And the people asked him, What shall we do? He answered and said to them, "He who has two garments, let him give to the poor, and he who has food, do likewise." The publicans also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher! What should we do? He answered them, "Do not demand anything more than what is determined for you." The soldiers also asked him: "What shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not offend anyone, do not slander, and be content with your salary." And when the people were waiting, and all were thinking in their hearts about John, whether he was not the Christ, John answered everyone: "I will crown you with water, but there is one who is stronger than me, from Whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of my shoes; He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire. His shovel is in His hand, and He will purge His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His garner, and the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire. He preached many other gospels to the people, instructing them.

John admonishes three categories of those who came to him: the simple class of the people, the publicans, and the soldiers. He persuades the simple class of the people to be diligent in almsgiving, commanding that he who has two garments should give to the poor; he convinces the publicans not to exact, that is, not to demand anything superfluous; he urges the soldiers not to kidnap, but to be content with tributes, that is, the salary that is usually given from the king. See how John persuades the common class of the people, as if they were not malicious, to do something good, that is, to give to others, and to refrain from evil. For these were not yet capable, could not do anything good, and it was enough for them not to do evil. Some understand the command to share with one who has two garments with one who does not understand it in a moral sense. That is what they say: the two garments signify the Spirit of Scripture and the letter; John urges those who have both to communicate to those who have absolutely nothing; for example, if anyone understands the Scriptures in both respects, in letter and in spirit, let him pass it on to him who does not have, let him teach him who does not know, and give him at least the letter. "John's virtue was so high that everyone thought of him, was he not Christ himself? Turning away such an opinion, he says: the difference between me and Christ is, first, that "I baptize" with water, and He with the Spirit and fire, and the other is that "I am not even worthy to untie the strap of His shoe." What is meant by the words, "to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire," is quite clear; for he sent the Spirit to the apostles, and over them appeared tongues of fire divided (Acts 2:3, 4). And the words: "I am not worthy to untie the strap of my shoes" obviously mean that I am not worthy to make myself even His last servants. In a more intimate sense, the shoes of both feet of the Lord are His appearance from heaven to earth and His descent from earth to hell. The method of these two phenomena cannot be solved by anyone, even if he is like John. For who can say how the Lord became incarnate or how He descended into hell? The words, "His spade is in His hand," mean that although He baptizes you, you do not think that you are already unpunished; but if you do not keep yourselves blameless in the life that follows, He will burn you with an unquenchable fire. A tares is one who has a barren mind and takes great care only for the things of life. "He preached many other gospels to the people, teaching them." For good teaching is truly consolation, and is rightly called the gospel.

And Herod the tetrarch, who was rebuked by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all that Herod had done evil, added to everything else that he had put John in prison. And when all the people were baptized, and Jesus was baptized, and prayed, "The heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son; in Thee is My good pleasure!

The Evangelist inserted a word about Herod here. It is as if he were saying this: although the people thought very highly of John, yet Herod, rebuked by him, added to all his wickedness that he had imprisoned him. He narrates, as it were, with deep sorrow and strong pity, that Herod had so wrongly treated John, while the people had a high opinion of him. "The heavens were opened" in order to show us that baptism opens the heaven closed by Adam to all. "The Holy Spirit descended" upon Jesus, so that we might know from this that the Spirit also comes upon us when we are baptized. For the Lord had no need of the Spirit, but does all things for our sake, and Himself is the firstborn in all things (Col. 1:18), which we had afterwards to receive, that we might be the firstborn among many brethren. "Like a dove" so that we learn that we need to be meek and pure. And just as in Noah's time the dove depicted the calming of God's wrath, so here the Holy Spirit, having drowned sin, reconciled us to God. And the Son hears a voice spoken from the Father, to show that he has granted sonship to us who are baptized. "In Thee is My good pleasure" — in Thee I have rested.

Jesus, beginning [His ministry], was about thirty years old, and was thought to be the Son of Joseph, Eli, Matthat, Levi, Melchiev, Jannait, Joseph, Mattathia, Amos, Naum, Stim, Naggee, Maath, Mattathia, Shemei, Joseph, Judah, Ioannan, Risaiv, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel, Neriah, Melchiev, Addi, Kosama, Elmodam, Ire, Josiah, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, Levi, Simeon, Judah, Joseph, Jonhan, Eliakim, Melea, Mainan, Mattatha, Nathan, David, Jesse, Obid, Boozov, Salmonov, Naasson, Aminadab, Aramov, Esromov, Pharez, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Farrin, Nahorov, Serukhov, Rahab, Polekov, Ever, Salin, Cainan, Arphaxadov, Sim, Noah, Lamech, Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahaleleel, Cainan, Enos, Seth, Adam, God.

The Lord was baptized when He was thirty years old, because this age is the most perfect, and in it a person turns out to be honorable or worthless. Luke presents the genealogy of the Lord in the reverse order, in comparison with the Evangelist Matthew, in order to show that he who is now born according to the flesh is of God — for see how the genealogy ascends to God — and at the same time, so that we may know that He became incarnate in order to raise up all intermediary fathers to God and make them sons. I can also say otherwise: the birth of the Lord, as seedless, met with unbelief. Therefore, the Evangelist, wishing to show that at other times man was without seed, ascends from the lowest to Adam and God. He says, as it were, "If you do not believe, as the second Adam was born without seed, then, I beseech you, turn your mind to the first Adam, and you will find that he was created by God without seed, and after that do not be unfaithful." Some ask: How does Matthew call Joseph the son of Jacob, and Luke the son of Eli? For it is impossible, they say, for one and the same thing to be the son of two fathers. To this it is answered, that Jacob and Eli were half-brothers, but of different fathers, that after the death of Eli, Jacob took his wife, in order to raise up children by her, and that therefore Joseph is called the son of Jacob by nature, and Eli by the law. For Jacob really begat him by nature, and he was his own son, and he was the son of Eli only according to the law. For the Law commanded that the wife of the deceased should be married to his brother without child, and that the one born of this union should be considered the child of the dead (Deuteronomy 25:5, 6), although by nature it was of the living. Therefore, the evangelists speak correctly, and do not contradict each other. Matthew wrote down Joseph's natural father, and Luke wrote down the father due to him according to the Law, that is, Eli; and both show that the Lord was born to sanctify nature and the Law.

Chapter Four