Gospel for Advent 3

Luke 3.7-18 (NRSV)

⁷ John said 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 worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. ⁹Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ ¹⁰ And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ ¹¹In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ ¹²Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ ¹³He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ ¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’ ¹⁵ As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,¹⁶John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ 18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. 

Repentance has two sides - turning away from sin and turning towards God. Unless we do both we have not repented. In other words, we cannot just say that we believe and then live as we choose. John stresses this point in verse 8. John states:

⁸Bear fruits worthy of repentance.’ ... or as a modern translation puts it ‘Do something to show that you really have given up your sins.’ (CEV)

At the other extreme, we cannot simply live a morally correct life without a personal relationship with God - because living a moral life does not forgive our sins. In order to be a Christian therefore, one needs to be both forgiven and show by our lives that we have been and are being changed by the power of God.

Many Jews believed that because they were Jews and obedient to the Jewish laws and customs - they were saved - because they believed that they were God's chosen people. In the second part of verse 8 John warns:

Don't start saying that you belong to Abraham's family. God can turn these stones into children for Abraham. (CEV)

True religion is not inherited. Because our parents were Christians and because we were baptised does not mean that we are Christians. Going to church and doing all the right things does not make a person a Christian. What makes a person a Christian is a personal relationship with God and we enter this relationship through turning back to God and being forgiven of our sins. Forgiveness is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ for it is only through Jesus, who was punished in our place, that any person can be forgiven. In Acts 4:12 we read:

Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone.

True religion is a religion that has the marks of turning away from sin, turning to God and living in a vital personal relationship with Jesus through faith in him. If this has happened it will be evident in the way people live. John explains in verse 9:

An axe is ready to cut the trees down at their roots. Any tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (CEV)

It is always possible to see from people's lives whether or not they have repented and accepted Christ into their lives by faith. Just as a person can tell the type of tree by the fruit - so can one tell a Christian by the lives they live. James explained this in chapter 2 of his letter. He writes:

My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don't do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that faith really save you? ... Faith that does not lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead. ... Anyone who doesn't breathe is dead, and faith that doesn't do anything is just as dead! (CEV)

In verse 10 therefore, the people asked John what they should do. In verses 11 to 14, John gives them some practical advice and revealed that the change of heart was not necessarily some dramatic act, far removed from our everyday existence. He stressed that it should be evident in the tasks of our ordinary everyday lives.

In verse 11 he tells the people that those who have extra clothing and food are to share with those who have none. Tax collectors were not necessarily to leave their jobs, but do them with absolute fairness and honesty. Soldiers were to serve faithfully, content with their pay and not exploit others because of the power they had over them. We learn therefore that it is a person's duty to serve God where God has placed them. John believed that nowhere can a person better serve God than in their day's work.

John taught with authority and it was obvious that he was a God ordained prophet. People were attracted to his message because they knew that he was telling the truth. Verse 15 records their response. Everyone became excited and wondered, "Could John be the Messiah?"

John hastens to tell them that he is not the Messiah and gives two important reasons. Firstly, he points out that he is nothing like the Messiah. Verse 16 explains:

... someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough to untie his sandals. ... (CEV)

In sheer power, Jesus was mightier than John. In addition, John claims that he was not even worthy to untie the Messiah's sandals. We know that this task was usually reserved for the lowliest people of society. In this way therefore John makes it clear that the Messiah is far greater than he. Secondly, he points out that his baptism is with water and the baptism of the Messiah is with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The baptism of the Messiah is therefore more than just a cleansing ritual, it is also like fire which purifies precious metals. The Holy Spirit transforms people and deals decisively with the sin in their lives. In addition, the Holy Spirit empowers and strengthens people to fulfill what they are called to do. Miller explains:

Water cleanses the outside alone. Fire penetrates to the deepest recesses and purifies the inner life.

Verse 17 is John's warning. The Messiah also comes as a judge. Those who refuse to obey and turn to God and allow themselves to be used by God will be discarded like the useless outer husks of grain because they are worthless. On the other hand, those who turn to God, believe and accept the Messiah - Jesus Christ - into their lives by faith, have great worth because they begin a new and productive life working for God's glory on earth. In verse 18 Luke records how in this and 'in many different ways John preached the good news to the people'.