

Believer, what evidence are you seeing of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? Where are you seeing it? What differences is He making? Surely the evidence is there. Are you looking for it, seeking it, asking for it, realizing what a blessing it is?

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Resources

Beale, G. K., & D. A. Carson, eds. 2007. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Luke, by David W. Pao & Eckhard J. Schnabel, 251-414. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Calvin, John. 1610. Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, trans. by, William Pringle, 1845. Logos.

Dockery, David S, ed. 1992. New American Commentary. Vol. 24, Luke, by Robert H. Stein. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.

Hughes, R. Kent. 1998. Preaching the Word. Luke: That You May Know the Truth. Wheaton: Crossway.

Longman III, Tremper, & David E. Garland, eds. 2007. Revised Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 10, Luke-Acts. Luke, by Walter L. Leifeld & David W. Pao, 19-355. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Morris, Leon, gen. ed. 1988. Tyndale New Testament Commentary. Vol. 13, Luke, by Leon Morris. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.

Muck, Terry, ed. 1996. The NIV Application Commentary. Luke, by Darrell Bock. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Piper, John. 2019. Ask Pastor John, episode 1359. What Is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?. Desiring God website: www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-the-baptism-of-the-holy-spirit.

NEXT SUNDAY: Hebrews 5:1–14