Author: Bill Hall

Luke 3:5 “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;”

   This is poetic imagery in the prophecy concerning John. But, the point is that the effect of his ministry was to be to bring all to a place of readiness for the arrival of the Lord. Just as we must believe that Jesus has come, those in John’s day needed to believe He had arrived.

Heavenly Father, give us grace as we seek to spread Your truth in this world. There are people dying without hope, and we have the answer. We will proclaim Your mercy and grace for all our lives! Thank You for using us in the ministry. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 3:4 “As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

   John was a very significant figure, and as such his importance must not be missed. Many people in our day and age disregard the entirety of Scripture as they consider the claims of Christ. This is a mistake of course. Prophecy gives very solid evidence to us of the truth of Christ. John’s ministry as the one who prepares of the way is a big part of that.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the clarity of Your Word. We can never complain that You have not shared the truth with Your world. You are so merciful! We will praise You forever for Your plans and ways. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 3:3 ” And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;”

   What was this baptism? What did it do for the participants? John’s ministry was to the Jews. He was sent to tell them the Messiah had arrived. His baptism was a preemptive preparation for that reality. It was an opportunity for the Jewish people to open their hearts to Christ. His baptism was a commitment to repentance of sins by people who believed in Jehovah God.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gospel! Nothing is so important as it is in our lives. Today our nation will observe a great wonder of Your creation. But yet many still miss the greatest wonder, salvation in Christ. May we be Your witnesses to a lost world! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 3:2 “while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.”

   Annas and Caiaphas were both high priest at the time. Knowing this helps avoid some confusion in the gospels as each is referred to individually on occasion. John was the first prophet that the Jews had in many hundreds of years. The high priests were among those who did not accept his message.

Heavenly Father, help us always to be sensitive to Your truth. There is no excuse, You have given us all we need. You are so good to us! We will praise You forever for giving us Christ. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 3:1 “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,”

   Tetrarchs ruled the various sections of a region. They thus shared rule of a larger portion.This was a common way rule was handled in this region at the time. Tiberius was the second emperor of Rome.

Heavenly Father, You set up the earthly authorities, and You know all Your plans for this planet. May we never fail to see Your great glory! You are truly worthy of all praise! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 2:52 “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

   Spiritually, socially, mentally, and physically, Jesus grew. This is one of the mysteries of the incarnation. Though infinite, Jesus was able to increase. The Godhead made this possible. It is amazing to us, but no less a fact.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus’ life here on earth. It is amazing to think of all that You have done in Him. We will wonder at the mystery of it all for all of eternity. We will praise You, for You have done all things well! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 2:51 “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.”

   Mary was processing all of this. She began to understand what was about to transpire. But, as of yet she still had a ways to go. This part about Jesus being subject to them does not mean He was not obedient before this. This episode was unique for Jesus. But it was necessary, so as to remind His earthly parents of His identity and mission.

Heavenly Father, how can we ever understand everything? We must trust Your constant care and leading. Only You can show us the path for our feet. We need to lean on You constantly. Thank You for Christ! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 2:50 “But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.”

   How often does this happen? God says something to us and we miss it completely. And why? We tend to always want to understand in our natural way. We fail to take into account His infinitude. We forget His limitless nature. We dismiss His holiness.

Heavenly Father, give us ear to hear and eyes to see the wonderful things we may find in Your Word! We don’t want to miss the truth that You seek to convey to us. How can we live if we miss blessing from the mouth of God? Can we survive without Him? Can we understand anything without His truth? Lord, You are our all! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 2:49 “And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

   This is possibly one of the most difficult verses to understand in all of Scripture. Why would Jesus expect His parents to know where He would be? Often, if you want to find a missing child, you go to the most likely place that they would go if they were unsupervised. That is the best starting point. And, had Jesus’ parents been as strong in their faith in Him as the could have been at this point, they would have known the temple would be at the top of His list. But, this question from Christ reveals that their faith was not what it could have been.

Heavenly Father, strengthen our faith! When You call, we want to listen! Your messages to us are clear, it is we who are hard of hearing. We will praise You forever for Your work in our lives. May we follow You to the ends of the Earth! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 2:48 “So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

   Everything we see in this verse points to the fact that this was not usual for Jesus. He did not have a habit of wandering off. More than that, His parents were very surprised to find Him doing what He was doing. Evidently, He had not made it His pastime to quiz others upon doctrinal subjects. Joseph and Mary looked for quite a while before finding Him.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Son! We try to understand, but You have given us the truth we need. We can know You and understand You just as much as You want us to. Thank You for giving us You Word. May we never forget this is Your world, not ours. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.