CHAPTER 3
-1. Unless Trachonitidos (of Trachonitis) be used adjectively, choras (the region) applies to Itouraias (of Iturma) also, as indeed I judge.
3. It was not a testimony here at all " Ye must be born again," but " fruits meet for repentance," addressing them as they were.
3-6. " Repentance for the remission of sins " is not Christianity, though both truths be in Christian teaching. John's doctrine supposed their return as Jews, so that God should forgive them; it was not at all a baptism of death and resurrection. To whomsoever he was personally sent, in the doctrine of his mission as a restorer of all things, he was a messenger to all flesh; so he is here introduced by Luke. It was to introduce to " all flesh " " the salvation of God "; quod nota, for Zacharias' word, " Thou, child, shalt," etc., " for thou shalt go before... to give knowledge of deliverance " (or " salvation "-same word as in verse 69), " to his people through the remission of their sins." The consistency of this is remarkable, for as he was sent, and gave this knowledge only to the Jews, as in verse 3, yet by the power of his mission, and by its very nature it ministered to His coming in whom " All flesh shall see." " Pharisees and Sadducees," says Matthew; they were the leaders whom it particularly concerned Matthew to mention from the nature of his gospel. But here, when the nature and moral power of the doctrine to all was concerned, he applies himself to the general principle on which the people came out-the assumptive, unrepenting hope, of which the Pharisees and Sadducees were the peculiar promoters. It is an important statement, because though Matthew, writing to Jews, might designate specially the sources of evil there, and the leaders looked at as from without and above, this involved the whole principle and condition of the people. Individuals might come out humbled, but the multitudes, as the Pharisees, the leaders and the led both came on the desire of owning proposed blessing, as humbling themselves in compliment, yet, as privileged, willing to have Israel's light, but not laid low in the sense of individual and national sin. Personal change was the point.
7. This is complete Jewish rejection.
-11. The spirit of selfishness, covetousness and grandeur, and disregard of others-that, in a word, which is contrary to the word: " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," is that out of which especially we pass in repentance, as to its practical operation, the " fruits worthy," quod nota. This is what is marked in Dives in the parable (chap. 16), as exhibitory of character of selfishness; so, " You have received your consolation." " Wherefore, O king," says Daniel, " let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility "-a passage terribly perverted, but which is fully explained by this. Indeed it is the special nature of that corruption to place a satisfying, redeeming conduct for the fruits of a change of spirit, and, by copying the outward effects, preclude and get rid of the inward power which produced the things of which they are a bad imitation. But the moral instruction is important, and it throws light on the spirit we are by nature of, for repentance, when genuine, produces especially a contrast to the habitually furiously reigning evil. Then we see the way selfishness is marked as the general spirit to be repented of, and thus the sinner is left, without escape, to conscience. Every mere religious habit almost can be put on but that which breaks through the habit of sin, and a man may be moral in everything, and offend in one point, so as to show the reign of sin, whatever his character may be. But repentance reaches all; it reaches the spring of all evil; it is not an outward following which fails somewhere, but an inward introduction of a new life, which therefore shows itself in all, and especially in that where it has found its conscience most clearly needing purging, and there the faithful steward of the word presses. And note, we may do it in act, for the unconverted man kicks as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, when that in which his own will is is touched; he will assent to all but this. And here I say therefore is faithfulness on John's part the reaching the conscience by the habit to which persons are respectively attached or under subjection, generally selfishness to all. " What shall we do " is the common and easy word; its spiritual sincerity will be discovered by the application of a direction to do that which breaks through the habitual will. If the will of God be really sought, it will be acquiesced in as soon as anything else.
How much more moral John the baptist's testimony is in Luke! Only the Person of Christ, judgment and the Holy Ghost for those that believe.
Luke gives the moral testimony of John in detail. All give the baptizing with the Holy Ghost as characteristic, and supplanting, I may say, the judged floor. In Matthew we get the moral judgment of Pharisees and Sadducees, besides the prophetic judgment (this in Luke is said of all the people). The sovereignty of God overrides national election. But baptizing with water to repentance is John's Israelitish mission before coming judgments. His testimony of Christ is a different thing, but he knew prophetically there was One coming who was to be preferred before him-indeed was sent to prepare His way. But Matt. 3:11 distinguishes even here the two missions, repentance to the remission of sins, and then testimony to Him who came after him, who would purge His floor. This last connects itself with the Holy Ghost and judgment. So, even more distinctly in Mark 1:77And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. (Mark 1:7), 8. Indeed, this gives it most definitely and clearly, though indeed Luke 3:16, 1716John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: 17Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. (Luke 3:16‑17), is distinct enough from the moral part of the mission, and gives the two points-the Holy Ghost, and the floor purged. So that the mission to separate the remnant is definite enough; and then the gift of the Holy Ghost, and judgment. Matt. 3:10 and 12 differ in the first being individual judgment dependent on the fruit borne, the second dispensational, as is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. In John the testimony is different. It is first to Christ as Light, that all might believe- suited to the first division of the chapter. Next, verse 15, His eternal Person, coming after him, is preferred (gegonen) before him, for He was (en) before him, i.e., in connection with verse 14, the second division, and is John Baptist's testimony that He of verse 14 was the One he had spoken of; verse 16 connects with verse 14. Only in verse 26 is there allusion to his primary mission of baptizing with water. This (v. 19) testimony comes as an historical fact by itself, his account of his testimony, not the testimony itself; probably after Christ's baptism, indeed it is certain, because " the next day " is clearly after it. And here the testimony is clearly different. He is the Son of God, but this witness was after He was anointed and sealed with the Holy Ghost. He verifies as to that particular Person borne witness to. " This is he," what he had prophetically said, that there was such a Person. Indeed, all from verse 15, is a separate witness (person) as from verse 29, to His work. Save the fact in verse 26, we have nothing of his actual mission. As to this testimony John did not know Him at all. It was founded on the descent of the Holy Ghost. But this only definitely marked him out as the baptizer, but led to far wider testimony. But Luke 3: 16, Mark 1:77And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. (Mark 1:7), and Matt. 3:11, are all prophetic persons saying there was after him a Baptizer with the Holy Ghost, far mightier than he; he knew Him not yet. But, when Jesus came to be baptized, he knew by the Holy Ghost that He was that mightier One; but not even then what came out by what happened after His baptism. John 1:32-3432And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. (John 1:32‑34) has no specific date, save that it was after the end of Matt. 3 It merely records the fact that John so testified. In general, the time is not the object, but what he testified of the Lord. Three times the " He who comes after me " is referred to, but always historically as a past thing, verses 15, 27 and 30.
John and his austerities are more acceptable to a carnal mind than the gospel. The very scribes, etc., were willing for a season to rejoice in his light; it does not hurt pride as much.
" Baptize you "-how he thus takes the general application! Fire is judgment.
His testimony to Christ, as regards Israel, was as severe as his own. He preached repentance. Christ comes in judgment to discern and vindicate the righteousness declared in the testimony. To the world He is the Lamb of God, though that may bring in more judgment. It is remarkable how the Lord effected this. He shall effect it undoubtedly in actual judgment, but He first met it (the nation) in grace (and therefore was rejected. How blind is man!). Yet this in effect was for judgment. But He came sowing seed really, though seeking fruit. Had He come in glory, it must have been judgment; but the want of conscience of sin made them not see this process which had its form in blessing in the Church, and that in heaven.
-20. This seems to be a common end to faithful ministry; it necessarily makes a man conspicuous, though he go into the wilderness, and he is brought into reproof with kings, nor can he change his word.
The direct account of John ends here, though he may be introduced in connection with our Lord.
" Praying." We have still Christ as Man distinctly before us here. Here, as constantly in Luke, it is when Jesus is praying the heaven is opened.
Jesus as Man was born of the Holy Ghost, and Jesus as Man was anointed of the Holy Ghost; both these have their corresponding truth in us.
The simple sentence is of the utmost power and manifestation, for whom should the Lord God call thus His Son absolutely, saying: " In thee I am well pleased," but the Only begotten? In whom could He be well pleased, and thus personally address in complacency and satisfaction, except Him by whom He created all things, who was the brightness of His own glory, to whom it was no robbery to be equal with God? I can conceive no higher demonstration of our Lord's nature-no possibility of the admission of weak man into the knowledge of the ineffable complacency of the Father in the Son, than this communication. And such indeed its purpose. Nor to any one else did the Father ever thus display Himself, or make His Person known, except in and by Christ-" he to whom the Son reveals him." To the Son He reveals Himself in full complacency. Note what is said here, " In thee " (en soi) is declared to be " in men " (en anthropois) by the angels; suitably, of course, to their nature. It is a word much to be dwelt upon. " No man knoweth who the Son is but the Father." How could this be if He were not God? Or how should the Father be the sole exception, if it were an object less worthy of His only knowledge? How plain a testimony indeed, in that verse, to a nature alike inscrutable to human knowledge, co-equal Godhead, alike equally above us, and One alone able to know Him who alone can know that One in return, alike unknown to all else, alike within the cognizance of either respectively. We would not go beyond what is written, but we see not how any can know God in Himself but Himself, or in what He can find pleasure worthy of announcement by Himself to another in this familiarity, so to speak, of communication but in One not Himself in Person, but Himself withal.
-23. " As was supposed " (hos enomizeto) is very marked in its meaning. " Thirty years old." Still as the Man here presented. Jesus did nothing till thirty. What patience there is in divine obedience. At twelve He was conscious of His power, and Person, and mission, avowedly. But here He acts in the order of divine direction in the land. It is not a question of divinely sent impulse, as, after His ascension, in the ministry of those called by grace, as Paul, Silas, and the like. " Which was," is better left out all through.
- 24. The genealogy here presented is not traced to Solomon as royal heir, but simply lineally, to connect by a better title Man with God as such. Son of Adam, Jesus was lineally Son of God so, but then bringing in a better and higher power of life, so as to give the moral character of Man from God, not merely responsible innocence coming first in Creation, and a natural living soul from God, but bringing the life of God into human nature, and without sin, in God's life in Man, to us by resurrection, because the sin is there already. The genealogies present no question to me, because passing to a grandfather would make all the difference—one is traced royally, and then to promise lineally, the other lineally by mere natural descent. A similar difference would occur even in English law. The genealogy of title to an estate would not necessarily be the direct lineal descendant or next of kin of any given person, if the children failed in one step, or even the males.
- 38. Jesus is proved to be the Son of Adam, and, in truer sense than he (to wit as Second Adam) Son of God, as in Matthew of David and Abraham; see note beginning of Matthew.
We then see Jesus filling up, and more, the measure, frustrated in the natural man by the sin of Adam, in the grace of God.