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Luke 3:7-14
7He said therefore to the crowds
that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to
flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear
fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We
have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to
raise up children for Abraham. 9Even
now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does
not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10And the crowds asked him,
“What then shall we do?” 11And
he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none,
and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him,
“Teacher, what shall we do?” 13And
he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14Soldiers also asked him, “And
we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by
threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
As John begins his ministry on the banks of the Jordan, of
course he would draw the attention to the established synagogue. The Sadducees (and
Pharisees, mentioned only once in Luke) come to see who is causing all of the excitement.
His greeting of “You brood of vipers” is terrifying. Clearly, John knows
exactly who they are and what they believe. They believe in themselves and
nothing more.
John
realizes that when the Pharisees come to him for baptism, they are being
hypocritical if they are consistent with their own teachings in the oral
tradition of their law, since they see his baptism as unnecessary for
themselves because of their adherence to their traditions and their proud human
ancestry. This is why John calls specifically them “brood of vipers”, for such
an attitude comes from Satan. For John to say that “God is able from these
stones to raise up children for Abraham” would have been a great insult to the Jews,
for Gentiles were considered stones, and John is saying that God can create
Jews out of Gentiles by means of John’s baptism of repentance to the
forgiveness of sins.
Just, A. A., Jr. ©1996. Luke 1:1–9:50 (p. 152). St.
Louis, MO: CPH.
Jesus hasn’t even yet arrived on the scene and already those
who have perverted the Scriptures are being put on notice. John is bold and
fearless in his words to these “leaders”. But the people are captivated by his
words and ask for instruction. “What then
shall we do?” This is a great question and John is prepared with an answer.
Love and serve the people around you. It’s just so simple. Evangelism would be
a breeze if we all listened to his words and lived to serve rather than to be
served. You have to admit, the juxtaposition between the Pharisees and a life
of service is a brilliant object lesson for life inside of the God’s Kingdom.
Each
instruction has to do with attachment to things of this world. For the crowds,
there is the general exhortation to perform deeds of mercy by stripping down
the excess of one’s clothing and food and sharing it with others. For the tax
collectors this means not taking more than their allotted share. For the
soldiers it means not using the power of their office for extortion or
violence. Such deeds in daily life are “fruits worthy of repentance.” The
premier expression of the OT Law is to be merciful as the Father is merciful.
In this way, John’s “ethics” are consistent with those of Jesus, who will sum
up the Law as love for God and love for neighbor; only Luke has the parable of
the Good Samaritan, which illustrates this new interpretation of the Law).
Just, A. A., Jr. ©1996. Luke 1:1–9:50 (p. 153). St.
Louis, MO: CPH.
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