Making a Difference, According to John the Baptist

I have been reading through the Gospel of Luke during this Lenten devotional season, leading up to Good Friday and Easter. I have read this book of the Bible multiple times, but I don’t think I have ever really paid attention to the message of John the Baptist in Luke 3 (anyone else ever “read” the Bible without paying attention or am I alone in this??).

John the Baptist was a relative of Jesus (first or second cousin) – his caricature is that of a crazy man in a mohair suit living in the desert, but more importantly, he is described in the Gospel of John (the Apostle John, not John the Baptist) as a man sent from God to bear witness about the Light of world who was coming (John 1:5). Jesus himself describes John as great among men, and a type of Elijah, the most powerful prophet in Israel’s history. He was called to speak the truth, and as I read Luke 3 this time, I heard some truth that I needed to hear.

The truth he preached was a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3).” He says, do not count on your status as a child of Abraham to avoid responsibility as believers (for me, that means, “There’s more to being a Christian than just proclaiming you have been saved by faith”), but rather, “bear fruits in keeping with repentance (v.8).”

This part is important - being a Christian does not absolve us of bearing fruit. We cannot just relax and claim Jesus as our savior any more than John’s listeners get to rest in being children of Abraham (Jesus would make the same point later on) - he calls these believers a “brood of vipers.” Yikes - I wonder if the the critics of the evangelical church feel the same way about us.

So, what does it mean to bear fruit? His listeners ask this: “What shall we do? (v.10)” He had their attention.

Here is what it means to bear fruit, according to John: 

     Care for those in need - the poor, the disadvantaged, the disenfranchised. Pay attention and do something like sharing from your abundance. I am convinced that this is more than tithing or putting some money in the benevolent fund. Repentance means a turning from something toward something else. Maybe he means we should turn toward those who are less fortunate than us - get involved. In fact, giving your time and energy often will have more impact than a financial gift (although that is obviously necessary as well).

    Be honest in your business practices – there were tax collectors listening to John, also wanting to know what to do. We may not appear to be as crooked as the tax collectors seemed to be, but how much profit is enough? Who is affected when we raise prices just because we can? When people are laid off, is it because of poor personal performance (legitimate), poor company performance (which may also be necessary), or to boost the bottom line for a potential sale or stock price gain?

 Use your authority for the benefit of others - John tells the soldiers who were interested in repentance not to extort from others; to be content with their wages, i.e., position. Authority without compassion is tyranny (just as compassion without using appropriate authority is enablement).

John’s strong critique of the “church” of his time comes as he is also clear to proclaim the coming of the Messiah, i.e., Jesus. Jesus would not only be just as critical of the religious institution of the day as John was, but he would also demonstrate by his life and death just how we are to love others as ourselves. There is good news for those who believe that Jesus is their Savior, even as there is the reality that the wheat will be separated from the chaff. In other words, Jesus is more than a savior - He is Lord of all, and he expects his followers to be found at least trying to be a little more like him in how they live.

I was encouraged and challenged when I heard this quote: “Jesus is insatiable. Everything we do pleases him, but nothing satisfies him. I have been satisfied with Jesus, but he has not been satisfied with me. He keeps raising the standards. He walks in high places. “

Jesus keeps raising the standards. John proclaimed the coming of Jesus the first time, and at Easter we are reminded that he is coming again - He is our living hope. In the meantime, what am I to do as one of his followers? Trusting him for my salvation pleases him – it brings him great joy. That gets me into heaven, but then he raises the standard. Bear fruit in keeping with my repentance. Love others the way Jesus did, and the way John describes in Luke 3. Stop worrying about the church as an establishment that is under attack and be an agent for change in our world the way Jesus was in his day. There is a lot of work for me to do. This will please him – and then he will raise the standard one more time!  

May I, and all who call him Lord, be found bearing fruits of repentance when he shows up again. “The standard is high, Lord. Help me meet the standard!”