John the baptist’s appearance in the other synoptics.

Matthew 3.1-6,
Luke 3.1-6.

The synoptic gospels are the three gospels which tell the same stories, largely because they take their outline from Mark. We’ve seen how Mark introduced us to John the baptist: First Exodus and Isaiah quotes, then John baptizing in the wilderness and preaching repentance and forgiveness, everybody in Jerusalem and Judea coming to him, his clothes, his food, and his “One stronger than me” teaching. Mk 1.2-6

In Matthew and Luke, John teaches a bit more than just about the “One stronger than me.” There’s a bit about good fruit, the immolation of bad fruit, and some practical examples, and then the “One stronger than me,” who will judge them. I’ll get to the teachings in another article. This one is their introduction to John.

Matthew 3.1-6 KWL

1In those days John the baptist appears,

preaching in the Judean wilderness,

2saying, “Repent!

For heaven’s kingdom has come!”

3For this is the saying of the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice shouting out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the Lord’s road!

Make him a straight path!’ ” Is 40.3

4John himself has

his clothing of camelhair,

and a leather moneybelt round his waist.

Locusts and undomesticated honey

are his food.

5Jerusalem is going out to John,ᴾ

and all Judea,

and all the Jordanian region,

6and they’re being baptized in the river Jordan by John,ᴾ

confessing their sins.

Luke 3.1-6 KWL

1In the 15th year of the rule of Cæsar TIberius,

with Pontius Pilate ruling Judea,

Herod Antipas as tetrarch of the Galilee,

Herod Philip his brother as tetrarch of Ituræa

and the land of Trachonitas,

Lysanias as tetrarch of Abilene,

2Annas and Joseph Caiaphas as head priests,

the word of God comes to John bar Zacharias

in the wilderness.

3John comes to the whole Jordanian region,

preaching a baptism of repentance—

to have one’s sins forgiven.

4Like it was written in the bible,

in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice shouting out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the Lord’s road!

Make him a straight path!’

5All ravines will be filled.

All roads and hills knocked down.

The crooked will be straightened.

The rough into smooth roads.

6All flesh will see God’s salvation.” Is 40.3-5

Spinning the story for their audiences.

Christians have traditionally believed Matthew was written for Jews, and Luke for Greco-Roman gentiles. I suspect it’s more accurate to say Matthew the author was a Jewish Christian, and Luke the author was a gentile Christian, and both of ’em emphasized the parts of the gospel they personally considered important—and as an obvious result, Matthew better accommodates Jewish readers, and Luke accommodates Greek-speaking Romans. (I won’t say “gentiles” because today’s gentiles come from all over the planet, don’t know Greco-Roman culture like Luke did, and have to have someone explain the historical background of all the gospels.) Hence the gospels’ differences between one another, and Mark.

Matthew didn’t nail down the year, not because Jews didn’t care about such things, but because he already kinda had: In Matthew 2 he referred to the infamous king Herod bar Antipater, his death, and the brief reign of his son Herod Archelaus. “In those days,” Mt 3.1 even though there’s a three-decade time jump, would’ve been considered an acceptable followup.

Luke did nail down the year: The 15th year of Tiberius Julius Cæsar Augustus, who became emperor after his stepfather Augustus died, ascending to the office on 17 September in the year 767AUC (ab urbe condita, “from the founding of the city [of Rome]”), which’d be year 14 of the Christian Era. Tiberius’s 15th year was from September 29CE to September 30CE. Both John and Jesus were born in 7BC, and would be 36 years old.

(Yes, popular Christian culture claims Jesus was 30, and that’s from sloppy basic reading comprehension. Luke says Jesus was ὡσεὶ ἐτῶν τριάκοντα/oseí etón triákonta, “like 30 years,” Lk 3.23 but people keep ignoring the “like” because they prefer the idea he was 30—and died at age 33 instead of the year 33. Properly, Luke means Jesus was in his 30s. Same as John.)

Notice Matthew described John pretty much like Mark does. Got the camelhair clothes, the leather moneybelt, living off bugs and sugar. Luke briefly described John in Gabriel’s announcement he wouldn’t drink wine, Lk 1.15 but otherwise didn’t bother. People conclude from Gabriel’s statement John was raised under a Nazirite oath, Nu 6.1-21 which means he’d never cut his hair, which is why some art and movies tend to depict him as a really hairy guy. But the scriptures never say John was Nazirite. Just sober.

People presume Luke shared no further details because his gentile audience might not be up to speed on their Old Testament, and wouldn’t recognize John’s obvious resemblance to the prophet Elijah. He’d just come across as weird for no good reason, even though he had a very good reason.

Gentile biblical illiteracy notwithstanding, both these gospels make reference to the Isaiah passage on the voice shouting out in the wilderness. Matthew quoted one verse; Luke three. Again, Luke may have quoted more ’cause of biblical illiteracy, whereas Matthew expected his readers would be familiar with the passage.

Isaiah 40.3-5 KWL (from LXX)

3A voice shouting out in the wilderness:

“Prepare the Lord’s way!

Make a straight path for our God!

4Every valley will be filled

and every hill and high place will be humbled.

Everything crooked will be made straight

and rough places made level.

5The Lord’s glory will be seen,

and all flesh will see God’s salvation,

for the Lord will speak so.

Elsewhere I’ll discuss the way the Gospel of John introduces John the baptist, ’cause John’s perspective comes from someone who was there and knew the prophet. Matthew and Luke come from guys who knew of him secondhand, which is why their accounts sync up so much—they’re often quoting the same sources, sometimes word for word. And while many a Christian thinks word-for-word duplication helps prove these events definitely happened, no they don’t; nor do they disprove it. They only say Matthew and Luke definitely saw Mark as a reliable, quotable source—which is one of the reasons I quote Mark a lot.