Luke 3:7-18
New Revised Standard Version (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? 8 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. 9 Even now the ax 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?” 11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14 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.”
15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,[a] 16 John 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[b] the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His 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.
This is what not to do if you’re a preacher and you don’t want your church to fire you: call the people brood of vipers—which is tantamount to calling them children of the devil—and scare the hell out of them saying that if they do not change their hypocritical ways they’d go to hell. But that’s exactly what John the Baptist did!
As a preacher I have to deal with the question about whether or not I am willing to preach such fire-and-brimstone sermon and lose my job; or, since I am not “hired” by some church or religious institution, whether or not I am willing to lose people—especially friends—who would be offended by such message. Since I want to remain true to my calling, I too have to preach the message that John preached which, in our world today, is quite offensive.
Does Luke say John “proclaimed the good news”? Yes he does (see. v. 18)! But how can John’s rather venomous declaration be considered good news?
It is good news in two ways. One, it is good news because it is a message of warning. A warning is meant for the good of those being warned. Its goal is their safety, not their harm, even if it sounds quite offensive and harsh. Two, it is good news because if the warning is heeded then a pitfall or danger may be avoided.
But did John have to call them “brood of vipers”? Let me answer that question with a question. If John did not, could he have gotten their attention? I doubt.
The crowds were not just some pagans who did not recognize the one true God. Their ancestor was Abraham (v.8) and so they were part of “God’s chosen people.” They were “children of God.” The trouble with them, however, was that they did not live their lives according to their identity. They had more semblances with the devil than with Yahweh. Thus, John appropriately called them brood of vipers.
One good thing about the crowds in John’s day, however, was that they were not like some of “God’s people” today. Onion-skinned and easily offended, they might angrily retaliate and throw some nasty and demeaning words at you. Yes, even if you try to speak the truth in love. Sometimes, even if you explain your point in a logical and theological way, they wouldn’t pay attention to what you’re saying. So they misunderstand you. They are more eager to speak than listen. For some strange reason, their minds are apparently already made up. And if your conversation happens to be on Facebook, they might unfriend you. I know—I’ve already lost at least two!
Are God’s people today like God’s people then? I think so. Just as God’s people in John’s day were quick to participate in religious rituals—like baptism—so God’s people today are also quick to do the same. Why? Because “that’s what God’s people are supposed do.”
The baptism that John baptized people in was a baptism that signified one’s repentance. But the people—whom Luke appropriately called “the crowds” because that’s what they really were and not “God’s people”—came to John to be baptized not because they had truly repented. Their intention for baptism was just for show! How similar to “Christians” today who do “Christian activities” and use “Christian lingo”—Amen, Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, God bless, etcetera—just for show!
That’s why I think John the Baptist dealt with them boldly and directly. Without flinching and mincing words he called them in a way that reflects who they really were: brood of vipers.
One good thing about the crowds, however, was that, instead of turning into a mob against John, they agreed with John’s assessment of them and took John’s message positively. Knowing that they could be disinherited and cut off from God’s promise and blessing, they heeded the warning. And as a sign that they truly repented and were committed to change their ways, they asked the question, “What then should we do?” (v. 10).
It is quite remarkable that the question “What should we do” is repeated two more times in this narrative by specific groups: the tax collectors and the soldiers (vs. 12 and 14). And all of these answers tell us that repentance is not just something we experience inwardly—like feeling sorry for our sins—but that it means doing something for the sake of others; that repentance is not just turning away from an egotistic and narcissistic way of living but that it is to live for and love God in a way that such single-minded devotion to God is expressed in loving one’s neighbor, not through mere words but concrete positive action.
To the crowds John said, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise” (v. 10). To the tax collectors he said, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you” (v. 13). And to the soldiers, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages” (v. 14).
If there is such a thing as a “timely message” I think this one is. It comes to us at a right time when something so wrong has just taken place, again! The massacre in Newtown, Connecticut was an evil act committed by an insane person and we rightly condemn it. But we should also condemn ourselves. Why? Because, based on similar crimes that were committed before, we knew that the Newtown massacre was bound to happen, and we needed to do so something, but we did nothing!
Yes we grieve every time tragedy strikes, but our grieving has become hypocritical. And yes like the crowds in John’s day we, too, are brood of vipers! It makes me sick to my stomach that some of my so-called Christian friends would rather argue to keep existing gun laws—and politicize the issue—than directly respond to my specific question about what we can do to minimize, if not put an end, to mass killings, particularly in schools which appears to be the target of preference by some trigger-happy lonely lunatics.
I don’t really know the answer to my own question but if the higher purpose of guns is to protect people from the hands of those with evil intent to kill —perhaps for reasons that their insane mind do not understand—then let’s put these God-damned guns to good use!
America takes pride in her military might and deploys soldiers abroad to “protect Americans” against regimes and terrorist groups and “make America safe.” That’s good. But let’s not forget that America also needs to be protected from insane, if not evil, Americans! So why not use some of them to protect our schools? I think rather than let some enlisted service people just do the drills and sit around (some are actually jobless), giving them the job of securing our schools and other key places is a very good use of military funds.
Perhaps my suggestion is naïve. If it is, then let’s do something else. Honestly, I really don’t know what’s the best way to approach the problem. Perhaps, gun laws need to be changed to stricter ones. But, knowing America’s love affair with guns, the suggestion may be unrealistic, especially if we have to come up with something now. In the meantime, we should just do what we can already do: work to secure schools and other shooting targets. And doing what we have to do might entail our sacrificial support.
What I’m really trying to say is that I’m asking the wise and godly among us, “What should we do?”a If indeed we are children of a loving God who truly care, we have to do something. If we do nothing, then we too are brood of vipers who deserve to go to hell. But if we heed this warning and truly repent and do something, whatever that is, then that’s good news.
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aIn an attempt to start a movement I wanted to call Secure Our Schools (SOS) I checked if the domain name was available. In the process, I discovered that the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (the COPS Office) has already a program called Secure Our Schools (SOS). It appears to be a program that need not only our support but also our watchful eyes. For more details read SOS’s Fact Sheet. Thank you.
PENnED 
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