06: Prepare the way of the Lord (Luke 3:1 – 20)

John was the voice in the wilderness to make people to prepare their heart for the Lord.

👉 Read Luke 3:1 - 20

Q1. V1 – 2 tells us about the historical background of the gospel. Who are addressed here?

Tiberius, Pilate, Herod, Philip, Lysania, Annas, Caiaphas

This comment advocates his record is a historical truth. 

God’s words didn’t come through those prominent figures but the one in the wilderness.

Q2. According to Isaiah's prophecy, John the Baptist was (              ) shouting in the wilderness. According to his message and ministry, what is to prepare the way for the Lord? 

the voice. John was the voice: What matters is the message, not the speaker.

Repent and be baptized.

John prepares the way by calling people to repent of inner sins like greed, fear, and hypocrisy, which twist the heart and blind it to the gospel. He also confronts social sins like exploitation and injustice, which burden people and make it hard for them to see God’s goodness. Note that the Lord delivered them from the land of slavery to serve the Lord as freemen. 

When these internal and external obstacles are removed, the path becomes clear and “all flesh can see the salvation of God.”

Worship that arises from compulsion or from any motive other than genuine devotion is not the worship God desires. If a person is not freed from the burdens of finances, relationships, or other difficulties—burdens so heavy that the heart is consumed only with escaping them—it becomes difficult to see the eternal life revealed beyond the cross. Of course, the degree to which such burdens must be removed differs from person to person: some feel enslaved by even small pressures, while others, like Paul, remain free whether rich or poor. In general, the burdens of life can function either as obstacles or, at times, as motivations that drive people to seek the divine. Yet there comes a point at which we are called to grow to maturity and say, “I will rejoice in the Lord.”

Q3. Summarize John's message in three parts. (7-9, 10-14, 15-17)

V.7–9 — The Urgency of Repentance:

An axe already lies at the root, ready to cut down every tree that bears no fruit.

V.10–14 — The Life of Repentance:

A repentant life is marked by generosity instead of greed, honesty instead of lies, and sacrificial service toward others.

V.15–17 — The Testimony About Jesus Christ:

The One coming after John is infinitely greater; He will baptize not merely with water, but with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Repentance does not earn grace—it simply removes the obstacles that keep us from seeing and embracing the Savior. When the heart turns from sin, greed, fear, and pride, it becomes a straight path where God’s salvation can be clearly seen and freely received.

Q4. How did John end up in prison?

He rebuked Herod for taking his brother's wife. 

After announcing the coming salvation, John quietly fades from the stage. The very one who proclaimed God’s salvation ends his life in prison, and his fate foreshadows the destiny of Jesus Himself, whose path to salvation also leads through suffering and death.

Prepare the way for the Lord to enter your heart by removing greed, envy, selfish desire, and anger. Check if you put any sort of burden on other's shoulder even without evil intension. If you do not repent, the Lord will humble you so that both you—and those who have suffered under your burden—may clearly see the gospel of the cross and receive His salvation, if the Lord so wills.