Church Fathers Commentary Luke 1:15-17

"For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother`s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall be turn unto the Lord their God. And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient [to walk] in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared [for him]." — Luke 1:15-17 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: Following the prophecy that he will be the cause of rejoicing for many, the greatness of his virtue is also foretold, as it is said: For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord. The greatness signified is not of the body, but of the soul. Greatness in the sight of the Lord is greatness of soul and greatness of virtue.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For many are called great before men but not before God, such as the hypocrites. And in the same way, John was called great, just as his parents were called righteous, before the Lord.

St. Ambrose of Milan: He did not extend the boundaries of an empire or bring back the spoils of war in triumph. Instead—and what is far greater—by preaching in the desert, he overcame through his great virtue the delights of the world and the lusts of the flesh. Therefore, it is written: And he shall drink no wine nor strong drink.

The Venerable Bede: Sicera is interpreted as “drunkenness,” and by this word the Hebrews mean any drink that can intoxicate, whether made from fruit, grain, or anything else. It was part of the law for Nazarites to give up wine and strong drink during their time of consecration. Therefore, so that they might always remain Nazarites (that is, holy), John and others like him were careful to always abstain from these things.

For a person who desires to be filled with the new wine of the Holy Spirit ought not to be drunk with wine, in which there is licentiousness. It is right, then, that the one from whom all drunkenness with wine is completely removed is filled with the grace of the Spirit. Thus, it follows: And he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit.

St. Ambrose of Milan: On whomever the Holy Spirit is poured, in him there is a fullness of great virtue. This was so in St. John, who, before he was born and while still in his mother’s womb, bore witness to the grace of the Spirit he had received when he leaped in the womb and hailed the good news of the Lord’s coming.

There is one spirit of this life and another of grace. The former begins at birth and ends at death; the latter is not bound by time, is not quenched by death, and is not excluded from the womb.

Greek Expositors: But what John’s work was to be, and what he would do through the Holy Spirit, is shown in the words that follow: And many of the children of Israel shall he turn, etc.

Origen of Alexandria: John indeed turned many, but it is the Lord’s work to turn all people to God their Father.

The Venerable Bede: Since John—who bore witness to Christ and baptized the people in His faith—is said to have turned the children of Israel to the Lord their God, it is plain that Christ is the God of Israel. Let the Arians, then, cease to deny that Christ our Lord is God. Let the Photinians be ashamed to attribute Christ’s beginning to the Virgin. Let the Manichaeans no longer believe that there is one God for the people of Israel and another for the Christians.

St. Ambrose of Milan: We need no testimony that St. John turned the hearts of many, for on this point we have the clear witness of both the prophetic and the gospel Scriptures. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord, and make His paths straight, and the fact that his baptisms were thronged by the people, both declare the rapid progress of conversion.

The forerunner of Christ preached not himself but the Lord, and therefore it is written, And he shall go before Him. It was well said that he would go before Him, for he was His forerunner both in birth and in death.

Origen of Alexandria: In the spirit and power of Elijah. He does not say, “in the mind of Elijah,” but “in the spirit and power.” For the spirit that was in Elijah came upon John, and in the same way, so did his power.

St. Ambrose of Milan: For the spirit is never without power, nor is power without the spirit. Therefore it is said, “in the spirit and power,” because holy Elijah possessed great power and grace. He had the power to turn the false hearts of the people back to the faith, the power of abstinence and patience, and the spirit of prophecy.

Elijah was in the wilderness; John was also in the wilderness. The one did not seek the favor of King Ahab; the other despised the favor of Herod. The one divided the Jordan; the other brought people to the saving waters. John was the forerunner of our Lord’s first coming; Elijah will be the forerunner of His second.

The Venerable Bede: But what was foretold about Elijah by Malachi is now spoken by the angel about John, as it follows: to turn the hearts of the parents to the children—that is, by his preaching, to pour the spiritual knowledge of the ancient saints into the minds of the people. And also, to turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just—that is, to turn them from claiming righteousness by the works of the law to seeking salvation by faith.

Greek Expositors: Alternatively, the Jews were the "parents" of John and the Apostles, but out of pride and unbelief, they raged violently against the Gospel. Therefore, like dutiful children, John first, and then the Apostles after him, declared the truth to them, winning them over to their own righteousness and wisdom. In the same way, Elijah will convert the remnant of the Hebrews to the truth of the Apostles.

The Venerable Bede: Because the angel had said that Zacharias’s prayer for the people was heard, he adds the purpose: to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. By this, he teaches how these people must be healed and prepared: namely, by repenting at the preaching of John and believing in Christ.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, John made ready a people who were not unbelieving but prepared—that is, a people previously fitted to receive Christ.

Origen of Alexandria: This mystery of preparation is being fulfilled in the world even now, for the spirit and power of John must still come upon a soul before it can believe in Jesus Christ.