What Should We Do?
Words are inadequate to express the heartache and grief the families in Newtown, Connecticut are experiencing today. It’s a tragedy that’s hard to fathom. As a parent I can’t imagine sending my child to elementary school and having an event like this take place that is so senseless, heartless, and unnecessary. It reminds me of a similar slaughter of innocent children in Matthew 2:16-18, “When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
Let’s pray in silence for the victims and their families and all who’ve been impacted by this tragedy.
December 16, 2012
Luke 3:7-18, What Should We Do?
Doug Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church
[vimeo 55777608 w=500&h=375]
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The followers of Jesus are to be different from the rest of the world, different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete explanation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian value-system, ethical standards, relationships, spiritual devotion, attitude toward money, ambition, anger and many other things. Unfortunately the followers of Jesus sometimes don’t appear different than anyone else.
A church board member, not one of ours, was driving home when he got stuck in a heavy traffic jam. Even though traffic was at a standstill, the driver behind him kept honking and honking. In the tension of the moment, the board member finally snapped and got out of his car, walked to the car behind him and punched the driver in the face. Walking back to his car, he passed by his own bumper and his eyes glanced down on his bumper-sticker that read, “Honk if you love Jesus!”
Last week we heard about John the Baptist coming on the scene as a voice crying out in the wilderness. Perhaps John was crying out not just in the sense of using a loud voice, perhaps he was crying because of all the pain, violence, greed, selfishness, and injustice that people experienced and inflicted on one another. There are times when crying seems like the only appropriate response to humanity’s inhumanity. Perhaps a sense of righteous indignation motivated John’s preaching which may sound harsh, jarring, and challenging particularly as an approach to the Christmas season. His preaching of repentance is a direct response to human behavior that ignores the appropriate attitude of any believer towards his or her neighbor – which is love, compassion, respect, and generosity. Unique to Luke’s account of John’s ministry is the response of the crowds (see Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; John 1:19-28). Listen to Luke 3:7-18,
“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, 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 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.”
Most preachers open their sermons with a prayer, a scripture, an illustration that illuminates the theme, or even a humorous story. Most teachers of preaching would not encourage a pastor to begin a sermon by calling the people who are gathered names, but that’s what John does. “You brood of vipers!” You bunch of snakes! What this is meant to evoke in his hearers, I’m not sure, but in Genesis the snake is a deceiver and a liar who attacks the character of God and Adam and Eve’s sense of identity. The snake appeals to their ego and pride and leads them down a path away from their Creator. Maybe John is hinting that he sees who they are, even if they are deceived about themselves. John goes on, asking why they’re even listening to him and who they think they are. John’s answer is, “Nothing special.” John’s approach — at least his introduction — was, no doubt, effective; though I’m not sure I’d recommend it to young preachers. I don’t know how you all would respond if began by calling you names.
Anyway one thing is certain in John’s case: his audience knew where they stood with the preacher. John asks them a pointed question: “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” This sounds a little like God’s question to Adam and Eve after they were deceived by the snake, “Who told you you were naked?” John’s question is rhetorical, serving to emphasize both the accusation (You vipers!) and John’s challenge (Bear fruits worthy of repentance!). John then presses the case, telling them that their ethnic and religious heritage, based on Abraham is meaningless, if their lives don’t reflect Abraham’s faith.
It’s easy to skip past this part of the passage a little too quickly, so let’s be clear: THIS IS HUGE. One of the central elements of the Old Testament covenant is the generational promise, which begins with Abraham, continues with Isaac and Jacob, and is extended through them to all of their descendants (see Exodus 3:6; Jeremiah 33:26). But John says that this promise is meaningless, apart from repentance. In other words, claiming the promise of Abraham without the faith of Abraham simply doesn’t work. John is changing the game, and his preaching challenges his hearers to get into it.
The claim that John makes about the descendants of Abraham is striking. If God is able to raise up children to Abraham from stones, what does that make us? What John is doing in Luke is radical; he redefines what it means to be a child of Abraham, including now all who believe, regardless of their ethnicity or race. John doesn’t reject Abraham’s ethnic descendants out of hand or absolutely. All are called to repent, all are to believe and to bear fruits worthy of repentance.
The recurring question of the crowd is much the same question that our nation is asking after the horror in Newtown, CT: What Then Should We Do? John’s message is not simply a call to belief or trust. John challenges his hearers to right relationships not just with God, but with their neighbors as well.When we lose the human connection we have to other people as children of God that is when individuals become capable of doing horrendous things. Those of us who are heartbroken over what happened in Newtown can thank God we still feel our common humanity and connection. Following John’s dramatic opening, the crowds respond to his preaching. The nature of that response is given only in Luke’s Gospel. The “crowds” as a whole, then even the tax collectors specifically, and finally the soldiers each ask, “What should we do?”
John responds to each reiteration of this question by offering specific action that equates to “fruits worthy of repentance.” To the crowds as a whole, John says: If you have more than you need, whether in terms of food or clothing, you must share with those who have less. To the tax collectors, who were often guilty of adding extra taxation on the top of regional and Roman taxes, John says: Stop stealing from your neighbors. And to the soldiers John says: No more using your power to take advantage of simple citizens. No hoarding, no skimming, no threats, no extortion.
John’s action-oriented fruits of repentance have to do with caring for our neighbors and treating them with respect. Repentance here is not just or even primarily about faith and sin; rather it’s about how we are living out the love of our neighbor. The question which John’s preaching encourages us all to ask today is still: “What should we do?” What are the fruits of repentance, which we might bear? This begins with us as individuals taking a good hard look at our lives and asking God to help us change what we need to change. There are things we are doing that we may need to stop – as with the tax collectors and soldiers. There may be things we need to start doing – as those in the crowd were urged to share clothes and food with those who had less. We need to figure that out for ourselves and get with it.
What should we do when a tragedy happens such as in Newtown, CT? There are many factors which must be addressed in our country from mental health diagnosis and treatment to gun safety to selling violence as entertainment just to name a few. It is not enough to lament and mourn and weep, action must be taken. As you know, Patti Ricotta is going to Uganda next month, but did you know that in October at the National Jubilee Prayers in Namboole, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni made history when he openly repented his sins and the sins of Uganda. I’m not going to share the entire prayer only part of it, but as I read it consider replacing the word “Uganda” with the word “America.” We may think the United States is light years different from Uganda, but perhaps listening to part of the prayer we will hear some similarities. “Father God in heaven, today we stand here as Ugandans, to thank you for Uganda. We are proud that we are Ugandans and Africans. We thank you for all your goodness to us. I stand here on my own behalf and on behalf of my predecessors to repent. We ask for your forgiveness. We confess these sins, which have greatly hampered our national cohesion and delayed our political, social and economic transformation. We confess sins of idolatry and witchcraft which are rampant in our land. We confess sins of shedding innocent blood, sins of political hypocrisy, dishonesty, intrigue and betrayal. Forgive us of sins of pride, tribalism and sectarianism; sins of laziness, indifference and irresponsibility; sins of corruption and bribery that have eroded our national resources; sins of sexual immorality, drunkenness and debauchery; sins of unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred and revenge; sins of injustice, oppression and exploitation; sins of rebellion, insubordination, strife and conflict. Lord forgive us and give us a new beginning. Give us a heart to love you, to fear you and to seek you. Take away from us all the above sins. We pray for national unity. Unite us as Ugandans and eliminate all forms of conflict, sectarianism and tribalism. Help us to see that we are all your children, children of the same Father. Help us to love and respect one another and to appreciate unity in diversity.”
In response, Ugandan Pastor Dr. Martin Kalibbala of New Testament Covenant Church wisely warned that the fruits of repentance are what matter. “If you repent of stealing, God expects you to immediately stop stealing. If the President’s repentance is genuine, it will be measured on God’s yardstick of bearing the fruits of repentance.”
What should we do? We should bear fruits worthy of repentance. We should do so because God wants it, because it is better for us and for everyone, for our nation and the world.
As a writer (Etienne de Grellet) noted, “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”