Luke 3:18-20 18Therefore, and with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. 19But Herod the tetrarch, after being corrected by him about Herodias, his brother’s wife, and about all the evil things that Herod had done, 20added this to them all these things and locked up John in prison.
Luke continues the story of John the Baptist with a brief statement that covers an extensive and unknown amount of time. John’s preaching was characterized by vivid images and practical application. He spoke directly to people’s sins with strong warnings about the consequences of not repenting and living in righteousness. He was not afraid to confront wrong. His words had power and penetrated to the depth of people’s consciousness because he spoke the truth. He did not preach to accuse or judge people but to point them to the good news. Interestingly, The root behind good news (euēngelizeto) is the same for “gospel.” John’s message about the need for the people to repent was part of the gospel. Repentance and turning from sin is part of the good news and must be preached so that people are convicted and realize their need for Jesus, the Savior. Preaching the full gospel requires preaching about sin and the danger of judgment. In proclaiming the warning, we must also point to the answer in Jesus, like John did in preparing the way for the Lord’s coming.
Verses 19-20 summarize the demise of John by Herod and briefly give the rest of John’s life in just a few words. The story of John’s imprisonment and death is briefly mentioned again in 9:7-9 and given in more detail in Mark 6:17-20. Josephus’s Antiquities 18.5.2 also mentions John and Herod. John was not afraid to confront the sin of even the ruler of the land. Herod had an affair with his brother Philip’s wife, Herodias, that John condemned. Herod did many other evils, some of which are recorded by historians like Josephus. Herod was fascinated by John but imprisoned him and was later coerced by Herodias to have him beheaded. By removing John, Herod was essentially hardening his heart against the message John proclaimed. John spoke his message without compromise to both the powerful and the least. The focus from this point forward in Luke’s account will be Jesus. John had an important part in the gospel by preparing people’s hearts with his call to repent. Repentance is an important first step in the process of salvation because by it, a person comes to know his or her need for Jesus.
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