Luke 3:20

Luke 3:20, in plain English

Herod's response to John's honest rebuke was to throw him in prison—adding yet another sin to his long list of wrongdoing.

Why it's here

When powerful people don't want to hear the truth, they try to silence it. Herod locked John up, but the message John preached could not be imprisoned.

Who's speaking

Luke records Herod's unjust imprisonment of John.

Where it sits in the story

Truth has consequences. John spoke honestly to a corrupt ruler and paid for it with his freedom. But silencing the messenger doesn't silence the message.

The scholarly reading

Herod responds to John's rebuke by adding another evil to his record: imprisoning John (katekleisen ton Iōannēn en phylakē). Luke presents the imprisonment as the climactic sin in Herod's catalog of evil.

Language and setting

Luke records John's imprisonment before Jesus' baptism (which follows in v.21), creating a theological transition from the era of the Baptist to the era of Jesus. This differs from Mark's later placement.

Voice

Luke narrates Herod's response to John's prophetic confrontation.

Significance

Herod's response to truth is to silence it. By imprisoning John, he adds the greatest crime to his ledger—silencing God's prophet. But the prophetic voice has already done its work.

18With these and many other exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people.

19But when he rebuked Herod the tetrarch regarding his brother’s wife Herodias and all the evils he had done,

20Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened,

22and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

Read all of Luke 3 — John the Baptist doesn't just call for repentance — he gets specific. Tax collectors, soldiers, and crowds all hear what it costs to change.