Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 3:7- 20 "WITH DISCERNING EYES"
Day 40 – Luke 3
Text: Luke 3:7- 20
WITH DISCERNING EYES
The multitudes flocked to John! His message of comfort and hope was like no other. He preached with tremendous authority, as an Old Testament prophet would have. His powerful preaching of the Word of God reached hearts in a way that the traditional religious leaders never enjoyed!
However, we must not be mistaken that John merely preached to win multitudes. He was not a man pleaser. He did not compromise his message of comfort by condoning wrong practices.
John preached with very discerning eyes. Luke noted this as he identified different groups of people who came to John. The replies that John made revealed that he was most discerning in his reading of the people who came to him.
“BEAR FRUITS WORTHY OF REPENTANCE” Luke 3:7
Inevitably, there will always be people in the multitude who are of doubtful sincerity. John saw through some of these who came to him. He minced no words when he spoke to them most forthrightly. The first group of people he confronted were described very vividly…
“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
And do not begin to say to yourselves,
‘We have Abraham as our Father.’ …” Luke 3:7-8
Those were very sharp and incisive words. John was absolutely fearless when it came to the preaching of the Word of God. His task was not to please the crowd. He was to prepare the way of the Lord. Yes, there was a message of comfort. However, there were some who did not come to seek comfort. John saw through these people. It must be through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit that John was able to see through the deceptive ways of this group of people. Was John right in his analysis and rebuke?
Yes, he was! In John 8, there was a group of people who also prided themselves as the “children of Abraham”. Their conversation with the Lord Jesus became so strained that they ended up determined that they would plot His death. The Lord Jesus called them children of the devil (John 8:44).
It is easy enough to go through the rites of baptism. However, the question of whether there has been repentance in the heart is another question. John asks for proof of true repentance! There must be “fruit worthy of repentance”. If there is indeed repentance, then there must be worthy fruits to show that repentance has truly taken place. Repentance is more than just saying “sorry”. Repentance requires a forsaking of sin, and the adoption of a new lifestyle! Anything less than that is of doubtful value. We may be able to deceive men. However, we will never be able to deceive God! Every attempt at deception only brings hurt to ourselves.
“EVERY TREE WHICH DOES NOT BEAR GOOD FRUIT IS CUT DOWN…” Luke 3:9
John’s emphasis on good fruit-bearing was not misplaced. This group of people who came to John laboured under the false understanding that being children of Abraham counted for a lot! They felt that they were virtually saved, simply because of their great ancestral heritage!
The preaching of John had a strong (theological) corrective element. The theological perception of his hearers was wrong. He needed to correct them. Being physical descendants of Abraham did not bring about merit that led to salvation! John argued this point strenuously. God was able to “raise up children to Abraham from these stones” (Luke 3:8).
John’s theology had a very down to earth practical application! We are reminded of how the Old Testament prophets also emphasized the same type of application (Cf. Micah 6:8 ; Isaiah 58:6-7).
Good fruits of repentance may be seen in the following ways:-
“He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none;
And he who has food, let him do likewise” Luke 3:11
To the tax-collectors, John said,
“Collect no more that what is appointed for you” Luke 3:13
To the soldiers, John commanded,
“Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely,
And be content with your wages” Luke 3:14
HAVE WE BEEN FULLY HONEST WITH OURSELVES AND GOD?
It is wonderful to have knowledge of God. It is great to be able to speak of having faith in God! However, we must check our lives very carefully. Does our faith in God express itself in good fruits?
Some have managed to separate their faith in God from the practical details of their life. As far as John the Baptiser is concerned, this is a wrong theological understanding. If there is true faith in the Lord, then there must be fruits worthy of our confession of faith in God.
From time to time, we must examine our faith-relationship with God! We must not be less than fully honest with God. We have everything to lose and nothing to gain! On the other hand, if we practise total honesty with God, we have everything to gain, and nothing to lose. Let us seek the comfort of God that comes from the remission of confessed sins!