Fruits worthy of Repentance, Luke 3:8:14

^“Bear fruits worthy of repentance… 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." And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." 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." “

Luke 3:8-14 (NRSV)

            What is the saddest thing you have ever heard?  Was it a story, a phrase, a disaster?  For me, the saddest thing I ever heard was a complete misunderstanding of forgiveness.  Forgiveness is an often used phrase among Christians.  We are to grant forgiveness when sought by another.  We are to seek forgiveness when we wrong another, and we are to make restitution in the process.  We are filled with joy in the knowledge that our many sins are forgiven by God through the blood of Christ.  But is that all there is to forgiveness or are we missing something in the equation?

            A number of years ago, Jonathan Edwards preached a message which sparked a Great Awakening of religious fervor in this nation.  It was a sermon titled, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”  It was required reading back in the Dark Ages, when I was a High School Student.  Edwards was ill the day he delivered that message, but the Holy Spirit wasn’t.  It was reported that people were climbing the pillars of the church in the hope of escaping from God’s wrath.  Somehow we’ve lost that aspect of God in our religious practices, that sense of fear (not just awe) of the Lord.  God still has the capacity for wrath.  However, to our great joy, He chooses to act in mercy instead.

            I imagine when I read this passage that some of the same things were happening in Israel.  John and others preached on the impending arrival of the Kingdom of God (Jesus) and many of the people knew that it could/should mean their day of judgment.  The day when as sinners, they would face the wrath of God’s anger.  Now, I am not a big fan of preaching that tries to scare us to Christ, as it were, but there is something to be said about getting the attention of folks who may only pay lip service to their faith.  I believe John’s preaching, like Edwards’ did just that, it got through to people and made them understand the sad state of their souls.

            The truth of the matter is that throughout history, when a prophet (and John was indeed a prophet) delivers a message of God’s warning, there is always a kernel of hope pointed out.  Abraham when he was pleading for the welfare of Sodom and Gomorrah is a good example of this.  So is the reaction of the King of Nineveh to Jonah’s message.  The books of Isaiah and Jeremiah are full of examples of the promised wrath and the hope for reconciliation, forgiveness and healing. 

John spells out this hope pretty clearly for us all.  God’s grace is offered to al and is sufficient to forgive the sins of all humanity throughout all history; past, present, and future.  When asked what it takes for us to gain access to that forgiveness and mercy the crowd was told to; “Bear fruits worthy of repentance…”  In other words, change the way you live as a sign of your repentance from the evils you have committed.  John didn’t stop there.  He made it perfectly clear to the different groups, exactly what evil they needed to change.  And it is in the change that the truth of our repentance is found.  In other words, we cannot go to church on Sunday, seek forgiveness, and then continue to live the same sinful ways on the rest of the week.  It just doesn’t work!

Al of this leads me to wonder; what are the fruits worthy of repentance in my/our life?   What do I/we need to change to bear the fruits worthy of repentance?  These are questions that can only be answered in our time with God.  The time when we are completely open to the one who knows us better than we know our self.  I hope and pray we all find the answers while there is still time to change.

Merciful Lord, you provide many chances for us to change our lives.  Help us this day, to recognize the changes that are the fruits worthy of repentance.  Forgive our sin and guide us in your ways this day.  Amen.