The Lantern

Luke3

The Mission of John the Baptist

Then in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate is being governor of Judea, and Herod is being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother is being tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias being tetrarch of Abilene,

during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the declaration of God came upon John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

And he went into all the surrounding region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins,

as it has been 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 will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low; and the crooked will become into straight, and the rough into smooth ways;

and all flesh will behold the salvation of God.’”

He was saying therefore to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “Offspring of vipers, who forewarned you to flee from the soon coming wrath?

Produce therefore fruits worthy of repentance; and do not begin to say in yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as father.’ For I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

Now already also the ax is applied to the root of the trees; every tree therefore not producing good fruit is cut down and is thrown into the fire.”

And the crowds were asking him, saying, “What then shall we do?”

Now answering he was saying to them, “The one having two tunics, he should impart to the one having none; and the one having food, likewise he should do.”

Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

And he said to them, “Collect nothing more beyond that appointed to you.”

Then those being soldiers also were asking him, saying, “What may we ourselves also do?” And he said to them, “Extort no one, nor accuse falsely; and be content with your wages.”

Then when the people were expecting, and all were wondering in their hearts concerning John, whether he himself would be the Christ,

John answered, saying to all, “I myself indeed baptize you with water; however, there comes the One mightier than I, of whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire,

of whom the winnowing fork is in his hand, to scour his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn. But the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”

Therefore indeed encouraging many other things also, he was evangelising the people.

But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him concerning Herodias the wife of his brother, and concerning all the evils that Herod did,

added yet this to all: he also locked up John in prison.

The Baptism of Jesus

Now it came to pass, in the baptizing of all the people, and when Jesus having been baptized and having prayed, the heaven was opening,

and the Holy Spirit descending in a bodily form as a dove upon him, and a voice coming out of heaven: “You yourself are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased.”

The Genealogy of Jesus

And Jesus himself was beginning, about thirty years old, being son, as was supposed, of Joseph, of Heli,

of Matthat, of Levi, of Melchi, of Jannai, of Joseph,

of Mattathias, of Amos, of Nahum, of Esli, of Naggai,

of Maath, of Mattathias, of Semein, of Josech, of Joda,

of Joannen, of Rhesa, of Zerubbabel, of Shealtiel, of Neri,

of Melchi, of Addi, of Cosam, of Elmadam, of Er,

of Joshua, of Eliezer, of Jorim, of Matthat, of Levi,

of Simeon, of Judah, of Joseph, of Jonam, of Eliakim,

of Melea, of Menna, of Mattatha, of Nathan, of David,

of Jesse, of Obed, of Boaz, of Sala, of Nahshon,

of Amminadab, of Admin, of Arni, of Hezron, of Perez, of Judah,

of Jacob, of Isaac, of Abraham, of Terah, of Nahor,

of Serug, of Reu, of Peleg, of Heber, of Shelah,

of Cainan, of Arphaxad, of Shem, of Noah, of Lamech,

of Methuselah, of Enoch, of Jared, of Mahalalel, of Cainan,

of Enosh, of Seth, of Adam, of God.