Chapter Three
Lk. 3:1. In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
The mention of the time and the rulers is rightly made to show that under Christ the succession of Jewish leaders had ceased; since the governor was Pilate, a man from another nation, and the tetrarchs were the sons of Herod the Ascalonite, and so that it would therefore be accepted as certain that Christ had come, according to the prophecy of Jacob (Gen. 49:10).
Lk. 3:2. During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.
"The word of God came to John," it is said, so that you would know that he came to bear witness about Christ not as a self-appointed man, but because he was moved by the Spirit of God. By "word" understand either the Holy Spirit or the commandment of God. The word of God came to John "in the wilderness." Since the children of the forsaken church, that is, the church from the Gentiles, were more numerous than the children of "her who has a husband" (Isa. 54:1), that is, the Jewish church, the word and commandment of God fittingly came to John when he was in the wilderness.
Lk. 3:3. And he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,
He preached to the people "the baptism of repentance," that is, of confession. And this baptism assisted them toward the remission of sins, granted through the baptism of Christ. For the baptism of John did not have the remission of sins, but led to remission, that is, it prepared the people to receive the baptism of Christ, which has the remission of sins.
Lk. 3:4. As it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, who says (Is. 40:3–5): The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight;
Lk. 3:5. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
The "way" which he commands to prepare is the manner of life according to the teaching of Christ, for the Lord was soon to preach. The "paths" are the commandments of the Law, as if already worn away. He commands to make them "straight" because the Pharisees had perverted the commandments. By "way" one can also understand the soul, and by "paths" the thoughts and deeds. Thus we must prepare the soul and make right our deeds and thoughts. Then it is as if someone asked: how shall we accomplish this? For virtue is not easy to fulfill and encounters many snares and obstacles both from the evil powers and from the passions dwelling in us. He answers that nothing will be difficult, but all will be easy. For the valleys "shall be filled," that is, our natural powers, weakened for good and brought to a low state, shall be replenished; "every mountain and hill," that is, the opposing powers and desires that seem to us implanted by nature, have truly been weakened; and everything has become level, and what was crooked has been changed to straight. For Christ abolished the opposing powers, which are here called mountains and hills, and revived our natural impulses toward good, which the Evangelist called the valleys that are filled. For He became incarnate for this very reason: to restore our nature to its proper form.
Lk. 3:6. Every flesh shall see the salvation of God.
"Every flesh shall see," it is said, "the salvation of God" — not only the Jews and proselytes, but "every flesh," for the Gospel has been carried throughout all the earth. One could say much more besides, but for the sake of greater clarity, let this suffice.
Lk. 3:7. John said to the people who came out to be baptized by him: You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
The Jews he calls "offspring of vipers," because they insulted their fathers and mothers; for this animal, they say, gnaws through the womb of its mother and is thus born. Moreover, they killed the prophets and teachers. By "the wrath to come" he means the eternal punishment.
Lk. 3:8. Therefore bring forth 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 from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
"Worthy fruits of repentance" consist not only in departing from evil, but also in the practice of good; for the doing of good is truly the fruit and offspring of repentance. Do not begin to say within yourselves that you are of good lineage, and, hoping in your fathers, do not neglect virtue. God is able even from "these stones... to raise up children" to the patriarch; for something almost like this He did before as well. The womb of Sarah, though it was harder than stones, nevertheless received the grace of childbearing (Gen. 17:17).
Lk. 3:9. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.
"The axe" is the divine judgment that uproots the unworthy from among the living. If, he says, you do not repent, you will be deprived of life. The axe lies "at the root of your trees." By "root" is meant life, as we have said. But by "root" one can also understand kinship with Abraham. From this kinship with Abraham, according to the apostle (Rom. 11:21–22), those who are unworthy to be his branches are cut off. The punishment is twofold, for the sinful and fruitless one is not only cut off from kinship with the righteous, but is also cast into fire.
Lk. 3:10. And the people asked him: what then shall we do?
Lk. 3:11. He said to them in answer: whoever has two garments, let him give to the one who has none, and whoever has food, let him do the same.
Lk. 3:12. Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him: Teacher! What should we do?
Lk. 3:13. He answered them: Demand nothing more than what is appointed to you.
Lk. 3:14. The soldiers also asked him: and what should we do? And he said to them: do not wrong anyone, do not slander, and be content with your wages.
John instructs three classes of people who came to him: the common class of people, tax collectors, and soldiers. He persuades the common class of people to be diligent in almsgiving, commanding that whoever has "two garments" should share with the one who has none; he persuades the tax collectors not to overcharge, that is, not to demand anything extra; he persuades the soldiers not to plunder, but to be content with their wages, that is, the pay ordinarily given by the king. Notice how John persuades the common class of people, as being without malice, to do something good, that is, to share with others, while the tax collectors and soldiers he persuades to refrain from evil. For these were not yet capable, they could not accomplish anything good, and it was sufficient for them not to do evil. Some understand the command—that whoever has "two garments" should share with the one who has none—in a moral sense. Specifically, they say: the two garments signify the Spirit of Scripture and the letter; John urges the one who has both to impart them to the one who has absolutely nothing. For example, if someone understands Scripture in both respects, according to the letter and according to the spirit, let him pass it on to the one who has not, let him teach the one who does not know and give him at least the letter.
Lk. 3:15. When the people were in expectation, and all were reasoning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ,