The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (86 page)

2:34 the fall and rising:
Simeon's second oracle casts a shadow over the Child's future. He is the Messiah who will draw a line in the sand of
Israel,
causing the nation to divide itself by taking a stand for or against him (20:17-18; 1 Pet 2:6-8; CCC 587). Those who reject him stand self-condemned, while those who embrace him will be blessed (6:20-23, 4649). 
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2:35 a sword will pierce:
An advance glimpse of Calvary, when the rejection of Jesus by sinners will bear heavily on his Mother. Attached to her vocation is a grim expectation of maternal suffering (CCC 618). 
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2:36 a prophetess:
Like Miriam (Ex 15:20), Deborah (Judg 4:4), and Huldah (2 Kings 22:14) in the OT, Anna is a recognized interpreter of God's will for Israel.Other NT prophetesses appear in Acts 21:9. 
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2:38 redemption of Jerusalem:
Anna awaits God's deliverance for Israel and the Holy City. Her expectations mirror that of Simeon.
See note on Lk 2:25
. 
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2:41-52
Luke alone records this episode of Jesus' boyhood. It stands off from the rest of his story, surrounded by years of silence on both sides. In addition, it brings Luke's Infancy Narrative full circle, so that his story begins and ends in the Temple (1:9; 2:46) (CCC 531-34). 
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2:41 Passover:
Jewish males were expected to travel to Jerusalem for three feasts each year: Passover, Weeks, and Booths (Deut 16:16). The yearly participation of Mary and Joseph highlights their faithfulness to God's Law. 
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2:46 After three days:
A time of great anxiety for Mary and Joseph. Thinking Jesus was with their caravan of Galilean pilgrims, they left the city without him.
listening . . . asking:
Jewish religious instruction often involved posing questions and wrestling with them in the light of Scripture. Jesus' insights as a boy astonished even the learned rabbis (2:47). •
Allegorically
(St. Ambrose,
In Lucam):
the discovery of Jesus in the Temple prefigures his Resurrection, when Christ will be three days absent in death, only to be found again in the flesh. The anxiety following his burial will likewise give way to joy and relief at his rising. 
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2:49 Did you not know:
Jesus is not rebuking Mary and Joseph, as though they had done something wrong, but instructs them on how their parental role must be subordinate to the will of his divine Father. His parents do have an important part to play in his mission, as indicated in the subsequent context, where Jesus submits himself to their leadership and honors them with the faithful obedience of a son (2:51).
my Father's house:
Literally, "in that of my Father". This could refer to the Temple specifically or to his mission from the Father more generally. 
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2:52 Jesus increased:
The human development of Jesus was a process of building character and acquiring experiential knowledge that kept pace with his physical and psychological growth (Prov 3:3-4). At the end of these developmental stages, Christ's life as a man was a perfect reflection of his divine Sonship (CCC 472).
See note on Mt 24:36
. • Luke's description recalls young Samuel's maturation in 1 Sam 2:26. 
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3:1-2
Luke situates John the Baptist's ministry on the timeline of world events, intending readers to view him in the light of both civil and religious history. He moves from a wide focus to a more narrow one by considering the Roman emperor (Tiberius), Palestine's local rulers (Pilate, Herod, Philip, Lysanias), and Israel's priestly leaders (Annas, Caiaphas). 
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3:1 Tiberius Caesar:
The Roman Emperor from
A.D.
14 to 37. His
fifteenth year
in office falls between
A.D.
27 and 29.
Pontius Pilate:
The Roman procurator who governed Judea, Samaria, and Idumea from
A.D.
26 to 36.
Herod:
Herod Anti-pas, son of Herod the Great. He governed Galilee and Perea from 4/1
B.C.
until
A.D.
39, while his half-brother
Philip
governed the regions northeast of Galilee from 4/1
B.C.
until
A.D.
34. Otherwise unknown,
Lysanias
governed the territory north of Palestine called
Abilene.
 
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3:2 the high-priesthood:
Israel's high priests held office one at a time. By NT times, Roman authorities appointed and deposed these priests at will.
Annas:
Ministered from
A.D.
6 until his replacement in
A.D.
15. His influence in Jerusalem endured long after his term of office (Jn 18:13, 24; Acts 4:6).
Caiaphas:
The son-in-law of Annas who ministered as high priest from
A.D.
18 to 36. 
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3:4-6
Isaiah's words announce the restoration of Israel and the world (Is 40:3-5). John is the desert
voice
calling Israel to
prepare
for the Lord's coming. Just as roads were improved for the procession of ancient kings, so John prepares for Jesus' arrival and the
salvation
of
all flesh.
• By citing the opening chapter of Isaiah's central section (chaps. 40-55), Luke cues an entire symphony of biblical promises to be fulfilled by the Lord. He will rescue the poor and oppressed (Is 41:17; 42:7; 49:13), pour out the Spirit (44:3), restore Israel (43:5-7; 48:20; 49:5), come to Jerusalem as King (40:9-10; 52:7-10), destroy his enemies (41:11-13; 47:1-15), and show mercy to his children (43:25; 44:22; 55:7). At the summit of this stands the messianic Servant, whose mission is to bless the nations (42:1-4; 49:1-6) and atone for sin (50:4-9; 52:13-53:12). All of this is fulfilled by Jesus (2:32; 22:37; 24:46; Acts 3:13). 
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3:8 as our father:
Israel traced its ancestry to
Abraham
(Gen 17:3-5; Is 51:2). Nevertheless, John warns that racial descent does not guarantee God's favor, since Abraham's true children are those who imitate his persevering faith (Jn 8:39-40; Rom 4:16). 
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3:10-14
John directs his message to all persons and professions. The spiritual renewal he calls for entails, among other things, a return to social justice (3:11, 14), honesty (3:13), and generosity (3:11) (CCC 2447). See word study:
Repentance
at Mk 1:4. 
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3:15 John . . . the Christ:
The multitudes wonder if John is the Messiah. He denies this and speaks of the Messiah as one "mightier" than he (3:16; cf. Jn 1:20).
See note on Mk 1:5
. 
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3:17 winnowing fork:
According to common practice, grain was tossed into the air with a forked shovel. The wind blew away the useless chaff, while the grain kernels fell to the threshing floor to be gathered up and stored. God will similarly separate the righteous and wicked at the final Judgment (Ps 1:4-6; Mt 13:24-30). 
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3:19 reproved by him:
John denounced sin and summoned wrongdoers to be reconciled with God. In the case of
Herod
Antipas, John charged him with unlawfully marrying
Herodias,
the divorced wife of his brother Philip.
See note on Mk 6:18
. 
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3:21-22
Luke abbreviates Jesus' Baptism, emphasizing that the
Holy Spirit
came
upon him
(4:18). This was to strengthen him for a later "baptism" of suffering (12:50). • Two OT oracles resonate in the background.
(1)
Isaiah 11:2 describes the "Spirit of the Lord" resting upon the Davidic Messiah, enabling him to judge the poor with "righteousness" and victoriously "slay the wicked" (Is 11:4). This fits Luke's portrait of Jesus as a minister to the poor (4:18; 6:20) and a Davidic king (1:32-33).
(2)
Isaiah 42:1 similarly portrays the "Spirit" descending upon the Servant of the Lord, who will minister to "the nations" (Is 42:6) and give sight to the "blind" (Is 42:7). Luke also depicts Jesus as the Servant who brings God's saving light to all nations (1:32; 22:37; 24:47) (CCC 536, 1286). 
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3:21 praying:
Luke often depicts Jesus praying during significant moments in his life (6:12; 9:18, 28; 11:1; 22:32, 41; 23:46; CCC 2600). 
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3:22 as a dove:
Symbolic of peace and innocence (Gen 8:10-11; Mt 10:16; CCC 701).
See note on Mk 1:10
. 
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3:23-38
There are several differences between the genealogies of Jesus in Luke (3:23-38) and Matthew (Mt 1:2-16) that make it difficult to reconcile them in every detail. Two considerations should be noted to put their differences in perspective.
(1)
Matthew traces Jesus' lineage forward from Abraham, the forefather of Israel (Mt 1:2), while Luke traces his ancestry backward to Adam, the father of humanity (3:38). Thus while Matthew is stressing the kingship of Jesus over Israel, Luke is stressing his qualifications to be the Savior of mankind as a whole.
(2)
The two genealogies are substantially the same from Abraham to David, but diverge significantly in the generations that span from David to Jesus. It is quite possible that Matthew records the ancestry of Jesus' legal father, Joseph, and Luke records that of his biological mother, Mary. In this case, Matthew gives us the
dynastic line
that passes from David to Joseph through King Solomon (Mt 1:6), and Luke gives us the
Davidic line
more generally as it passes from David to Mary through Nathan (3:31). As with his Infancy Narratives, Luke may have obtained information about Jesus' family traditions from Mary herself. See notes on Lk 2:19 and Mt 1:2-17. 
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3:23 thirty years of age:
Luke alone notes Jesus' adult age, which the Jews generally considered the age of maturity. • Earlier emphasis on Jesus' royal mission links him with David (1:32; 2:4), who was also thirty when anointed king (2 Sam 5:4). 
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