The Bible

 

Luke 3

Study

   

1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

2 in the highpriesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

3 And he came into all the region round about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins;

4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight.

5 Every valley shall be filled, And every mountain and hill shall be brought low; And the crooked shall become straight, And the rough ways smooth;

6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

7 He said therefore to the multitudes that went out to be baptized of him, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

9 And even now the axe also lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

10 And the multitudes asked him, saying, What then must we do?

11 And he answered and said unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath food, let him do likewise.

12 And there came also publicans to be baptized, and they said unto him, Teacher, what must we do?

13 And he said unto them, Extort no more than that which is appointed you.

14 And soldiers also asked him, saying, And we, what must we do? And he said unto them, Extort from no man by violence, neither accuse [any one] wrongfully; and be content with your wages.

15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether haply he were the Christ;

16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but there cometh he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and [in] fire:

17 whose fan is in his hand, thoroughly to cleanse his threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.

18 With many other exhortations therefore preached he good tidings unto the people;

19 but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother's wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done,

20 added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.

21 Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that, Jesus also having been baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,

22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form, as a dove, upon him, and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

23 And Jesus himself, when he began [to teach], was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the [son] of Heli,

24 the [son] of Matthat, the [son] of Levi, the [son] of Melchi, the [son] of Jannai, the [son] of Joseph,

25 the [son] of Mattathias, the [son] of Amos, the [son] of Nahum, the [son] of Esli, the [son] of Naggai,

26 the [son] of Maath, the [son] of Mattathias, the [son] of Semein, the [son] of Josech, the [son] of Joda,

27 the [son] of Joanan, the [son] of Rhesa, the [son] of Zerubbabel, the [son] of Shealtiel, the [son] of Neri,

28 the [son] of Melchi, the [son] of Addi, the [son] of Cosam, the [son] of Elmadam, the [son] of Er,

29 the [son] of Jesus, the [son] of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the [son] of Matthat, the [son] of Levi,

30 the [son] of Symeon, the [son] of Judas, the [son] of Joseph, the [son] of Jonam, the [son] of Eliakim,

31 the [son] of Melea, the [son] of Menna, the [son] of Mattatha, the [son] of Nathan, the [son] of David,

32 the [son] of Jesse, the [son] of Obed, the [son] of Boaz, the [son] of Salmon, the [son] of Nahshon,

33 the [son] of Amminadab, the [son] of Arni, the [son] of Hezron, the [son] of Perez, the [son] of Judah,

34 the [son] of Jacob, the [son] of Isaac, the [son] of Abraham, the [son] of Terah, the [son] of Nahor,

35 the [son] of Serug, the [son] of Reu, the [son] of Peleg, the [son] of Eber, the [son] of Shelah

36 the [son] of Cainan, the [son] of Arphaxad, the [son] of Shem, the [son] of Noah, the [son] of Lamech,

37 the [son] of Methuselah, the [son] of Enoch, the [son] of Jared, the [son] of Mahalaleel, the [son] of Cainan,

38 the [son] of Enos, the [son] of Seth, the [son] of Adam, the [son] of God.

   

Commentary

 

Explanation of Luke 3

By Rev. John Clowes M.A.

Verses 1-3. REVELATION is made concerning the state of the Church, as being vastated as to truth, because separated from all good, through adulteration of the Word.

Verses 3, 4. The Word teaches that men ought to shun evils as sins against GOD, and believe in the LORD'S Divine Human [principle].

Verses 5-7. In which case the humble shall be replenished with all good, and the proud, or lofty, shall be brought into desolation; the evil of ignorance also shall be turned into good, and the falses of ignorance into truths, and the proprium of man shall receive Divine illumination.

Verse 7. Because all will be taught, that of themselves they are nothing but infernal evil, and that they ought to explore the light which would make it manifest.

Verse 8. And to renounce their natural corruptions, and not to depend upon external sanctification, which may be communicated to those who are in false principles.

Verse 9. But to apply the Divine Truths of the Word to the removal of selfish and worldly love, otherwise they will perish eternally.

Verses 10-15. And to impart the knowledge of truth and of good to such as are in ignorance j also to he just in all their dealings; and when brought into spiritual combat, not to be fretful and impatient, but to wait patiently for its good effects.

Verses 15-19. For that by the baptism of John the Church was only inaugurated in the knowledges of truth from the Word, and thus prepared to receive the Lord, whereas the LORD Himself regenerates men by Divine Truth and Divine good proceeding from Himself, from whom alone comes radical purification of the human will, through conjunction of goods and truths with heaven, and the removal of all evils and falses into hell.

Verses 19, 20. Yet blessed and holy as this doctrine is, it is altogether rejected by those who are in evil, because it bears witness against them.

Verses 21, 22. That the LORD, as to His Human essence, submits to be initiated into the external truths of the Word, on which occasion interior truths and goods were manifested, even to the Divine truth itself, and also to the Divine Good.

Verses 23 to the end. Thus He attained a full state of remains, by which He united the Human essence to the Divine, and made it Divine, although it was supposed to be merely human.