John said to the crowds that came out to be baptised by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear 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. Even 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.’ And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptised, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers 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.’ … So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. Luke 3:7-14, 18
John the Baptiser again, whom we met in last week’s Gospel reading – the prophet sent with a message from God. John was the forerunner, sent to get everyone ready to receive the God who was coming amongst them. Here’s his message, and it’s quite confronting: “You brood of vipers!” John’s message of judgement seems at odds with the rejoicing in the other readings. There’s a sense of foreboding here, of warning.
John proclaims the coming of the Messiah, who will usher in a new age, the reign of God. He speaks of the coming judgement, and the transformation that needs to happen in people’s lives. Part of that transformation involves a change in the way they think: not relying on their religious heritage. “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.” It’s a reminder to everyone that basing spiritual life on being a religious insider doesn’t really get you very far. “Don’t assume that because you have a religious heritage you belong to God’s people,” he’s telling them. What matters is an attitude of repentance, not the fact that your family has been worshipping in a particular place for generations.
“Repentance” is one of those religious jargon words we tend to use. What it technically means in Hebrew and in Greek is to change our minds, to turn ourselves around so we’re facing back to God again. We’re called to have a good look at our lives and the messy bits that need working on. (Because we all have them, don’t we.) And when John calls people to bear fruits worthy of repentance it’s a message not about what we might “believe” but about how we act towards others, how we treat our neighbours. He’s doing the same thing as the Old Testament prophets – telling people that if they want to get right with God they have to start treating those around them better. Those who have more than enough for their needs must share with those who are going without. Those who have power, like tax collectors and soldiers, should stop abusing their positions to exploit the weak. John’s speaking to the temptations inherent to each group, especially those around grasping at “more” at the expense of others. “Think of the community!” he’s saying. And that’s always a good thing to be doing.
I find it fascinating that Luke describes this message as good news. Where’s the good news in all this coming judgement, I wonder? But it is good news – for those who are poor, for those who are exploited by tax collectors and soldiers, for those who don’t have power. Reading this we remember how so much of Luke’s Gospel was written for those at the bottom of society, for the lowly who are lifted up while the powerful are brought down from their thrones, and for the outsiders who haven’t grown up as one of the religious folk. John’s message is good news for those who are longing for a different society, for a reality transformed by God’s justice and God’s love.
How can John’s message be good news for us? I guess that’s up to us. If we take up his invitation to transform ourselves and reach out in love and justice to our neighbours – then the new life which can result will bring joy and healing not just to those we help but also to us. John’s message can be good news for us because it invites us to become more consciously people of God, discovering what it can mean to share our resources and our lives with those around us.
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