A Voice in the Wilderness

 

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin 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. 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.” (Luke 3:1-9 ESV).

 

My first cousin, Charles Emmitte, has a beautiful ranch in north central Texas. While I haven’t visited there yet (I’ve been invited many times since moving back to Texas), the pictures he shares from time to time on social media picture the incredible work he has done to make it such wonderful place. And, if you’ve ever been responsible for taking raw land and developing it, you know the rigors of clearing land to allow it to flourish. He has some cattle that he runs on his place, as well as an abundance of native wildlife. The picture I’ve included is just one of those times when he used some of his heavier equipment to clear some areas. It is no easy task, but the results are undeniable.

 

This is the background of our reading today. Luke anchors John's ministry in human history by listing the Roman emperor, the governor of Judea, and the ruler of the northern province of Galilee where Jesus is living. John preaches in the region near the Jordan River. Huge crowds come out to him, but he is aware that some are here for the wrong reasons. Some are merely curious; others don't recognize any sins in themselves that need to be washed away. John boldly challenges them: 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.” (v. 9).

These strong words challenge us to look deep within our hearts. John came to do some spiritual brush clearing. He calls us to recognize our faults and failings and humble ourselves before our God. This is the clear call to us today. Our world has become overgrown with the “briars and brambles” of our culture. We may even need to get out the heavy equipment. We certainly need to clear our hearts to clearly see the beauty of His grace in our world.