MATTHEW 3:7-12

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

God chose one man—Abraham—and his family—Israel—to be the people who would carry God’s message and blessings to the entire world (see Genesis 12:1-3). But what happens with the chosen people aren’t faithful? What happens when they turn their back on God?

Most of the Old Testament is the sad story of how Israel’s unfaithfulness brings pain and suffering into the world, rather than blessing. But now Jesus, who is the True Israelite who embodies all of Israel, has come to bring God’s blessing to the nations and to free Israel from its spiritual exile. John the Baptist is preparing the way for Jesus’s ministry, and calling the people to change their minds and change their direction (this is what the biblical concept of repentance means) so they will be ready for the coming Kingdom.

The problem is that many of the Jews believe that they are going to be included in the Kingdom just because they are biological descendants of Abraham. John calls them out of their delusional self-righteousness:

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

John is here foretelling how the Messiah will bring into Abraham’s family people from the nations—the Gentiles—who repent and trust him, and that if Israel doesn’t change direction and change behavior, judgement will fall on them.

This is both good news and bad news for us today.

The good news is that Jesus has brought the blessings of God to the nations with his life, death, and resurrection, and now life in the Holy Spirit is possible to all—even people like me, non-Jews—who repent of their sins and trust him.

The bad news is that the message of John applies to us today. Many American Christians are arrogantly confident that because they prayed The Sinner’s Prayer and have their names on a church membership roll somewhere, that they can continue to live in sin and open rebellion to God. But saving faith is obedient faith, and if we are not “bearing fruit worth of repentance,” just like the unrepentant Jews of John’s day, we are in danger of being chopped down and thrown into the fire.

Do not believe that just because you are an American Christian you are exempt from God’s expectation that you live a faithful life.

But it’s not too late! As long as we are breathing, God’s not done with us yet, which means we can change direction before it’s too late.

NOTE: We have been reading through Psalms, and until we get to Psalm 150, I’m going to keep posting at the bottom of each Matthew post daily commentary on that day’s psalm.  (On the weekends, it will just be that day’s psalm by itself.)  If you’ve read this far, you are an over-achiever.  —AF

Psalm 145

A Song of Praise. Of David.

1 I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
    and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
    and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
    and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
    and kind in all his works.]
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
    and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
    you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
    and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
    he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
    and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

There was a tradition in Babylonian Judaism that Jews should recite Psalm 145 three times a day.

It’s a lovely psalm, full of beautiful affirmations of the character of the Lord.

Can you imagine how your thought life would change if you recited those words three times every day?

P.S.  Here’s a final Shane and Shane musical cover of this psalm