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THE GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO
LUKE
Commentary by DAVID BROWN
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CHAPTER 3
@Lu
3:1-20. PREACHING, BAPTISM, AND IMPRISONMENT OF JOHN.
(See on Mt 3:1-12; Mr 6:17, &c.).
1, 2. 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 (@Lu
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" (@Lu
1:3). Here, evidently, commences his proper narrative.
Also see on Mt 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 Mr
6:14).
Philip--a different
and very superior Philip to the one whose wife Herodias
went to live with Herod Antipas. (See @Mr
6:17).
Iturea--to the
northeast of Palestine; so called from Ishmael's son Itur
or Jetur (@1Ch
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 (@Joh
18:13 Ac 4:6). Both Zadok and Abiathar acted as high
priests in David's time (@2Sa
15:35), and it seems to have become the fixed practice
to have two (@2Ki
25:18). (Also see on Mt 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 49:6 52:10 Lu 2:31,32 Ac 13:47).
10-14. What shall we do then?--to show the
sincerity of our repentance. (Also see on Mt 3:10.)
11. two coats--directed against the reigning avarice.
(Also see on Mt
3:10.)
12. publicans, &c. (Also see on Mt 3:10.)
13. Exact no more, &c.--directed against that extortion
which made the publicans a byword. (See on Lu 19:2; Lu
19:8). (Also see on Mt 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 Mt 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.
15-17. 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 Mt 3:10.)
16. John answered--either to the deputation from
Jerusalem (see @Joh
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 Mt 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
@Joh
1:29,33,34 3:27-36. (Also see on Mt 3:12.)
19, 20. But Herod, &c.--See on Mr 6:14, &c.
(Also see on Mt 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" (@Mr
6:20,26).
20. Added yet, &c.--(Also see on Mt 3:12).
@Lu
3:21, 22. BAPTISM OF AND DESCENT OF THE SPIRIT UPON
JESUS.
(See on Mt 3:13-17.)
21. 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" (@Lu
19:30), and lay in a sepulchre "wherein was
never man yet laid" (@Joh
19:41), so in His baptism He would be "separate
from sinners."
@Lu
3:23-38. GENEALOGY OF JESUS.
23. 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 (@Nu
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, @Lu
1:2-32, and see on Lu
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 @Ru
1:11,12), 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].
24-30. son of Matthat, &c.--(See on Mt
1:13-15). In @Lu
3:27, Salathiel is called the son, while in @Mt
1:12, he is called the father of Zerubbabel.
But they are probably different persons.
38. son of God--Compare @Ac
17:28.
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