Lesson 2506

(Lesson 2506)(10-30-18) Luke 3:1-6
    “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 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. 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; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

    Today’s lesson names those who were in positions of power as John the Baptist began his ministry. It also conveys John’s divine purpose, which was to; “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
    It is important to note that John, himself, did NOT preach salvation to the world, he simply preached that his Jewish brethren were to prepare themselves for the coming of the Savior (Messiah), our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. It is also very important to remember that John preached exclusively to the Jews, he did NOT preach to the Gentiles. The reason John preached only to Jews will become evident as these lessons progress.~