Luke 3:3-6 - A voice in the wilderness

3:3

John preached a baptism of repentance. Proselyte baptism existed for Gentiles who converted to Judaism, and this may have existed in the first century. A key feature of John’s preaching was that he was calling on the Jews to repent. A fundamental failing of the Jews, particularly the leaders, was their failure to recognise their own need for forgiveness. This is something we all do well to be aware of, namely our own need for forgiveness. If do forget this then we become arrogant and we will be blind to the truth of the gospel. Repentance included an admission of one's guilt and a turning away from our ways and turning to God’s ways. The purpose of all this is forgiveness, not condemnation.

3:4-6

This quote comes from Isaiah 40:3-5. Isaiah is the book in the Old Testament with the clearest prophecies of the coming of Christ and the purpose of God’s plans. All four gospels quote from Isaiah 40:3, only Luke extends it to include verses 4 and 5. A particular concern of Luke’s is the gospel going to the Gentiles, so he is keen to stress that “all peoples will see God’s salvation”.