The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 3:7-8,
"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? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.'"
These strident words, spoken by John, illustrate very clearly the mission he was given by God. Here we see crowds coming out to the Jordan River to be baptized by him. They are not greeted as we might expect, certainly not in a way that the churches of today would greet those who might come to one of our "baptismal services." John calls them a brood of vipers, questions their interest in fleeing God's wrath and then confronts them squarely, up front, and head-on with their mistaken thinking. In a hostile way he tears into them, ripping apart a false notion they were blinded by. They thought their pedigree would get them into God's kingdom - after all, didn't God promise to Abraham that he and his offspring would be heirs to the world?
As we learn from Paul in Romans 9, the offspring of Abraham that would inherit the world will be those who follow in the footsteps of the faith Abraham had. These are the ones who will attain to the resurrection of eternal life. Paul tells us, "For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, 'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring." Romans 9:6-8. Further we read in Romans 4:11b-13, "...he [Abraham] is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith."
As Paul spent time on this very important issue, it is evident that the thinking of the Jews of the day was faulty. An interesting exchange between the Jews and Jesus on this can be found in John 8:31-59. They had mistaken notions of the things of God. Why? Didn't they have the Scriptures? Hadn't God revealed to them what they needed to know? These are the questions that come to mind as we recognize the strident nature of John towards folks coming to him and also the animosity that Jesus himself generated during his earthly ministry as he interacted with many.
I am reminded of just how dark the darkness is that we all have come into this world in. This world is estranged from God, laboring in slavery to a sinful nature that finds its expression in the rebellion and wickedness of mankind. Having turned his collective back on God resulting in a separation from him, mankind has sunk into a darkness, a spiritual blindness that has made it impossible to apprehend the things of God. It is just as evident in our day as in John's day.
Here is where the important ministry of John came in. He confronted the assumptions, the conclusions, the theology, the "wisdom" of this world. It is as if he reached into the collective mind and heart of the Jews who were living in a confidence in the teachings of their elders, and probably their own faulty conclusions regarding the things of God, and ripped it out. He was preparing the way for the Lord. John had quite a task. Sent to spiritually blind people, he prepared them for the Son of God by challenging their false notions of the things of God. My impression is that the voice calling in the desert, preparing a path for the Lord, filling in valleys and leveling mountains, straightening the crooked roads and making the rough smooth is all about preparing spiritually blind people to be exposed to the opportunity of the good news of God's Son.
Just like today! How great is the darkness sin has brought to mankind! How wonderful God sent his Son! "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned... For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:2-7.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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