19. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20. saying, Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young Child's life. 21. And he arose, and took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judæa in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23. and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. Prayer. O ALMIGHTY GOD, we humbly acknowledge Thy goodness to us, in that wondrous Epiphany, wherein, "by the leading of a star,' Bethlehem, the place of her | who was also called Herod, as xiv. sepulchre, Rachel is once more awaked, and weeps inconsolably for her children, the children of her country. 20. They are dead-i.e. Herod is dead. So ix. 8, "But when the multitudes saw it (miracle on paralytic, accompanied by forgiveness of sins), they marvelled, and glorified God, Which had given such power unto men,' i.e. the Man Christ Jesus. Exod. iv. 19 seems alluded to, "And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.” 22. The parts of Galilee. Under Antipas, another of Herod's sons, 1, "At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus." 23. Came and dwelt. For thirty years. Which was spoken by the prophets-i.e. according to the tenor of their descriptions of the Messiah. He shall be called-i.e. He shall be, as i. 23, "they shall call His Name Emmanuel." Thou didst manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles. But we bless Thee, that, to us, Thou hast vouchsafed a more sure word of prophecy. Give us grace to take heed thereto as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, till the day dawn and the day-star arise in our hearts. Grant, O Lord, that in all our goings we may strive to follow the leadings of Thy providence. Let us heed neither the favour nor the frown of men when warned of God as to the way in which He would have us to go. Lord, make for us at all times a plain path: that we, through grace, being brought to know Thee now by faith, may, after this life, have the fruition of Thy glorious Godhead, through Jesus Christ our Lord. IN CHAPTER III. Amen. Mission of S. John the Baptist; his preaching, and habits. The Baptist's inferiority to Christ. John's Baptism, not a baptism with the Holy Ghost. Baptism of Christ; and manifestation of the Triune God. N those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, 2. and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3. For this is he that 66 (John xix. 19). S. Paul was contemptuously described as a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts xxiv. 5). CHAP. III. I. In those daysi.e. whilst Christ was yet at Nazareth, where chapter ii. 23 left Him; but specifically, “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar," as we learn from Luke iii. 1. John the Baptist-i.e. the baptizer (thus distinguished from S. John the Evangelist), to baptize being one of his chief functions. The circumstances belonging to John the Baptist's birth and circumcision given Luke i. 5-25, 57-63, 80. was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. 4. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region round about Jordan, 6. and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 7. But when he saw many of the from heaven, and leading to heaven; a fulfilment of Dan. vii. 14, "And there was given Him"-"the Son of Man"-"dominion, and glory, and a kingdom." The phrase "kingdom of heaven" occurs only in this Gospel. Is at hand. Christ began His ministry six months afterwards. 3. For this is he that was spoken of. The Evangelist's application of Isaiah's words, not the Baptist's. 66 4. Raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins. Outwardly, like Elijah (who was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins"); and inwardly, for he was to go before God "in the spirit and power of Elias" (Luke i. 17). His meat was locusts. Some kinds allowed to be eaten (Lev. xi. 22). 5. Region round about Jordan. The river which rises in Mount Lebanon, and empties itself in the Dead Sea. The only mention of the Jordan in the New Testament. 7. When he saw... Pharisees come to his baptism. But not with a true faith, for when asked ... by Christ later, "The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? they said, We cannot tell" (xxi. 25-27). John the Baptist is therefore in doubt whether he ought to baptize them. The Pharisees, as described by S. Paul (Acts xxvi. 5), were "the most straitest sect" of the Jews' religion. The sternest language used by Christ was against the Pharisees, who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others (Luke xviii. 9-11), and said contemptuously, "But this people, who knoweth not the law, are cursed" (John vii. 49). The Pharisees made void God's commandment by their tradition (xv. 3); they were "hypocrites," i.e. actors of a part (xxiii. 14); they were as "whited sepulchres" (xxiii. 27); they were blasphemers, saying, "We know that this Man is a sinner" (John viii. 24); they were malignant slanderers of Christ, saying, "This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils" (xii. 24); they were Christ's murderers, "they took counsel together for to put Him to death" (John xi. 53). Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8. Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9. and think 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. 10. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh And Sadducees. These were materialists, denying the existence of spirits, as of the human soul, and of angels, and the resurrection of the flesh (Acts xxiii. 8). Generation of vipers. For they were children of the old serpent, the devil; Christ said to them, "Ye are of your father the devil" (John viii. 44); and they were "as venomous as the poison of a serpent” (Ps. lviii. 4). So, too, Christ called them "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers" (xxiii. 33). 7. Wrath to come-1. Wrath coming on the nation. 2. Wrath in the next world. 8. Bring forth therefore fruits. The Pharisees, being hypocrites, i.e. actors, were now acting the part of penitents. Meet for repentance-R. V. "worthy of." S. Paul "shewed throughout all the coasts of Judæa, and then to the Gentiles, that they should... do works meet for repentance" (Acts xxvi. 20). 9. Think not to say . We have Abraham to our father. As they did say, "Abraham is our father" (John viii. 39), as though they were irreversibly secure of the Divine favour, through being children of Abraham by descent, without Abraham's faith. S. Paul says, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly" (Rom. ii. 28). Of these stones-e. g. of the stony-hearted Gentiles. To raise up children unto Abraham. Abraham's own body was dead, and Sarah's womb dead, and yet God raised up a child (Isaac) to Abraham (Rom. iv. 19). S. Paul says, "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed" (Gal. iii. 29). IO. Axe is laid unto the root of the trees. It was the eve of national judgment by the destruction of the temple, city, and nation of the Jews, only forty years later. Which bringeth not forth—is not continually bringing forth. II. With water unto repentance-i.e. the baptism which I administer is an engagement to repent. He that cometh after me,-i.e. He that is coming. With the Holy Ghost and with after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire 12. Whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 13. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14. But John forbad Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? 15. And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. fire. A prediction of the Day of Pentecost, when "there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire" (Acts ii. 3). The fire of the Holy Ghost is His power to enlighten and to inflame with fervour, as He did the apostles, e.g. "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name" (Acts v. 41). 12. Whose fan-i.e. His Word; "the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John xii. 48). Wheat-i.e. those who bring forth solid fruits of repentance; the power of godliness. Garner-i.e. heaven, which is completed salvation. Chaff-i.e. those who make hollow professions, having only a form of godliness (2 Tim. iii. 5), e.g. those who "for a pretence make long prayer" (xxiii. 14). Unquenchable fire. (1.) The irremediable ruin of the Jewish nation. (2.) The everlasting punishment of the wicked generally. So our Lord speaks of "the fire that never shall be quenched" (Mark ix. 43); Isa. lxvi. 24: "Neither shall their fire be quenched;' and Mal. iv. 1: "Behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven,. and all the wicked shall be stubble." 14. Forbad Him-R.V. "would have hindered Him"-i.e. tried to prevent the Sinless One from submitting to be baptized. I have need to be baptized of Thee. This was true according to our Lord's words to S. Peter, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me" (John xiii. 8). 15. Suffer it to be so now-i.e. whilst I am in the likeness of sinful flesh. It becometh us-i.e. Christ. To fulfil all righteousness. Seeing that "in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren " (Heb. ii. 17), Christ, as matter of justice (righteousness) is baptized. Therefore was He also circumcised (Luke ii. 21); and He paid tribute-i.e. the Temple tax, though the children were free (xvii. 26, 27). B |