Baptism of Repentance and Fruits Worthy of Repentance:

Why Are We Not Bearing Fruits Worthy of Repentance?

“John went throughout the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah, ‘A voice cries in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; the crooked places shall become straight, and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”’ John said to the crowds who came to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’” (Luke 3:3–9). I would like to receive the instruction given to me while meditating on this passage.

(1)    Because God’s word came to John, the son of Zechariah the priest (Lk. 3:2), John “went about the region near the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (v. 3).

(a)    Here, the “baptism of repentance” that John proclaimed “for the forgiveness of sins” refers to the act of confessing past sins and changing the direction of one’s life in order to receive forgiveness.  This is the baptism of John as a sign of forgiveness of sins and is understood as a symbolic act preparing to welcome the coming Messiah. In other words, it signifies repenting to have sins washed away, living a new life, and pledging to walk the right way (Internet).

(i)                 The Greek noun meaning “repentance,” metanoias (μετανοίας), and its verb form metanoeō (μετανοέω), mean “to change one’s mind” or “to change one’s way of thinking.” (Hoekmah; Internet).

·         This word denotes a reorientation of heart and mind wrought by the Spirit, which manifests itself in a changed life.  It is not presented as a mere intellectual shift, nor as a human work that earns salvation.  Rather, it is the God-enabled turning that accompanies true saving faith (This word, most often translated “repentance,” expresses a Spirit-wrought reorientation of mind and heart that issues in a changed life.  It is never presented as a mere intellectual shift, nor as a work that earns salvation, but as the God-enabled turning that accompanies true saving faith) (Internet).

-          By proclaiming a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Lk. 3:3; Mk. 1:4), John heralded the kingdom of God to Israel.  His demand was ethical [“Produce fruit worthy of repentance” (Mt. 3:8)] and preparatory, aiming people’s hearts toward the “Lamb of God” revealed in Jesus Christ [John the Baptist heralded the kingdom by calling Israel to baptism “of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Lk. 3:3; Mk. 1:4).  His demand was ethical (“Produce fruit worthy of repentance,” Mt. 3:8) and preparatory, aiming hearts toward “the Lamb of God” revealed in Jesus Christ] (Internet)

(ii)               An interesting point is that John said to the crowds who came to him for baptism, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Therefore, produce fruits worthy of repentance” (Lk. 3:7–8).

·         By “the crowd” that Luke mentions here, Matthew identifies them in Matthew 3:7–8 as “many Pharisees and Sadducees” coming to be baptized: “When John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said, ‘You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Therefore, produce fruit worthy of repentance’” [Jesus also said, “You brood of vipers, how can you speak good…? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt. 12:34), reproving evil hearts and hypocritical outward righteousness (see: Internet)].  That is, John spoke “Produce fruit worthy of repentance” to many Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him.

-          The phrase “you brood of vipers” is a warning that John used to refer to wicked people; it is not mere insult but a rebuke aimed at those who distort God’s will and commit evil deeds—people who are outwardly righteous but inwardly corrupt—and it urges them to repent (Internet).

n   The nature of the Pharisees and Sadducees was dangerously harmful and venomous; they pretended to be righteous outwardly but harbored evil thoughts inwardly. Therefore John pointed out their wickedness and proclaimed a warning, urging them to repent and to bear “fruits worthy of repentance.” (See: Internet)

(iii)             In sum, John went through the regions near the Jordan proclaiming a “baptism of repentance” so that people might receive forgiveness of sins (Lk. 3:3), and to the many Pharisees and Sadducees who came to be baptized (Mt. 3:7) he said “You brood of vipers” (Lk. 3:7) and then commanded them to “produce fruits worthy of repentance” (v. 8).  Here I compared the “baptism of repentance” and the “fruits worthy of repentance” (Internet):

·         The baptism of repentance is the beginning, turning the heart and mind away from sin; fruits worthy of repentance are the practical results in life that show such inner change.  The baptism symbolizes the act moving toward repentance, and the fruit is the evidence proving that one has truly repented, the outward manifestation of a fundamental inner transformation brought about by repentance (Internet).

-          But why did the many Pharisees and Sadducees—the brood of vipers—not bear fruits worthy of repentance? (Lk. 3:7–8; Mt. 3:7–8)  The reason is that they inwardly said, “We have Abraham as our father” (Mt. 3:9).  In other words, they relied on the fact of Abrahamic descent and could not abandon a complacent attitude that presumed their salvation was guaranteed; therefore they failed to produce fruits worthy of repentance (see: Internet).

n  Could it be that even now we do not bear fruits worthy of repentance because we cannot let go of a complacent attitude that assumes salvation is guaranteed simply because we believe in Jesus?

(2)    The calling God gave John [“calling means the objective summons by which God calls me” (Internet)] was the voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the coming of Jesus Christ and to make the Lord’s way straight (Lk. 3:4), and his mission [“mission means the subjective devotion and decision in response to that call and its concrete practice” (Internet)] was to proclaim a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (v. 3), to administer the baptism of repentance, to announce imminent judgment, and to bear witness to Jesus (Internet).

(a)    Thus John proclaimed: “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (vv. 5–6).

(i)                 This proclamation, as a call to prepare the way for the coming Messiah (Christ), means that people should correct their hearts and conduct so they can come before God.  The imagery—“the valleys will be filled,” “the mountains made low,” “crooked places made straight,” and “rough ways smoothed”—explains this in metaphorical terms (Internet).

·         The phrase “every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, the crooked places made straight, and the rough ways smooth” (v. 5) metaphorically expresses removing all obstacles and sins from the heart in order to welcome the Messiah, humbling oneself, straightening what is crooked, and leveling the rough way; making the rough road smooth symbolizes repenting and regulating the heart (Internet).

·         “All flesh shall see the salvation of God” (v. 6) promises that when all this preparation is accomplished, everyone will see God’s salvation (Internet).

-          The message contained in this Scripture is …

n   Preparing to receive the Messiah: As John prepared the way for the Messiah, believers must prepare their own hearts and come to God.

n   Repentance and change: Making crooked things straight and smoothing rough roads means repenting of sin and changing one’s way of life.

n   God’s salvation: Ultimately, as a result of this preparation, all people will experience God’s salvation. (Internet)

(b)    John also proclaimed imminent judgment, saying “Now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (v. 9).

(i)                 This word is a warning of God’s judgment against those who do not repent.  Just as a tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down at the root and thrown into the fire, a person who does not change through repentance cannot escape judgment (Internet).