What Should We Do? John the Baptist’s Answer—Lectionary Reflection for Advent 3C (Luke 3:7-18)

“Saint John the Baptist Preaching” by Mattia Preti, circa 1665

Luke 3:7-18 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

⁷ John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance, and 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; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be 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, 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 strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with 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.

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                According to the Gospel of Luke, “the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness,” after which he began to proclaim a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” in the region around the Jordan (Luke 3:1-3). This is the word we heard on the Second Sunday of Advent.  Now that we have taken another step into the Advent season, we continue with the story of John the Baptist’s ministry. The passage begins by telling us that when the crowds came to John seeking baptism, he rebuked them, telling them “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” (Luke 3:7). That’s rather strong language, especially if you want people to come and hear you preach. It doesn’t seem like that kind of language will lead to church growth (unless you enjoy being yelled at). Nevertheless, this was John’s message to the people who came to him seeking his baptism, and it didn’t seem to deter anyone from seeking his baptism.

                John the Baptist is something of an enigma. As I noted in the lectionary reflection on the Gospel reading from Luke for the Second Sunday of Advent, there is more to John’s story than most of us realize. Most of us, including me, rely on the Gospel accounts, which portray John as Jesus’ forerunner, but what their relationship was more complicated than that? What if Jesus started out as John’s disciple? What if many of Jesus’ teachings have their roots in John’s teachings? We see some of those connections here in our reading from Luke 3. Fortunately, James McGrath has provided us with two helpful books that explore John’s story. One is more accessible than the other, so I recommend starting with his book Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist (Eerdmans). If you need to dive deeper you can always check out his book John of History, Baptist of Faith (Eerdmans).  

                We learned in the opening verses that John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:1-3). Part of that message had to do with John’s apocalyptic message of the coming day of judgment, which is why he asked the crowds coming to receive his baptism who had warned them about that day.  But, if they were coming with sincerity to receive this baptism of repentance, which could provide a clean slate, they also needed to be ready to “bear fruits worthy of repentance.” Therefore, the message John offered the people was one of transformation. Baptism isn’t just a rite of passage; it is the start of a new way of living. Therefore, if they were to truly receive his baptism, they needed to reflect their repentance and gratitude for God’s forgiveness by living differently. He also warns the people not to count on their ancestry to provide them with a pass. Claiming to be a descendant of Abraham meant nothing because God could if God desired, make descendants of Abraham from the stones. He then pushes the conversation deeper by telling the audience, who claim to be descendants of Abraham, that God can make descendants of Abraham from stones. We are judged not based on ethnicity/descent but on our fruit. John wasn’t the first person to make that claim. The prophets of old had made the same claim. Of course, that is Paul’s message as well. So, beware: “The ax is lying at the base of the trees,” so every tree that doesn’t bear fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  

                John’s apocalyptic message seems to have caught the people’s attention because they asked what they needed to do to avoid the day of destruction and judgment. The first thing John tells the crowd sounds like something Jesus might say. He tells the crowd that if they have two coats, they should give one of them to someone who lacks a coat. They should do the same with food. In other words, John (like Jesus) calls on the people to demonstrate their repentance by participating in an equalization program.

                The conversation with the crowd continues with John engaging with several parties. First comes the tax collectors, who were notorious for enriching themselves by upcharging their tax collections. The Romans, who employed the tax collectors, simply asked them to bring in a certain amount of money, but they gained their income by overcharging the people, who feared the authorities. John told the tax collectors who came to him, that they should only collect what was required of them. In other words, no upcharges. The second group who came to John were soldiers. John told them not to extort money with threats but to be satisfied with their wages. Now, the identity of this group of soldiers is not revealed here. Would these be Roman soldiers? Probably not. Instead, they probably served under one of the Herodian monarchs. Nevertheless, the message is the same—don’t abuse your power to steal from the people.  As Monica Coleman notes, “It is clear from the passage that people expected tax collectors and soldiers to exact more from people than their jobs demanded. For these reasons, they were feared and despised. The request not to abuse power should be a simple one, yet in a society where it has become commonplace, a healthy use of power is an important move toward justice” [Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, p. 22].

                You can imagine how this crowd might respond to John’s message. It was simply revolutionary. If you were living among the oppressed classes, you would rejoice at John’s definition of the fruits of repentance. If you were classified among the oppressors, you might resist John, and yet the message seemed rather compelling. Therefore, you might begin to wonder whether John might be the promised one. While Luke portrays John as the precursor to the Messiah, the people who came to John had different ideas. Could this be the one we are waiting for? In Luke’s version of the story, which places John in a subordinate position to Jesus, John resists this interpretation of his ministry. So, Luke’s John the Baptist tells the people “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; who I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). In other words, in this passage, John suggests that someone would follow after him, someone stronger than him, who would carry on a ministry of baptism, but it would come with a more apocalyptic dimension. The reference to the Spirit might speak of empowerment, but the reference to fire suggests judgment. That message comes with the next verse.

                In verse 17, John describes the one who would follow him as being greater than him, such that he is not worthy to tie the coming one’s sandals. Therefore, it would seem that the coming one who is greater than John might be the Messiah, who would bring judgment on the world. Yes, the one whom John expects to follow him will bring with him a “winnowing fork” to “clear the threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” The message here is clear, using the imagery of a harvest John tells the crowd, who wonder whether he is the Messiah, that when the Messiah comes, that person will bring in the harvest. When the harvest takes place, the Messiah will separate the wheat from the chaff. The chaff will get consumed by the fire of divine judgment. You can see here parallels with Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. The message then would be, who do you want to be? Are you chaff or wheat? If the former, here is your fate.

             Our reading from Luke 3 ends in verse 18. It’s an odd way of ending the reading because more words of judgment will follow. Nevertheless, the word we hear at the end is one of hope. “So with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.” While John’s message might not sound like good news, it is the word we hear on this the Third Sunday of Advent, a Sunday that is given the thematic definition of joy (this is the Sunday we light the pink candle). While the reading sounds rather ominous, it does fit with the message of Advent, which involves getting ready for the coming of the promised one. In our reading, John lets us know that we have choices to make, lest we become chaff that is fated to experience the fire of divine judgment. Therefore, repent and bear fruit, so you can avoid that fate. As we ponder John’s apocalyptic message of divine judgment, perhaps we can interpret it through the lens of Malachi’s word about the refiner’s fire that removes impediments but doesn’t destroy. In any case, according to Luke, John’s message of repentance needs to be understood as good news. Just be sure not to rest on your laurels. After all, God can create children of Abraham from the stones!