“Fruit in keeping with repentance”

Read Luke 3:7-14

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John didn’t pull his punches! His words were uncompromising, especially when addressing the Jewish spiritual leaders. These groups were scrupulously religious, yet John calls them a bunch of snakes, the people most in need of repentance. Otherwise, they would remain under God’s wrath (7) i.e. the settled opposition of God’s holy nature to all that is evil (Jn.3:36).

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True repentance always produces good fruit (8) – repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin and “faith without works is dead” (Mk.1:15; Jas.2:26). John spelled out that repentance involves a very practical change in behaviour e.g. sharing with the needy (10) and not misusing power for personal gain (11-12). Whatever our job, repentance must result in doing it uprightly (Mic.6:8).

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The Jews were proud of having Abraham as their ancestor, but in their pride they had forgotten their God-given mission (Gen.12:2-3; Is.5:7). Now, with the coming of Jesus, God will raise up Gentiles to be his children (8). The warning against fruitless repentance was repeated by Jesus (9; Jn.15:2,6). But with it is the promise that by remaining in him we will produce good and lasting fruit (Jn.15:5,16).