Luke 3:7-18
John has some pretty strong words for those who listen. He calls the people gathered to hear him a brood of vipers or children of snakes this is hardly a compliment.
Yet for some reason people are drawn to him and his message. The crowd is made up of general people, yet tax collectors and soldiers in particular are pointed out as not only being present but seem to be fully engaged listening to John and asking him questions.
The crowd takes John’s message seriously. Messianic expectations were high; people living under the Roman occupation had hope of liberation. And John preaches about repentance – turning back to God, re-orienting their lives like an explorer might use a compass and a map.
What I find surprising is how receptive the people are to John’s harsh words. Those who hear his message are convicted. They want to know, each group of people wants to know, what they should do in order to bear fruit for their LORD to see when he arrives.
In order to bear fruit he says that the people must share, keep no more than they need, be fair, treat others with care, and be honest.
In general he says: whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise (3:11).
Specifically to the tax collectors: collect no more than the amount prescribed for you (3:13).
And to the soldiers: do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, be satisfied with your wages (3:14).
This is how you bear fruit: be satisfied with what you have and share what’s left. It is that simple and at the same time it is just that hard.
The crowd wants to know what can they do and we join them in asking what can we do in order to be faithful Christians. And John’s words are just as true for us as they were for those who originally heard them. It is hard for us to realize but in today’s day and age we are these people; we are the crowd, the tax collectors, and the soldiers.
We are a people of abundance who are rarely satisfied with what we have. For example our economic system is built upon us not having one or even two coats but having one or two for every conceivable weather contingency.
There is nothing wrong about buying something at a good price but there is a problem if we receive “a deal” at some one’s expense.
Arthur Simon, founder of Bread for the World, points out that starting at a very young age Americans hear two sets of conflicting messages:*
- Do good, be honest, and obey the law.
- Take what you can for yourself.
Which of these two messages reflects the will of God? And which one of these two actually guides our culture?
I think one of the reasons John and Jesus were and are so captivating is because they were so out of step with the culture of the world. The sound of their voices and their message stood out from the culture of greed and violence, represented by the Romans and the tax collectors.
Their vision was otherworldly of a time and place in which everyone has enough and no one has too much and in which everyone is treated fairly. Is almost like the dissonant sounds in a musical piece that while seemingly out of place some how sound oddly compelling and make us pay closer attention.
Like the crowd we find ourselves drawn to the hope of their message of a better world now and eternally. Like them we find ourselves in the midst of the tension between Repentance and Hope. We have the hope of this alternate world yet unless we repent we have no place, no position in a just world.
What I mean by repentance is not a profession of faith with words but with action. John warns the crowd not to take too much pride in their heritage, telling them that they will not be saved just because Abraham is their ancestor. Likewise it is not enough for us to claim our Christian heritage with our words and fail to bear the fruit required of us with humility.
You see to repent is to change one’s mind, to have a change of heart, to change one’s position, and along with this comes a change in our behavior. Living a faithful Christian life is not about austerity, but embracing and sharing the abundance of what we already have.
And as we begin to see how incredibly blessed we are compared to others who are in need we become satisfied or content with what we have even if it is not the newest or the shiniest in order that others might have something at all. So that when we do give up that extra coat, we do so out of the desire for someone to use it to keep warm rather than out of feeling guilt because we have too many.
But to do this is to march to the beat of God’s drum. This is difficult and we need help doing it, because we are surrounded by so many different messages that convey the myth of scarcity instead of the truth of God’s blessing and grace. And we wonder what can we do what should we do in order to bear good fruit?
At the end of his book How Much is Enough, Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture, Arthur Simon whom I mentioned earlier, gives nineteen suggestions for ways to do to reorient our lives toward God. (Don’t worry I’m not going to read you all nineteen). Here are a couple of ideas that we might include in our preparation for Christmas.
- Begin and continue with Prayer. Ask God for the courage to follow Jesus and for the wisdom to do it well.
- Decide on some steps, small ones at first that allow your faith to become more active in love. (Whatever your steps are, take them as initial steps on a long journey.)
- Deepen your devotional life. Set a regular time and place for prayer, reflection, and Bible reading.
- Turn off your TV. Advertising on TV is a big source of our discontent and informs our perception of the world. I would add limiting screen time on the internet as well.
- Make out your will so that after your death, what you leave behind continues to fulfill the mission of Christ.
- Consider Jesus your most trusted advisor. Ask yourself, what would Jesus want me to do?**
Like the people who gathered to hear John preach were filled with expectation for the messiah we too long for his coming because it promises a different kind of world a hope that people will be just and kind, longing for a world free of school shootings or any other kind of violence.
In Advent this desire for peace and joy is heightened because we are waiting for Christmas remembering that God came and lived among us showing us what is truly good.
And the really good news is that we are invited to participate ushering in God’s kingdom in this New Year.
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* Arthur Simon, How Much is Enough? Hungering for God in an
Affluent Culture (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2003), 176.
** Ibid. 183-186.
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Rev. Michael Fry preaching
at East Bethany PC
on December 16, 2012
