The Message of John

Two fellows opened a butcher shop and prospered. Then an evangelist came to town, and one of the butchers was saved. He tried to persuade his partner to accept salvation also, but to no avail. “Why won’t you, Charlie?” asked the born-again fellow. “Listen, Lester … More

Repentance

This passage gives us precise historical information about the secular leaders of that day and specifically brings before us the baptism of John the Baptist and his message of repentance (vv. 1-6). Luke tells us exactly when John began his ministry. Isaiah wrote about John in Isaiah 40:3-5. It was in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberias Caesar  (v.1). Tiberias was the step-son of Augustus Caesar and secular history portrays him as a very evil man. Luke then goes on to introduce us to both political and religious leaders who would later determine the death of Jesus Christ. John says that repentance is not genuine unless it is morally productive. He challenged the people to bring forth fruit as an indication of their belief (vv. 7-9). He was clear that being a member of the nation of Israel would not save anyone (v. 8), and that judgment was coming to anyone who did not evidence a genuine repentance (v. 19).

Three groups responded to John’s warnings: the people (vv. 10-11), the tax collectors (vv. 12-13) and the soldiers (v. 14). The virtues God demands are not mere legal technicalities but are:

  1. Generosity (v. 11) - A person shows his repentance by being generous with the necessities of life - clothing and food.
  2. Honesty (v. 13) - Tax collectors were notorious for their dishonesty in collecting more than required and pocketing it for themselves. He said they needed to be fair in all their dealings.
  3. Contentment (v. 14) - Soldiers were known and hated for always trying to get more money. He told them that they needed to be content with what they had.

The crowd, all asked, What should we do to give evidence of genuine repentance? In response John told the people to be (a) generous (3:11), (b) honest (v. 13), and (c) content (v. 14).

Application

These three virtues that John said were evidence of genuine repentance are certainly missing in the day in which we live. On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself in the areas of generosity, honesty and contentment?

Luke 3:1-14 (English Standard Version)


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