07: The Son of God @ Baptism, Genealogy, and Temptation (Luke 3:21 – 4:13)

Before Jesus begins His public ministry, His identity as the Son of God is proclaimed by God, explained through His genealogy, and challenged in the wilderness.

👉 Read Luke 3:21 – 4:13

Q1. What was spoken from heaven when Jesus was baptized?

You are my one dear son; in you I take great delight.

Q2. The genealogy of Jesus in Luke Chapter 3 differs from the one in Matthew. It is (         ) generations from Jesus to Zerubbabel, 22 generations from Zerubbabel to David, (        ) generations from David to Abraham, and (       ) generations from Abraham to God. It presents Jesus as the Son of God not only through His conception by the Holy Spirit, but also through the biological line traced back to (         ), who is called the son of God.

ANS: 20, 14, 21, Adam

One possible explanation is the levirate marriage law in the Old Testament. When a man died without a son, his brother was required to marry the widow in order to continue the family line of the deceased. In such a case, the firstborn son was legally regarded as the son of the dead brother. This may explain why Joseph’s father is named Heli in Luke but Jacob in Matthew. If Jacob is understood as Joseph’s legal father, Heli may be his biological father.

The age of thirty was the age at which a priest began his ministry in the Old Testament.

Luke adds the phrase “as was supposed” in verse 23, indicating that Jesus was legally regarded as the son of Joseph but not his biological son. This phrase highlights Jesus’ unique dual identity as both legally human and divinely conceived. Note that the author repeatedly emphasizes the Holy Spirit in his book.

Furthermore, Luke traces the genealogy back to Adam and to God, suggesting that Jesus stands as the representative of all humanity and that His ministry has universal significance, affecting all peoples.

In this way, the genealogy presents Jesus as the Son of God, the beginning of a new humanity—created not through the flesh, but through the Spirit.

Q3. From Jesus’ temptations, what three ways do temptations usually come to people?

ANS:

Jesus’ temptations reveal three common areas of human struggle: material need, misplaced glory, and shaken trust.

First, the difficulty of living.

Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread, raising the question: Is God’s will more important than simply making ends meet? Because Jesus truly became human, He experienced hunger, suffering, and the pressure of ordinary human life. Yet He refused to meet legitimate needs in a way that bypassed obedience to God, for He needed to be a human at this moment. This teaches us that necessity does not justify disobedience.

Second, the desire for glory.

The temptation to gain the kingdoms of the world confronts us with this question: Whose glory are we seeking—God’s or our own? If we do not wholeheartedly seek God’s glory, we naturally drift toward the easier path—the pursuit of our own recognition and honor—rather than patiently waiting for the promised glory that comes in Christ.

Third, the issue of trust.

Satan’s words, “If you are the Son of God,” aim to plant doubt and demand proof. The temptation is not simply unbelief, but the desire to confirm God’s love and faithfulness on our own terms. Trying to test what God has already clearly declared is dangerous and unnecessary. Notably, in this final temptation, the devil even uses Scripture. This warns us that biblical knowledge alone is not enough; without love for God and trust in Him, even Scripture can be misused and lead us astray.

Finally, Luke notes that the devil departed “until a more opportune time.”

This reminds us that temptation is not a one-time event. It returns repeatedly, often when we are weak, tired, or least expecting it.

As we stand firm on the Word, we can overcome the temptation.

The voice from heaven confirmed that Jesus was the Son of God. Yet He was born to human parents, truly became human, and experienced human weakness—needs for food, glory, and trust. In such moments of suffering and limitation, if we were in Jesus’ place, we would naturally begin to doubt and ask, “Am I really the Son of God?” It is precisely at this vulnerable point that the devil strikes, saying, “If you are the Son of God.”

We, too, are called children of God. Yet the realities of our lives often make us doubt this identity and pressure us to seek confirmation. However, once the Lord has spoken, we are not called to demand further proof. To try to confirm again what God has already declared is to step onto dangerous ground—it opens the door to temptation and can lead us to fall.

Believing that we are children of God and a new creation in Christ is the very foundation of our identity and, especially, our ministry.

Jesus, as the new Adam (the Son of God), overcame the wilderness temptation, which Israel had failed.