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Luke 3:7-9
The people who came out to see John the Baptist were Israelites, descendants of Abraham. God spoke to Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 17:4-9 (NKJV) saying, “‘As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’
“And God said to Abraham: ‘As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.’” Because of this passage, which the Israelites knew well, the Israelites came to believe that because they were the descendants of Abraham, they were automatically blessed by God regardless of the way they lived their lives. The part that they were easy to look past is the part about, “you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations” (Genesis 17:9).
John the Baptist calls them out as being a “Brood of vipers” (Luke 3:7) because they had developed a tradition of automatically being included in the blessings of God, even though they had not been keeping their part of God’s promise in the covenant He made with Abraham. But notice that John the Baptist does not condemn them but calls them to repentance, to make their crooked and rough ways straight in the eyes of the Lord. (Luke 3:4-6, Isaiah 40:3-5).
The comment that “God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones” (Luke 3:8b) is to bring humility to the Israelites in a realization that they are not so special in themselves, but only in their reverence to God, which they had turned away from and replaced it with arrogance and pride. The last part of Luke 3:9 reflects that if the Israelites are not living according to the ways of the Lord they will not inherit the blessings of the covenant that God made with Abraham.
This question or message that John the Baptist is to show the Israelites is that in and of themselves they are not worthy of the blessings of God, but that they should repent and be baptized in a show of their faith in God that they are willing to get themselves ready to receive the salvation that God is about to give them.
This is an example of the repentance that we all need to make in getting our hearts right with the Lord.
This is an example that we cannot obtain salvation in and of ourselves.
This is a promise that we cannot inherit salvation from our earthly ancestors, but we must each make the decision to get our hearts right with God.
This is a command to repent and be baptized for the remission of sin.
This is the message of John the Baptist in preparing the way for the Savior.
The first step to salvation is repentance. The message that John the Baptist sends to the Israelites is a preview of what the ministry of Jesus is all about, repentance. We must realize the need for a Savior in that we are not capable or worthy to receive the blessings through anything that we have done or ever will do, not by the tradition of our ancestors or because we try to believe that we are generally a “good person.” It is only through the blood of Jesus in His sacrifice for us that we may receive salvation and eternal life in heaven. We each must make the choice to believe in Jesus and what He has done for us, that we could not do ourselves, that prepares our hearts to receive salvation through Him and only through Him. Jesus proclaimed in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Please do not just read these words of our Savior and pass over them; study them; put them in your heart; believe in Him.
Dear Lord,
The message of John the Baptist was to prepare people’s hearts to receive salvation. You sent Your Son Jesus to be salvation. Please help us to strip ourselves of the pride and arrogance that keeps up from humbling ourselves to the need for our Savior Jesus. Please help us to see that we cannot receive your blessings in and of ourselves, but that it is only through humbling ourselves to You and believing in Jesus as our Savior that we can then repent and be baptized for the remission of sin. Please help us to see Your great love for us and the gift You have given us in Your Son Jesus, that we may repent, be baptized, and receive salvation in Him. In Jesus name I pray, amen.