Post by M.R. Hagerty on Feb 9, 2023 18:40:46 GMT -7
The Ministry of John the Baptist
Luke 3:1-6, Matthew 3:4-6. Matthew 3:7. Luke 3:8
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness 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 READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. 5 `EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED, AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH; 6 AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.' " (Luke 3:1-6)
4 Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; 6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. (Matthew 3:4-6)
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Matthew 3:7)
8 "Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. (Luke 3:8)
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Commentary
Luke 3:1-2
1 “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, . . . 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, . . . in the wilderness.”
”fifteenth year . .”
Interestingly, we can know precisely the very year in our own calendar. In NT times there were three main systems for naming a year. (Our present system of B.C./A.D. was some 300 years away.) In Roman official records, the year was named after the two consuls for the year – "In the consulship of Marcus Vinicius and Quintus Lucretius” Also, a year could be named as anno urbis conditae – A.U.C. – year of the city (i.e. the foundation of Rome.) Or it could be named by the year of the emperor, as we have it here.
We have to keep in mind that in Roman times it was less important to know how many years ago something was than to simply have a “name” for the time. It would be like saying, “In the year the twin towers collapsed, the new library opened in town.” In the provinces, however, it was rather difficult to keep track of the consuls, so the AUC method or the emperor’s year was used.
The monk, Dionysius, selected the AUC system to discern the year that would become 1 A.D. because it was much easier since it was a running system of years irrespective of who was emperor. But for Luke, the year of the emperor was so much in common parlance, that he uses it here in his gospel.
The accession of Tiberius as emperor on August 19, 14 A.D. was one of the most well-attested dates in the ancient world because it coincided with the death of his predecessor. Augustus had been so incredibly monumental in his affect on the civilized world that his death was a major world event.
There was no accession year system for emperors, so Tiberius’ first year would have been the same year he received the principate (became emperor), A.D. 14, and his fifteenth year was A.D. 28. This is the year John begins his ministry, not necessary the year Jesus began His.
However, the reason for Luke mentioning this year is much more important. It separates the gospel account from mythology or mere stories, and places it within the realm of actual history. In mythology, one doesn’t have historical figures of recent times against whose careers and facts the story can be validated. The claims of the gospel accounts were written so as to name names and places that could be verified within the recent memories of the hearers. In many cases, the people were still very much alive and could be asked. This separates the Gospels from myths, which couldn’t be validated by anyone.
Tiberius was a step-son by marriage to Augustus. Augustus’ second marriage was to Livia to whom Tiberius had been born with her former husband, Tiberius Nero.
“. . when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, . . .”
As earlier, the sons of Herod the Great became tetrarchs because they each ruled but one-fourth of the kingdom, and their regions are mentioned here. Pilate was never called ‘tetrarch’ because he was procurator, not a vassal ruler. A procurator is someone who curates for someone else, in this case he conducts political affairs for the emperor.
Pilate is believed to have been appointed by Sejanus, who was Tiberius’ right-hand man in Rome, and of tremendous power. Sejanus was notoriously anti-semitic and this may account for Pilate’s nettling and harassment of the Jews.
”. . in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas”
Caiaphas was officially high priest by appointment, but since his father, Annas, was still living, he is often deferred to somewhat like a co-regent in this office. At His arrest, we see Jesus being first interviewed by Annas before meeting with Caiaphas.
Luke 3:3-4
3 “And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;”
As noted earlier, John did not intend to substitute his baptism for the Temple procedure of burnt offerings. Those who came to him did so because of the preaching and as a sort of ordinance experience that would better recall in their minds and memories their personal commitment to add true repentance to Mosaic ritual. John also did not in any way claim to have the authority to forgive sins, but preached that a repentant heart surely God would not turn away.
John stayed clear of the cities because it was important to have a place of ministry away from the contentious and argumentative atmosphere he and his followers would have encountered in town. It is truly amazing that this personal preference of John’s was incorporated into Isaiah’s prophecy concerning him:
“ . . .the voice of one crying in the wilderness,”
We must not infer that John was mindful to fulfill Isaiah, but that Isaiah was picturing what John would do. John was the source of this arrangement. Isaiah looked ahead and proclaimed it.
4 “. . MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. 5 `EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED, AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;
This describes the procedure for welcoming a king. Citizens would clean up unsuitable aspects of their village and the roads approaching them so that the entourage would have level ground, free of boulders and rocks. Dips would be filled in and rises and hills in the way would be leveled. New roadwork might even be done to avoid existing crooked paths. All to make the travel of horses, carts and people as easy as possible.
But this had great figurative meaning to our Lord’s coming. On account of His coming, access to Him will be made straight and direct, obstacles will be removed. Valleys and hills picture the stations in life, the lowly and humble compared to the lofty or haughty. These would be brought to the same level playing field before God. Arrogance would be humbled, Poverty of spirit would be lifted.
The aimless paths on which men trod in life would cease to be crooked and meandering, and become straight and clear.
Luke 3:6
6 “and all flesh will see the salvation of God.”
This is hyperbole to be sure. It is typically eastern in that it is all embracing when it is clear that the immediate scope is limited, but it is used to convey the grander extent of what the event means. All flesh did not see this salvation then and there at the time, but virtually all flesh has now become acquainted with the story of Christ and the Cross.
And to those whom we might conceive as having never heard or never cared, they will be brought to see that that which they discounted or ignored is the key to their eternal destiny.
Matthew 3:4-8
4 “Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.”
This was not a way of life John adopted to be especially odd or bizarre. It was the natural outcome of where he chose to live. To some extent, there may have been Divine intent for John to “stand out” in a way that augmented his ministry, but it was positive not negative or scary. There was definitely no design that he appear as those destitute and possibly dangerous people who strike fear in us today.
Luke 3:1-6, Matthew 3:4-6. Matthew 3:7. Luke 3:8
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness 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 READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. 5 `EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED, AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH; 6 AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.' " (Luke 3:1-6)
4 Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; 6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. (Matthew 3:4-6)
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Matthew 3:7)
8 "Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. (Luke 3:8)
_____________________________________________________________
Commentary
Luke 3:1-2
1 “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, . . . 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, . . . in the wilderness.”
”fifteenth year . .”
Interestingly, we can know precisely the very year in our own calendar. In NT times there were three main systems for naming a year. (Our present system of B.C./A.D. was some 300 years away.) In Roman official records, the year was named after the two consuls for the year – "In the consulship of Marcus Vinicius and Quintus Lucretius” Also, a year could be named as anno urbis conditae – A.U.C. – year of the city (i.e. the foundation of Rome.) Or it could be named by the year of the emperor, as we have it here.
We have to keep in mind that in Roman times it was less important to know how many years ago something was than to simply have a “name” for the time. It would be like saying, “In the year the twin towers collapsed, the new library opened in town.” In the provinces, however, it was rather difficult to keep track of the consuls, so the AUC method or the emperor’s year was used.
The monk, Dionysius, selected the AUC system to discern the year that would become 1 A.D. because it was much easier since it was a running system of years irrespective of who was emperor. But for Luke, the year of the emperor was so much in common parlance, that he uses it here in his gospel.
The accession of Tiberius as emperor on August 19, 14 A.D. was one of the most well-attested dates in the ancient world because it coincided with the death of his predecessor. Augustus had been so incredibly monumental in his affect on the civilized world that his death was a major world event.
There was no accession year system for emperors, so Tiberius’ first year would have been the same year he received the principate (became emperor), A.D. 14, and his fifteenth year was A.D. 28. This is the year John begins his ministry, not necessary the year Jesus began His.
However, the reason for Luke mentioning this year is much more important. It separates the gospel account from mythology or mere stories, and places it within the realm of actual history. In mythology, one doesn’t have historical figures of recent times against whose careers and facts the story can be validated. The claims of the gospel accounts were written so as to name names and places that could be verified within the recent memories of the hearers. In many cases, the people were still very much alive and could be asked. This separates the Gospels from myths, which couldn’t be validated by anyone.
Tiberius was a step-son by marriage to Augustus. Augustus’ second marriage was to Livia to whom Tiberius had been born with her former husband, Tiberius Nero.
“. . when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, . . .”
As earlier, the sons of Herod the Great became tetrarchs because they each ruled but one-fourth of the kingdom, and their regions are mentioned here. Pilate was never called ‘tetrarch’ because he was procurator, not a vassal ruler. A procurator is someone who curates for someone else, in this case he conducts political affairs for the emperor.
Pilate is believed to have been appointed by Sejanus, who was Tiberius’ right-hand man in Rome, and of tremendous power. Sejanus was notoriously anti-semitic and this may account for Pilate’s nettling and harassment of the Jews.
”. . in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas”
Caiaphas was officially high priest by appointment, but since his father, Annas, was still living, he is often deferred to somewhat like a co-regent in this office. At His arrest, we see Jesus being first interviewed by Annas before meeting with Caiaphas.
Luke 3:3-4
3 “And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;”
As noted earlier, John did not intend to substitute his baptism for the Temple procedure of burnt offerings. Those who came to him did so because of the preaching and as a sort of ordinance experience that would better recall in their minds and memories their personal commitment to add true repentance to Mosaic ritual. John also did not in any way claim to have the authority to forgive sins, but preached that a repentant heart surely God would not turn away.
John stayed clear of the cities because it was important to have a place of ministry away from the contentious and argumentative atmosphere he and his followers would have encountered in town. It is truly amazing that this personal preference of John’s was incorporated into Isaiah’s prophecy concerning him:
“ . . .the voice of one crying in the wilderness,”
We must not infer that John was mindful to fulfill Isaiah, but that Isaiah was picturing what John would do. John was the source of this arrangement. Isaiah looked ahead and proclaimed it.
4 “. . MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. 5 `EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED, AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;
This describes the procedure for welcoming a king. Citizens would clean up unsuitable aspects of their village and the roads approaching them so that the entourage would have level ground, free of boulders and rocks. Dips would be filled in and rises and hills in the way would be leveled. New roadwork might even be done to avoid existing crooked paths. All to make the travel of horses, carts and people as easy as possible.
But this had great figurative meaning to our Lord’s coming. On account of His coming, access to Him will be made straight and direct, obstacles will be removed. Valleys and hills picture the stations in life, the lowly and humble compared to the lofty or haughty. These would be brought to the same level playing field before God. Arrogance would be humbled, Poverty of spirit would be lifted.
The aimless paths on which men trod in life would cease to be crooked and meandering, and become straight and clear.
Luke 3:6
6 “and all flesh will see the salvation of God.”
This is hyperbole to be sure. It is typically eastern in that it is all embracing when it is clear that the immediate scope is limited, but it is used to convey the grander extent of what the event means. All flesh did not see this salvation then and there at the time, but virtually all flesh has now become acquainted with the story of Christ and the Cross.
And to those whom we might conceive as having never heard or never cared, they will be brought to see that that which they discounted or ignored is the key to their eternal destiny.
Matthew 3:4-8
4 “Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.”
This was not a way of life John adopted to be especially odd or bizarre. It was the natural outcome of where he chose to live. To some extent, there may have been Divine intent for John to “stand out” in a way that augmented his ministry, but it was positive not negative or scary. There was definitely no design that he appear as those destitute and possibly dangerous people who strike fear in us today.