1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the Word of God came upon John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching an immersion of repentance for the remission of sins, 4as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight. 5Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill made low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways level; 6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 7Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be immersed by him, Offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 10So the multitudes asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11He answered and said to them, He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise. 12Then tax collectors also came to be immersed, and said to him, Teacher, what shall we do? 13And he said to them, Collect no more than what is appointed for you. 14Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, And what shall we do? So he said to them, Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages. 15Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether or not he was the Christ, 16John answered, saying to them all, I indeed immerse you in water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loosen. He will immerse you in the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire. 18And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. 19But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison. 21Now when all the people were immersed, it came to pass that Jesus also was immersed; and while He prayed, the Heaven was opened. 22And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from Heaven which said, You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased. 23And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, 25the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, 38the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 PREACHING, BAPTISM, AND IMPRISONMENT OF JOHN. (Luke 3:1-20)
Here the curtain of the New Testament is, as it were, drawn up, and the greatest of all epochs of the Church commences. Even our Lord's own age (
Luke 3:23) is determined by it [BENGEL]. No such elaborate chronological precision is to be found elsewhere in the New Testament, and it comes fitly from him who claims it as the peculiar recommendation of his Gospel, that he had "accurately traced down all things from the first" (
Luke 1:3). Here, evidently, commences his proper narrative. Also see on
Matt 3:1.
the fifteenth year of Tiberius--reckoning from the period when he was admitted, three years before Augustus' death, to a share of the empire [WEBSTER and WILKINSON], about the end of the year of Rome 779, or about four years before the usual reckoning.
Pilate . . . governor of Judea--His proper title was Procurator, but with more than the usual powers of that office. After holding it about ten years he was ordered to Rome, to answer to charges brought against him, but ere he arrived Tiberius died (A.D. 35), and soon after Pilate committed suicide.
Herod--(See on
Mark 6:14).
Philip--a different and very superior Philip to the one whose wife Herodias went to live with Herod Antipas. (See
Mark 6:17).
Iturea--to the northeast of Palestine; so called from Ishmael's son Itur or Jetur (
1Chr 1:31), and anciently belonging to the half tribe of Manasseh.
Trachonitis--farther to the northeast, between Iturea and Damascus; a rocky district, infested by robbers, and committed by Augustus to Herod the Great to keep in order.
Abilene--still more to the northeast, so called from Abila, eighteen miles from Damascus [ROBINSON].
2 Annas and Caiaphas . . . high priests--the former, though deposed, retained much of his influence, and, probably, as sagan or deputy, exercised much of the power of the high priesthood along with Caiaphas (
John 18:13;
Acts 4:6). Both Zadok and Abiathar acted as high priests in David's time (
2Sam 15:35), and it seems to have become the fixed practice to have two (
2Kgs 25:18). (Also see on
Matt 3:1.)
word of God came unto John--Such formulas, of course, are never used when speaking of Jesus, because the divine nature manifested itself in Him not at certain isolated moments of His life. He was the one everlasting manifestation of the Godhead--THE WORD [OLSHAUSEN].
5 Every valley, &c.--levelling and smoothing, obvious figures, the sense of which is in the first words of the proclamation, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord."
6 all flesh, &c.--(quoted literally from the Septuagint of
Isa 40:5). The idea is that every obstruction shall be so removed as to reveal to the whole world the Salvation of God in Him whose name is the "Saviour" (compare
Ps 98:3;
Isa 11:10;
Isa 49:6;
Isa 52:10;
Luke 2:31-
Luke 2:32;
Acts 13:47).
10 What shall we do then?--to show the sincerity of our repentance. (Also see on
Matt 3:10.)
11 two coats--directed against the reigning avarice. (Also see on
Matt 3:10.)
12 publicans, &c. (Also see on
Matt 3:10.)
13 Exact no more, &c.--directed against that extortion which made the publicans a byword. (See on
Luke 19:2;
Luke 19:8). (Also see on
Matt 3:10.)
14 soldiers . . . Do violence to none--The word signifies to "shake thoroughly," and so to "intimidate," probably in order to extort money or other property. (Also see on
Matt 3:10.)
accuse . . . falsely--acting as informers vexatiously, on frivolous or false grounds.
content with your wages--"rations." We may take this as a warning against mutiny, which the officers attempted to suppress by largesses and donations [WEBSTER and WILKINSON]. And thus the "fruits" which would evidence their repentance were just resistance to the reigning sins, particularly of the class to which the penitent belonged, and the manifestation of an opposite spirit.
15 whether he were the Christ--showing both how successful he had been in awakening the expectation of Messiah's immediate appearing, and the high estimation, and even reverence, which his own character commanded. (Also see on
Matt 3:10.)
16 John answered--either to the deputation from Jerusalem (see
John 1:19, &c.), or on some other occasion, simply to remove impressions derogatory to his blessed Master which he knew to be taking hold of the popular mind. (Also see on
Matt 3:10.)
saying unto them all--in solemn protestation. So far from entertaining such a thought as laying claim to the honors of Messiahship, the meanest services I can render to that "Mightier than I that is coming after me," are too high an honor for me. Beautiful spirit, distinguishing this servant of Christ throughout!
one mightier than I--"the Mighter than I."
18 many other things, &c.--such as we read in
John 1:29,
John 1:33-
John 1:34;
John 3:27-
John 3:36. (Also see on
Matt 3:12.)
19 But Herod, &c.--See on
Mark 6:14, &c. (Also see on
Matt 3:12.)
and for all the evils which Herod had done--important fact here only mentioned, showing how thoroughgoing was the fidelity of the Baptist to his royal hearer, and how strong must have been the workings of conscience in that slave of passion when, notwithstanding such plainness, he "did many things and heard John gladly" (
Mark 6:20,
Mark 6:26).
20 Added yet, &c.--(Also see on
Matt 3:12).
21 BAPTISM OF AND DESCENT OF THE SPIRIT UPON JESUS. (
Luke 3:21-
Luke 3:22)
when all the people were baptized--that He might not seem to be merely one of the crowd. Thus, as He rode into Jerusalem upon an ass, "whereon yet never man sat" (
Luke 19:30), and lay in a sepulchre "wherein was never man yet laid" (
John 19:41), so in His baptism He would be "separate from sinners."
23 GENEALOGY OF JESUS. (Luke 3:23-38)
he began to be about thirty--that is, "was about entering on His thirtieth year." So our translators have taken the word (and so CALVIN, BEZA, BLOOMFIELD, WEBSTER and WILKINSON, &c.): but "was about thirty years of age when He began [His ministry]," makes better Greek, and is probably the true sense [BENGEL, OLSHAUSEN, DE WETTE, MEYER, ALFORD, &c.]. At this age the priests entered on their office (
Num 4:3).
being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, &c.--Have we in this genealogy, as well as in Matthew's, the line of Joseph? or is this the line of Mary?--a point on which there has been great difference of opinion and much acute discussion. Those who take the former opinion contend that it is the natural sense of this verse, and that no other would have been thought of but for its supposed improbability and the uncertainty which it seems to throw over our Lord's real descent. But it is liable to another difficulty; namely, that in this case Matthew makes Jacob, while Luke makes "Heli," to be Joseph's father; and though the same man had often more than one name, we ought not to resort to that supposition, in such a case as this, without necessity. And then, though the descent of Mary from David would be liable to no real doubt, even though we had no table of her line preserved to us (see, for example, Luke 1:2-32, and see on
Luke 2:5), still it does seem unlikely--we say not incredible--that two genealogies of our Lord should be preserved to us, neither of which gives his real descent. Those who take the latter opinion, that we have here the line of Mary, as in Matthew that of Joseph--here His real, there His reputed line--explain the statement about Joseph, that he was "the son of Hell," to mean that he was his son-in-law, as the husband of his daughter Mary (as in
Ruth 1:11-
Ruth 1:12), and believe that Joseph's name is only introduced instead of Mary's, in conformity with the Jewish custom in such tables. Perhaps this view is attended with fewest difficulties, as it certainly is the best supported. However we decide, it is a satisfaction to know that not a doubt was thrown out by the bitterest of the early enemies of Christianity as to our Lord's real descent from David. On comparing the two genealogies, it will be found that Matthew, writing more immediately for Jews, deemed it enough to show that the Saviour was sprung from Abraham and David; whereas Luke, writing more immediately for Gentiles, traces the descent back to Adam, the parent stock of the whole human family, thus showing Him to be the promised "Seed of the woman." "The possibility of constructing such a table, comprising a period of thousands of years, in an uninterrupted line from father to son, of a family that dwelt for a long time in the utmost retirement, would be inexplicable, had not the members of this line been endowed with a thread by which they could extricate themselves from the many families into which every tribe and branch was again subdivided, and thus hold fast and know the member that was destined to continue the lineage. This thread was the hope that Messiah would be born of the race of Abraham and David. The ardent desire to behold Him and be partakers of His mercy and glory suffered not the attention to be exhausted through a period embracing thousands of years. Thus the member destined to continue the lineage, whenever doubtful, became easily distinguishable, awakening the hope of a final fulfilment, and keeping it alive until it was consummated" [OLSHAUSEN].
24 son of Matthat, &c.--(See on
Matt 1:13-
Matt 1:15). In
Luke 3:27, Salathiel is called the son, while in
Matt 1:12, he is called the father of Zerubbabel. But they are probably different persons.
38 son of God--Compare
Acts 17:28.