WHAT SHALL WE DO?
Luke 3:9-14 NKJV
9 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 10 So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” 11 He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” 12 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” 14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”
The word of God came to John the Baptist, and he began to preach and baptize around the Jordan river. He had a very intense message of repentance. He called the people who came out to be baptized the offspring of snakes. How’s that for welcoming guests? I am always a bit wary of modern-day ministers who identify with John. Grace and truth came by Jesus and He is still the best model to follow.
But at this point in history Israel was not in a good place spiritually and John had come to prepare the way for Jesus. So, after calling the people to repentance, John warned them that they were to bear the fruits of repentance. In other words, don’t just say you repent, show it with your actions. This is the meaning behind the ax laid to the roof of the trees and being thrown into the fire. That’s rather sobering so the people asked John what they should do.
John gives three groups of people guidelines of what they need to do to bear fruit. The first thing to most people was to be generous. Giving clothing and food to those who had none was bearing good fruit. There were no government programs to take care of the poor, so it was easier for those living in poverty to go without basic necessities.
The second group that asked John what they needed to do to bear fruit was the tax collectors. These were the Jewish men who worked for the Romans collecting taxes from the people. Even though the Jews hated the tax collectors, John did not tell them to quit their jobs. He did instruct them to not take more than what was allotted to them. The tax collectors would take an extra amount from the people as their regular appointed payment. Some unscrupulous tax collectors would take even more than what was appointed from the people and make themselves rich. So the message to the tax collectors coming back to God was, be honest.
The soldiers are a group I have often wondered about. I can only assume that these were soldiers serving in the Roman army. The fact that they were coming to be baptized by John was unusual. Unless of course, God was moving in the nation of Israel and even the soldiers stationed there were being affected. The message to the soldiers was, be kind and honest. Don’t shake down people for money and abuse your power. Be honest in your dealings with the people. Be content with what you are paid.
APPLICATION
We can see two key themes in all of John’s instructions. How to treat people and not being greedy. Being generous, honest, kind and not motivated by greed were great guidelines for bearing fruit. These guidelines still work well today. Generosity, honesty and kindness are ways we can shine our light in the darkness. Not being greedy is certainly a way to distinguish ourselves from the world.
It’s a great question to ask the Lord regarding our own lives. Lord, what shall I do?