From: Luke 3:1-6

The Preaching of John the Baptist

[1] In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being go-
vernor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tet-
rarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
[2] in the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John
the son of Zechariah in the wilderness; [3] and he went into all the region about
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 cry-
ing in the wilderness: Prepare 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.”

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Commentary:

1. The Gospel identifies very precisely the time and place of the public appea-
rance of John the Baptist, the Precursor of Christ, “Tiberius Caesar” was the se-
cond emperor of Rome, and the fifteenth year of his reign corresponds to A.D. 27
or 29, depending on which of the two possible calculations is correct.

“Pontius Pilate” was governor or “praefectus” of Judea from A.D. 26 to 36. His
jurisdiction also extended to Samaria and Idumea.

The “Herod” referred to here is Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great, who suc-
ceeded to part of his father’s territory with the title of tetrarch, not king. “Tetrarch”
indicated that he exercised his power in subordination to Roman authority. It was
Herod Antipas, who died in A.D. 39, who had St John the Baptist beheaded. On
the identity of the four Herods in the New Testament, see the note on Mt 2:1.

“Philip”, another son of Herod the Great and stepbrother of Herod Antipas, was
tetrarch in the territory mentioned here up to the year 34 B.C. He married Hero-
dias, who is spoken about in Mk 6:17-19.

2. The high priest at the time was “Caiaphas”, who held the position from A.D.
18 to 36. Annas, his father-in-law, was still so influential that he was considered
as the “de facto” head of Jewish religious and political life. That is why, when
Christ was arrested, he was first interrogated before Annas (Jn 18:12-24). St
Luke therefore is perfectly justified in calling him the high priest.

2-3. Here St Luke formally introduces St John the Baptist, who appears in his
gospel a number of times. When Christ praises the Baptist (cf. Mt 11: 7-9) he re-
fers particularly to his strength of will and his commitment to his God-given mis-
sion. Humility, austerity, courage and a spirit of prayer figure strongly in John’s
personality. So faithful was he to his mission of preparing the way for the Mes-
siah that Christ praises him in a unique way: he is the greatest of those born of
woman (cf. Mt 11:11), “a burning and shining lamp” (Jn 5:35). He burned with
love, and shone by the witness he bore. Christ “was the light” (Jn 1:9); the Bap-
tist “came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe
through him” (Jn 1:7).

John the Baptist appears on the scene preaching the need for repentance. He
prepares “the way of the Lord”. He is the herald of salvation: but his mission
does not go beyond that; he simply announces that salvation is coming. “Among
you stands one...who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worth
to untie” (Jn 1:27). He points Christ out: “Behold, the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:29, 36),
behold “the Son of God” (Jn 1:34); and he rejoices to see his own disciples leave
him to follow Christ (Jn 1:37): “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).

4-6. In the second part of the Book of Isaiah (chaps. 40-55), which is called the
“Book of the Consolation of Israel”, the Jewish people are told that they will once
again suffer exile and a new exodus in which their guide will be, not Moses, but
God himself; once again they will make their way through the desert to reach a
new promised land. St Luke sees the preaching of the Baptist, who announces
the arrival of the Messiah, as fulfilling this prophecy.

Because the Lord is imminent, people must prepare themselves spiritually, by
doing penance for their sins, to receive the special divine grace the Messiah is
bringing. This is what he means by levelling the mountains and making the Lord’s
path straight.

Every year in its Advent liturgy the Church proclaims the coming of Jesus Christ,
our Savior, exhorting every Christian to purify his or her soul by a new interior
conversion.

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Readings at Mass

First reading	Baruch 5:1-9 ©

Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress,

put on the beauty of the glory of God for ever,

wrap the cloak of the integrity of God around you,

put the diadem of the glory of the Eternal on your head:

since God means to show your splendour to every nation under heaven,

since the name God gives you for ever will be,

‘Peace through integrity, and honour through devotedness.’

Arise, Jerusalem, stand on the heights

and turn your eyes to the east:

see your sons reassembled from west and east

at the command of the Holy One, jubilant that God has remembered them.

Though they left you on foot,

with enemies for an escort,

now God brings them back to you

like royal princes carried back in glory.

For God has decreed the flattening

of each high mountain, of the everlasting hills,

the filling of the valleys to make the ground level

so that Israel can walk in safety under the glory of God.

And the forests and every fragrant tree will provide shade

for Israel at the command of God;

for God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory

with his mercy and integrity for escort.

Psalm	Psalm 125:1-6 ©