18  True Repentance:  God’s Highway  to the Heart  (Luke 3:7–17)

So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.” Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ, John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (3:7–17)

Having set the scene for John’s ministry in 3:1–6 (see the exposition of those verses in the previous chapter of this volume), Luke gave an illustration of it in verses 7–17. The message John preached, and his dialogue with the crowd, the tax collectors, and the soldiers were not onetime occurrences but were typical of what John routinely did. This brief look at the ministry and message of the one whom Jesus called the greatest man who had ever lived up to his time (Matt. 11:11) is invaluable. John’s blunt, forceful, and uncompromising preaching is a model for all who proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

First and foremost, John was a preacher of repentance, calling on the people of Israel to turn from their sin and embrace the Messiah. Repentance is at the heart of the gospel message; salvation is granted only to those who repent of their sin and acknowledge Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord (Acts 4:12). It is impossible to truly preach the good news of forgiveness and grace without calling sinners to repent, and a gospel message devoid of a call to repentance is foreign to the New Testament (cf. 15:7, 10; 24:47; Acts 5:31; 11:18; 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9).

John’s message stands in sharp contrast to the “cheap grace” and “easy-believism” that characterizes much watered-down contemporary preaching. Such deficient preaching strips the gospel of its warning that sinners have violated God’s law and face His wrath and judgment in eternal hell unless they repent. The predictable result of a shallow, superficial gospel presentation devoid of a biblical call to repentance is a shallow, superficial, nonsaving response. As a result, churches are filled with many who profess to know Jesus Christ, but since they have never repented the Lord will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23). Although they imagine themselves to be on the narrow way that leads to eternal life, they are in reality on the broad way that leads to eternal destruction (vv. 13–14; cf. 25:12; Acts 8:13, 18–23; 2 Tim. 3:5; Titus 1:16).

Even most who heard the powerful preaching of John the Baptist and underwent his baptism failed to manifest genuine repentance. The vast crowds (Matt. 3:5) came to see John and listen to his preaching because they were eagerly anticipating the Messiah. Many even wondered if John himself might be the Messiah (see the discussion of v. 15 below)—a notion that John quickly dismissed (vv. 16–17). But when Jesus did appear and was announced by John as the Messiah and the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29), in spite of being baptized by John, the people ultimately rejected Him.

In light of the ever-present danger of false repentance, it is crucial to be able to distinguish it from true repentance. Six progressive marks of true repentance emerge from this passage as necessary. True repenters must reflect on personal sin, recognize divine wrath, reject religious ritual, reveal spiritual transformation, renounce ancestry, and receive the Messiah.

TRUE REPENTERS REFLECT ON PERSONAL SIN

As noted in the discussion of 3:4–5 in the previous chapter of this volume, John’s ministry as Messiah’s forerunner involved preparing the hearts of the people to receive Him. In the words of Isaiah’s prophecy, John was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” His message, “Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight” (v. 4) called on the people to prepare their hearts to receive the Messiah. The imagery of Isaiah’s prophecy pictures the work of preparing a pathway through the wilderness of the heart. As noted in the previous chapter of this volume, filling in the ravines pictures bringing to light the hidden sins of the heart. Bringing down the mountains and hills symbolizes the abasement of sinful pride. Making the crooked things straight speaks of straightening out anything perverse, twisted, deceitful, or dangerous by confession and repentance. Finally, smoothing out the rough roads refers to removing any hindrance or obstacle, such as self-love, apathy, indifference, lust, or unbelief, that might obstruct the Lord’s entrance into the heart. True repentance involves a complete and full dealing with sin in response to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.

TRUE REPENTERS RECOGNIZE DIVINE WRATH

So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, (3:7a)

A legitimate motive for repentance is fear of God’s wrath. Sin must be dealt with not merely because it creates problems in this life, but even more so because of its far-reaching, eternal consequences. John’s message to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him included warnings of God’s coming wrath (cf. Rom. 2:5, 8; 5:9; Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6; Rev. 6:16–17). The notion of some that the suffering in this world is all the hell anyone will ever know is terribly, tragically wrong. The Bible clearly and unmistakably teaches—in graphic terms—the reality of eternal punishment. Jesus, who preached more about hell then He did about heaven, described hell as the place “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48); “the outer darkness” (Matt. 8:12; cf. 22:13; 25:30); and “the furnace of fire” (Matt. 13:42, 50). In Luke 13:28 he warned His hearers, “In that place [hell] there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.” In hell the lost “will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:9; cf. Matt. 25:41, 46). In that awful place “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10; cf. 14:10–11).

John’s hearers were well aware of God’s coming wrath, since it was a constant theme of the Old Testament prophets. The familiar term “the day of the Lord,” which depicts God’s catastrophic future judgment of the wicked, is mentioned explicitly nineteen times in the Old Testament (Isa. 2:12; 13:6, 9; Ezek. 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18 [two times], 20; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:7, 14 [two times]; Zech. 14:1; Mal. 4:5). It is the time when God pours out His wrath on the wicked, which is why Scripture three times calls the day of the Lord “the day of vengeance” (Isa. 34:8; 61:2; 63:4).

The Old Testament passages dealing with the day of the Lord often convey a sense of imminence, nearness, and expectation: “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near!” (Isa. 13:6); “For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near” (Ezek. 30:3); “For the day of the Lord is near” (Joel 1:15); “Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; surely it is near” (Joel 2:1); “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:14); “For the day of the Lord draws near on all the nations” (Obad. 15); “Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near” (Zeph. 1:7); “Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly” (Zeph. 1:14).

Those imminent past historical days of the Lord were merely a prelude to the final eschatological day of the Lord, which will be far greater in extent and more terrible in its destruction. The Old Testament day of the Lord passages often have both a near and a far fulfillment. Isaiah 13:6 points to an historical day of the Lord, while verse 9 of that same chapter has the final, eschatological day of the Lord in view. Joel 1:15 and 2:1, 11 describe an historical day of the Lord; Joel 3:1–14 the eschatological day of the Lord. Obadiah 1–14 depicts the historical day of the Lord in which Edom was judged; verses 15–21 describe the eschatological day of the Lord. Zephaniah 1:7–14 predicts an imminent, historical day of the Lord judgment on Judah, which was fulfilled shortly afterward in the Babylonian captivity; 3:8–20 predicts the final day of the Lord.

John’s decidedly nonsinner friendly characterization of the crowds as a “brood of vipers” reflects the sobering truth that there is more to repentance than scrambling to avoid the fires of divine wrath. Led by their religious leaders (Matt. 3:7; cf. 12:34; 23:33), hordes of shallow, superficial repenters flocked to hear John. But as he was well aware, they were not interested in changing their nature. By denouncing them as a brood of vipers, John identified them with their father, Satan (John 8:44), whom Scripture depicts as a serpent (Gen. 3:1–5, 13–15; 2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9; 20:2). Their superficial repentance and their vicious, hostile, poisonous natures revealed that they were children of the devil.

TRUE REPENTERS REJECT RELIGIOUS RITUAL

who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (3:7b)

The Jews hoped to gain right standing before God through their own self-righteous achievements. Keeping the Sabbath, celebrating the annual feasts, offering formal prayers, giving alms to the poor, and observing the law (at least externally), was the essence of their religion. Thus it was natural for them to see John’s baptism as just another ritual to perform.

But that legalistic, external approach was antithetical to true repentance, and John boldly confronted them. Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? in this manner, he demanded. Did they think they could escape the inferno of God’s wrath by slithering into the Jordan River like snakes fleeing a brush fire?

God detests mere outward, ritualistic, hypocritical religion. In Isaiah 29:13 He said of Israel, “This people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote.” Later in Isaiah God rebuked His people because they “swear by the name of the Lord and invoke the God of Israel, but not in truth nor in righteousness” (48:1). Jeremiah lamented to God concerning his fellow Jews, “You are near to their lips but far from their mind” (Jer. 12:2; cf. Ezek. 33:31–32). In His masterful discourse on salvation commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7), the Lord Jesus Christ destroyed any hope of salvation through human achievement. He attacked the works-righteousness religion of His day, denouncing its prayers as nothing but vain repetition, its almsgiving as the parading of self-righteous pride, and its outward keeping of the law while ignoring the inner attitudes of the heart as rank hypocrisy. In short, He pointed out the utter inability of all their ceremonies and rituals to earn salvation. After his conversion the zealous (Gal. 1:14), outwardly blameless Pharisee Saul of Tarsus acknowledged that all his self-righteousness amounted to nothing more than a heap of rubbish (Phil. 3:4–8).

Like the crowds that flocked to hear John, churches today are filled with people merely going through the motions. They may be baptized as infants, attend services, perform rituals, pray, read their Bibles, even serve as pastors and leaders in the church. But superficial penitence will not deliver anyone from divine wrath and judgment.

TRUE REPENTERS REVEAL SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance … Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.” (3:8a, 9–14)

Genuine repentance will inevitably manifest itself in changed attitudes and behavior; therefore John challenged those coming to be baptized to bear fruits in keeping with their professed repentance. The apostle Paul also challenged people to prove the reality of their repentance. He described his ministry as one of “declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:20). Because the evidence of the repentance that leads to salvation is a changed life, God “will render to each person according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:6). That does not mean, of course, that people can earn salvation by good works, but rather that good works are the inevitable result of repentance. The repentance that God grants (Acts 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25) does not take place in a vacuum, but in the context of the transformation brought about by conversion and regeneration (2 Cor. 5:17). As a result, the redeemed “are [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

None of this was new to the Jewish people. In Isaiah 1:4–5 the prophet lamented concerning Israel,

In verses 16 and 17, God commanded the people, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” If the presence of those deeds confirmed the genuineness of their repentance, God promised that “though [their] sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool” (v. 18). In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God declared, “[If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (cf. Ezek. 33:19; Jon. 3:10).

John followed his exhortation to repent with a warning of the severe consequences of failing to do so. Indeed, he declared, the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Jesus used the same graphic imagery to depict judgment in Matthew 7:19.) God’s judgment was imminent, John warned; His axe was already laid at the root of the trees. And every tree that does not bear good fruit would be cut down and thrown into the fire. Those trees symbolize people whose repentance is demonstrably false, since they do not bear good fruit—the attitudes and actions that manifest righteousness, love for God, and obedience to His word. They will be thrown into the fire; “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41; cf. 18:8; Jude 6–7).

The judgment pictured here is of individuals, as the singular every tree suggests. But if enough individuals fail to repent, it becomes a national issue. That is what happened in Israel, when the vast majority of the Jewish people rejected Jesus Christ. A few decades later in A.D. 70 the axe of divine judgment fell. The Romans sacked Jerusalem, burned the temple, and slaughtered thousands of Jewish people, who were cast into the fire of eternal damnation. The same axe of divine judgment will fall on all who fail to repent, both Jew and Gentile alike (cf. Joel 3:1–2, 12–14; Zeph. 3:8).

John’s sobering message prompted at least some in the crowd to reflect on their sinful lives. Wanting to know what specific actions they needed to take to manifest genuine repentance, they began questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” John would habitually (as the imperfect tense of the verb translated say indicates) answer them by giving practical advice. He told the crowds in general, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” Though seemingly trivial, sharing such basic necessities as clothing and food with those in need fulfills the command to love one’s neighbor (10:27; cf. Lev. 19:18; Rom. 13:8–10; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8)—which is second in importance only to the command to love God (Matt. 22:37–38).

Luke then recorded the questions of two specific groups. When some tax collectors also came to be baptized and asked him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” John said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Tax collectors were hated, vilified, and scorned because they collected taxes for the Roman oppressors. Despised as traitors and robbers, they were cut off from Jewish religious life and forbidden to testify in court. John did not order them to give up their jobs, since it is not wrong for a government to collect taxes (Matt. 22:17–21; Rom. 13:7). But he did tell them not to collect any more than what they had been ordered to collect. Tax collectors normally increased their profits by extorting exorbitant tolls beyond what was mandated by Rome (cf. Luke 19:8), and demanding kickbacks and bribes. They could manifest true repentance by treating people fairly and honestly and not abusing their authority. Some of the tax collectors took John’s message to heart and repented (Matt. 21:31–32; Luke 19:1–10).

Soldiers were another group prone to abusing their authority for selfish gain. These soldiers could have been under the authority of Herod Antipas or Rome and may also have included some members of the Judean police. John gave them three ways to manifest genuine repentance. First, they were not to take money from anyone by force. The verb translated take money by force literally means “to shake violently.” The soldiers were not, to use contemporary idiom, to shake people down for money through intimidation or force. Nor were they to accuse anyone falsely. They were not to abuse their authority to twist and pervert the evidence in an attempt to extort money from the innocent. Finally, John charged the soldiers to be content with their wages, since failing to do so might motivate them to abuse their power.

By selecting tax collectors and soldiers as examples of those who repented, John was making the general point that true repentance produces a life that is transformed from being characterized by sin to being benchmarked by virtue.

TRUE REPENTERS RENOUNCE ANCESTRY

and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. (3:8b)

The Jewish people based their hope of salvation largely on their descent from Abraham. They were the people to whom God had promised blessing, heirs to the unilateral, irrevocable, unconditional, eternal promises made to Abraham and David. They counted on their Abrahamic descent to gain entrance for them into the kingdom. As some of them proudly said to Jesus, “We are Abraham’s descendants” (John 8:33), and, “Abraham is our father” (v. 39).

But salvation is individual, not corporate. Jesus challenged those who claimed to be Abraham’s children, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham” (John 8:39). “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly,” Paul wrote, “but he is a Jew who is one inwardly” (Rom. 2:28–29). Later in that epistle he added, “For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: ‘Through Isaac your descendants will be named’” (Rom. 9:6–7). To the Galatians he wrote, “Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham…. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:7, 29). Being a descendant of Abraham is no defense against divine judgment, Jesus warned:

Nor was the rich man in the story of the rich man and Lazarus delivered from hell by claiming Abraham as his father (Luke 16:24–26).

In keeping with that biblical truth, John cautioned his hearers not to begin to say to themselves, We have Abraham for our father. Then John pointed out that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. His caustic statement was a severe blow to their overweening pride. There was nothing worthy or deserving about them; God could, if He chose, make children of Abraham out of rocks. And apart from repentance and salvation, their hearts were hearts of stone anyway (Ezek. 11:19; 36:26). John’s harsh tone, reminiscent of his earlier denunciation of them as snakes (v. 7), was warranted by the seriousness of the situation. Those who trust in their ethnic or religious heritage for salvation are deceived and headed for the fire of eternal judgment.

TRUE REPENTERS RECEIVE THE MESSIAH

Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ, John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (3:15–17)

This final point moves beyond the things that accompany salvation to the One who alone can save, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. John’s words powerfully attest that the coming one, the Messiah, is God, since He does things only God can do.

For centuries the Jewish people had longed for and eagerly anticipated the coming of Messiah. But now the people were in a heightened state of expectation because of John’s ministry. Their speculation as to whether he was the Christ, though understandable, was misguided. It is true that John was a prophet (Luke 20:6), and the greatest man who had ever lived up to his time (Matt. 11:11). But John was not the Messiah (John 1:6–8), nor did he ever claim to be. On the contrary, “When the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ [John] confessed and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ’” (John 1:19–20; cf. 3:28).

John’s disclaimer, As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals not only made it clear that he was not the Messiah, but also that he was inferior to Him. John baptized them in the water of the Jordan River as an outward confession of their repentance. But the the Messiah, the One who is coming, or “the Expected One” (Luke 7:19–20) is mightier than John. So superior is the Messiah that John deemed himself unfit even to untie the thong of His sandals—a menial task performed by the lowliest of slaves (cf. John 1:27). The Messiah would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and fire. That demonstrates the Messiah’s superiority to John, for those two supernatural acts can only be performed by God. It is God alone who dispenses the Holy Spirit to those who repent and judgment to those who do not.

The Jews were well aware that under the New covenant, God would send the Spirit to indwell those who repent (Ezek. 36:27; 37:14). Nor does any human have the authority to immerse unrepentant sinners in the fire of eternal judgment. The Jews also knew that the Old Testament frequently associates fire with divine judgment (cf. Isa. 29:6; 30:33; 31:9; 66:15–16; Ezek. 38:22; Zeph. 1:18; 3:8). Malachi wrote that Messiah would come (3:1) bringing judgment, which caused the prophet to exclaim, “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap” (v. 2). In 4:1, God used the metaphor of fire to picture future judgment: “‘For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.’”The New Testament also uses fire in reference to divine judgment (Matt. 7:19; 13:40, 42, 50; 18:8; 25:41; Luke 9:54; 12:49; 17:29; John 15:6; 2 Thess. 1:7; Heb. 10:27; 2 Peter 3:7; Jude 7; Rev. 14:10; 19:20; 20:10, 14–15; 21:8).

Verse 17 pictures the separation involved in judgment by using a familiar agricultural illustration. After the grain was harvested, it was dumped onto a hard, flat floor. It was then tossed into the air with a winnowing fork, and the breeze would blow the lighter chaff away from the heavier wheat. John’s illustration pictures Messiah with His winnowing fork … in His hand, ready to so thoroughly clear His threshing floor that no traces of chaff are left. His judgment will be complete, and no one will be exempted from it. After the separation is accomplished, Messiah will gather the wheat (the repentant; cf. Matt. 13:25–30) into His barn (heaven); but He will burn up the chaff (the unrepentant; cf. Ex. 15:7; Pss. 1:4; 35:5; 83:13; Isa. 17:13; 29:5; Mal. 4:1) with the unquenchable fire of eternal hell (cf. Isa. 66:24; Matt. 18:8; 25:41, 46; Rev. 14:10–11).

John’s powerful call for true repentance is just as relevant and needed today as when he first gave it. It is the duty of every true preacher of God’s Word to warn his hearers of the danger of false, shallow, non-saving repentance; repentance that is grounded in selfish regret over sin’s consequences instead of a desire to be delivered from sin, fails to subdue the love of sin and initiate a passion for holiness, leads to further sin in a hypocritical attempt to maintain the facade of self-righteousness, produces self-deception, leads to a deadly false security, and ultimately hardens the heart, and sears the conscience.