Day 2 - John the Baptist Preaching Repentance (Matthew 3:7-10, Luke 3:7-14)

Readings:  Matthew 3:7-10, Luke 3:7-14 (Throckmorton §2-3)

Yesterday, I wrote about how John the Baptist came to prepare the people for Christ's ministry.  For John, the message was repentance.  Today's readings expand on this subject.  It may surprise us that when John preached his message of repentance, people came!  But, then John behaves in a way that we probably would not; instead of welcoming them and congratulating them on making that next step in their lives, John asks them, "Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matthew 3:7, Luke 3:7).  You might imagine that they would have responded:  "Well, you did!"  But that's not the point.  Remember, John asks them to "bear fruit worthy of repentance" (Matthew 3:8, Luke 3:8a).  This has caused some consternation among Protestant Christians, since we emphasize Christ's free grace for salvation.  But John is not asking them to do anything to receive forgiveness (you do not have to show fruits in order to be saved).  Instead, he is saying that if you really were repenting, you would show a change in your life.  You see, it is not John who truly called them to repentance, it was God.  Repentance is not a program of self-improvement; it is a response to God's grace in our lives.  Because of our human nature, we are not willing to repent just because someone tells us to (after all, we have plenty of reasons to think we are doing just fine on our own - see Matthew 3:9, Luke 3:8b).  Frankly, we cannot even be scared into repentance.  But the good news is that through Jesus, God is breaking into the world to defeat our sin nature to allow us to realize the mess that we are in on our own, realize our need to change, and then respond to the message we hear.  Telling that bit of good news is the job of all Christians so that others can see grace that is already working in their lives.  So repentance comes when we say "yes" to God and "yes" to the work he wants to do in our lives.

Prayer:  Almighty God, we thank You that when we turned away, and our love failed, Your love remained steadfast.  We thank You that You called people who told us of Your love for us, and may we be faithful in telling others of Your love for them.  May we stop attempting to be better people by our own power, and instead be better people by responding to Your grace in our lives, and through that, truly bear "fruit worthy of repentance."  We pray this through Christ our Lord; Amen.     

Day 1 - John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-6, Mark 1:1-6, Luke 3:1-6)

Readings:  Matthew 3:1-6, Mark 1:1-6, Luke 3:1-6 (Throckmorton §1)

After the birth narratives, the Synoptics all turn to the introduction of John the Baptist.  He's an odd character, to say the least.  Matthew and Mark give us an idea of how John looked:  "John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey" (Mark 1:6, cf. Matthew 3:4).  It must have been quite an image.  Then, to add to all of this, John comes with a single message:  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Matthew 3:2, cf. Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3).  What does that mean?  Most of us may have heard the traditional definition:  to turn around and go the other direction.  But a couple of years ago, I was challenged to think of it in a different way:  to radically rethink what we are doing.  After all, you cannot change where you are going if you do not rethink where you are going.  I think that's what John is saying:  we need to rethink who we are and where we are going in light of the fact that the Kingdom of God is coming.  What will that change about your life?

Prayer:  Almighty God, we thank You that You sent John to announce the way of the Lord.  We thank You that You invite people to rethink their lives in light of Your glorious Kingdom.  May we hear that call and rethink our lives so that in our lives we can bring You glory; through Christ our Lord, Amen.