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 Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, |
2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. |
3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; |
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye 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 be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; |
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. |
7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath 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 now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. |
10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? |
11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. |
12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? |
13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. |
14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. |
15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; |
16 John 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: |
17 Whose 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. |
18 And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. |
19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, |
20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison. |
21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, |
22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. |
23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, |
24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, |
25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, |
26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, |
27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, |
28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, |
29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, |
30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, |
31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, |
32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, |
33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, |
34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, |
35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, |
36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, |
37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, |
38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. |
3
3:1 The fifteenth year of Tiberius - Reckoning from the time when Angustus made him his colleague in the empire. Herod being tetrarch of Galilee - The dominions of Herod the Great were, after his death, divided into four parts or tetrarchies. This Herod his son was tetrarch of Galilee, reigning over that fourth part of his dominions. His brother reigned over two other fourth parts, the region of Iturea, and that of Trachonitis (that tract of land on the other side Jordan, which had formerly belonged to the tribe of Manasseh.) And Lysanias (probably descended from a prince of that name, who was some years before governor of that country) was tetrarch of the remaining part of Abilene, which was a large city of Syria, whose territories reached to Lebanon and Damascus, and contained great numbers of Jews. Mat 3:1; Mar 1:1.
3:2 Annas being high priest, and Caiaphas - There could be but one high priest, strictly speaking, at once. Annas was the high priest at that time, and Caiaphas his sagan or deputy.
3:4 Isa 40:3.
3:5 Every valley shall be filled, etc - That is, every hinderance shall be removed.
3:6 The salvation of God - The Saviour, the Messiah.
3:8 Say not within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father - That is, trust not in your being members of the visible Church, or in any external privileges whatsoever: for God now requires a change of heart; and that without delay.
3:10 He answereth - It is not properly John, but the Holy Ghost, who teaches us in the following answers, how to come ourselves, and how to instruct other penitent sinners to come to Christ, that he may give them rest. The sum of all this is, Cease to do evil, learn to do well. These are the fruits worthy of repentance.
3:20 He shut up John - This circumstance, though it happened after, is here mentioned before our Lord's baptism, that his history (that of John being concluded) may then follow without any interruption.
3:21 Jesus praying, the heaven was opened - It is observable, that the three voices from heaven, see Luk 9:29, Luk 9:35; Joh 12:28; by which the Father bore witness to Christ, were pronounced either while he was praying, or quickly after it. Mat 3:13; Mar 1:9.
3:23 And Jesus was - John's beginning was computed by the years of princes: our Saviour's by the years of his own life, as a more august era. About thirty years of age - He did not now enter upon his thirtieth year (as the common translation would induce one to think) but he now entered on his public ministry: being of such an age as the Mosaic law required. Our great Master attained not, as it seems, to the conclusion of his thirty - fourth year. Yet what glorious achievements did he accomplish within those narrow limits of time! Happy that servant, who, with any proportionable zeal, despatches the great business of life; and so much the more happy, if his sun go down at noon. For the space that is taken from the labours of time, shall be added to the rewards of eternity. The son of Heli - That is, the son - in - law: for Heli was the father of Mary. So St. Matthew writes the genealogy of Joseph, descended from David by Solomon; St. Luke that of Mary, descended from David by Nathan. In the genealogy of Joseph (recited by St. Matthew) that of Mary is implied, the Jews being accustomed to marry into their own families.
3:38 Adam the son of God - That is, whatever the sons of Adam receive from their human parents, Adam received immediately from God, except sin and misery.
1 e) Comme en 1.5 et 2.1-3, Luc établit un synchronisme entre l’histoire profane et l’histoire du salut. Tibère a succédé à Auguste, 2.1, le 19 août de l’an 14 ap. J.-C. La quinzième année va donc du 19 août 28 au 18 août 29, ou, selon la manière de calculer les années de règne en usage en Syrie, de septembre-octobre 27 à septembre-octobre 28. Jésus est alors âgé d’au moins trente-trois ans, peut-être même trente-cinq ou trente-six. L’indication du v. 23 est approximative et souligne peut-être seulement que Jésus avait l’âge requis pour exercer une mission publique. L’« ère chrétienne » (fixée par Denys le Petit, au VIe siècle) vient de ce qu’on a pris le chiffre de trente ans avec rigueur les 29 ans accomplis de Jésus, retranchés de l’an 782 de Rome (15e année de Tibère), ont donné 753 comme début de notre ère.
1 f) Procurateur de Judée (et d’Idumée et de Samarie) de 26 à 36 ap. J.-C.
1 g) Antipas, fils d’Hérode le Grand et de Malthaké, tétrarque de Galilée (et de Pérée) de 4 av. J.-C. à 39 ap. J.-C.
1 h) Fils d’Hérode le Grand et de Cléopâtre, tétrarque de 4 av. J.-C. à 34 ap. J.-C.
1 i) Connu par deux inscriptions. L’Abilène était située dans l’Antiliban.
2 j) Le grand prêtre en fonction était Joseph, dit Caïphe, qui exerça le pontificat de 18 à 36, et joua un rôle prépondérant dans le complot contre Jésus, cf. Mt 26.3 ; Jn 11.49 ; 18.14. Anne, son beau-père, qui avait été grand prêtre de 6 (?) à 15, lui est associé et même figure en premier, cf. Ac 4.6 et Jn 18.13, 24 comme jouissant d’un tel prestige qu’il était grand prêtre de fait.
6 k) Luc prolonge plus que Mt et Mc la citation d’Isaïe pour la mener jusqu’à l’annonce d’un salut universel.
10 l) Les vv. 10-14, propres à Lc, insistent sur l’élément positif et humain du message de Jean. Aucune profession n’exclut du salut ; mais il faut pratiquer la justice et la charité.
20 m) Luc termine ce qui concerne le ministère de Jean avant de passer à Jésus, cf. 1.56. Il ne fera plus qu’une brève allusion à la mort du Précurseur, 9.7-9.
21 n) La prière de Jésus est un thème cher à Luc, cf. 5.16 ; 6.12 ; 9.18, 28-29 ; 11.1 ; 22.41. Cf. Mt 14.23.
22 o) Var. « Tu es mon Fils bien-aimé, tu as toute ma faveur », suspecte d’harmonisation avec Mt Mc. La teneur probablement originale de la voix céleste chez Luc ne fait pas référence à Isa 42 comme chez Mt Mc, mais au Ps 2.7 plutôt que de reconnaître en Jésus le « Serviteur », elle le présente comme le Roi-Messie du Psaume, intronisé au Baptême pour établir le Règne de Dieu dans le monde.
23 p) En remontant, au-delà d’Abraham, jusqu’à Adam, la généalogie de Luc revêt un caractère plus universaliste que celle de Mt. Descendant d’Adam, et comme lui sans père terrestre, 1.35, Jésus inaugure une nouvelle humanité ; peut-être Luc, disciple de Paul, pense-t-il au Nouvel Adam, Rm 5.12. Sur les relations avec la généalogie de Mt, cf. Mt 1.1.
Le mérite particulier du troisième évangile lui vient de la personnalité très attachante de son auteur, qui y transparaît sans cesse. Saint Luc est un écrivain de grand talent et une âme délicate. Il a mené son œuvre de façon originale, avec un souci d’information et d’ordre, 1.3. Ce n’est pas à dire qu’il ait pu donner aux matériaux reçus de la tradition un arrangement plus «sp;historique » que Matthieu et Marc ; son respect des sources et sa façon de les juxtaposer ne le lui permettaient pas. Son plan reprend les grandes lignes de celui de Marc avec quelques transpositions, ou omissions. Des épisodes sont déplacés, 3.19-20 ; 4.16-30 ; 5.1-11 ; 6.12-19 ; 22.31-34, etc., tantôt par soucis de clarté et de logique, tantôt par influence d’autres traditions, parmi lesquelles il faut noter celle qui se reflète également dans le quatrième évangile. D’autres épisodes sont omis, soit comme moins intéressants pour les lecteurs païens, cf. Mc 12.28-34, à comparer Lc 10.25-28. On remarquera surtout l’absence d’un correspondant à Mc 6.45-8.26. La différence la plus notable par rapport au deuxième évangile est la longue section médiane 9.51-18.14, qui est présentée sous la forme d’une montée vers Jérusalem à l’aide de notations répétées, 9.51 ; 13.22 ; 17.11, cf. Mc 10.1, et où l’on verra moins le souvenir réel de différents voyages que l’insistance voulue sur une idée théologique chère à Luc : la Ville sainte est le lieu où doit s’accomplir le salut 9.31 ; 13.33 ; 18.31 ; 19.11, c’est là que l’Évangile a commencé, 1.5s, et c’est là qu’il doit finir, 24.52s – par des apparitions et des entretiens qui n’ont pas lieu en Galilée, 24.13-51 ; et comp. 24.6 avec Mc 16.7, Mt 28.7, 16-20 – car c’est de là que doit partir l’évangélisation du monde, 24.47 ; Ac 1.8. Dans un sens plus large, c’est la montée de Jésus (et du chrétien) vers Dieu.
D’autres traits littéraires de Luc sont l’emploi des genres du symposium, 7.36-50 ; 11.37-54 ; 14.1-24, et du discours des adieux, 22.14-38, son goût des parallèles (Jean le Baptiste et Jésus, 1.5-2.52) et des inclusions, et le schéma promesse-accomplissement qui ponctue son récit.
Si l’on poursuit dans le détail la comparaison de Luc avec Marc et Matthieu, on observe sur le vif l’activité toujours en éveil d’un écrivain qui excelle à présenter les choses d’une façon qui lui est propre, évitant ou atténuant ce qui peut froisser sa sensibilité ou celle de ses lecteurs (8.43 comp. Mc 5.26 om. Mc 9.43-48 ; 13.32, etc.), ou bien leur être peu compréhensible (om. Mc 4.13 ; 8.32s ; 9.28s ; 14.50) ou les excluant (Lc 9.45 ; 18.24 ; 22.45), interprétant les termes obscurs (6.15) ou précisant la géographie (4.31 ; 19.28s, 37 ; 23.51), etc. Par ces nombreuses et fines touches, et surtout par le riche apport dû à son enquête personnelle, Luc nous livre les réactions et les tendances de son âme ; ou plutôt, par le moyen de cet instrument de choix, l’Esprit-Saint nous présente le message évangélique d’une façon originale, riche de doctrine. Il s’agit moins d’ailleurs de grandes thèses théologiques (les idées maîtresses sont les mêmes que chez Marc et Matthieu) que d’une psychologie religieuse où l’on trouve, mêlées à une influence très discrète de son maître Paul, les inclinations propres au tempérament de Luc. En vrai « scriba mansuetudinis Christi » (Dante), il aime à souligner la miséricorde de son Maître pour les pécheurs, 15.1s, 7, 10, et à raconter des scènes de pardon, 7.36-50 ; 15.11-32 ; 19.1-10 ; 23.34, 39-43. Il insiste volontiers sur la tendresse de Jésus pour les humbles et les pauvres, tandis que les orgueilleux et les riches jouisseurs sont sévèrement traités, 1.51-53 ; 6.20-26 ; 12.13-21 ; 14.7-11 ; 16.15, 19-31 ; 18.9-14. Cependant même la juste condamnation ne se fera qu’après les délais patients de la miséricorde, 13.6-9 ; comp. Mc 11.12-14. Il faut seulement qu’on se repente, qu’on se renonce, et ici la générosité exigeante de Luc tient à répéter l’exigences d’un détachement décidé et absolu, 14.25-34, notamment par l’abandon des richesses, 6.34s ; 12.33 ; 16.9-13. On notera encore les passages propres au troisième évangile sur la nécessité de la prière, 11.5-8 ; 18.1-8, et sur l’exemple qu’en a donné Jésus, 3.21 ; 5.16 ; 6.12 ; 9.28. Enfin, comme chez saint Paul et dans les Actes, l’Esprit Saint occupe une place de premier plan que Luc seul souligne en 1.15, 35, 41, 67 ; 2.25-27 ; 4.1, 14, 18 ; 10.21 ; 11.13 ; 24.49. Ceci, avec l’atmosphère de reconnaissance pour les bienfaits divins et d’allégresse spirituelle, qui enveloppe tout le troisième évangile, 2.14 ; 5.26 ; 10.17 ; 13.17 ; 18.43 ; 19.37 ; 24.51s, achève de donner à l’œuvre de Luc cette ferveur qui touche et réchauffe le cœur.