Fruits and Vipers
What does it mean to produce good fruits?
But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 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. "I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." - Matthew 3:7-12
John called those who live off others and do not do the work of God vipers, like those found lurking among the fruit on the trees.
They came to see what all the fuss was about, not to repent their sinful ways or to become believers.
John warned them that the one who is coming will cut them down.
What is their sin? Why is he so angry with them? Is it simply because they don't work?
You could argue that he is accusing them of being lazy, or worse, leaches, living off the efforts of others by choice, not by circumstance.
That would mean they would need to focus on serving those entrusted to them, like the widows and orphans who have no means of support, rather than seek prestige and honor as leaders of the faith.
Who among us are like them today?
The way John lays it out, anyone who fails to produce good fruit is subject to judgment.
I guess the challenge for all of us is to know what good fruit is, not in our eyes, but in God's eyes.
What should we be spending our time doing? Is all work good?
Surely it is good to work to feed our families, to provide shelter, to educate our children, but is that enough?
And if I don't do those things, am I guilty of being a viper?
John's message is designed to make us stop and think. First it makes us judge those who are obviously failing to produce, but then, it makes us think about what we are doing, and what we are not doing.
In the end, it is not how we see ourselves, but how God sees us that matters.
More to come...