The Good News - The Voice - Part Two

1/24/16

The Voice - A Voice of Truth

In Matthew 3:7-9 we read the veracity and resolution to the truth which John preached:

"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham."

He identified the spiritual leaders of his time as "vipers", a clear message that they are snakes - a biblical symbol of evil and sin. He is challenging them on their presence here in his wilderness temple. He is performing the holy act of baptism and teaching on the forgiveness of sin, as well as a commitment to a changed life. He calls them out on their hypocrisy that they act righteous but produce no fruit in keeping with repentance.

He also brings their faith in their heritage in question. "Oh, your grand daddy was Abraham, huh?", you can hear him taunting.  That is no big deal, God could use the stones of the Jordan river to raise up a nation. An odd thing to say for sure, but not in the context of Joshua 3 and 4. In this story, which the Jewish spiritual leaders surly knew, Joshua leads the Jews across dry land while God holds back the Jordan River. To mark this occasion, God commands Joshua and the people to find twelve stones from the middle of the river bed and make a pillar to commemorate the event. It is very possible that John is recalling the fact that God can do anything with anyone he wants, inheritance is no excuse for noncompliance with God's love and law. Jesus echos a similar thought when these same leaders asked him to quiet the crowds upon his triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  Jesus reply? He tells them "if they were quiet, the very stones would cry out." Just a reminder - man was made from clay (dirt) so stones are not too far from our origins.

The Voice - The Takeaway

Four things we can take away from John the Baptist's life:

1. God has a purpose for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11).

2. Our purpose will require preparation (Luke 1:80).

3. Sometime serving God may make us stand out (Matthew 3:4).

4. Speak the truth with confidence (Matthew 3:7).