Reflection on Luke 3:7-18

“You den of writhing snakes, who told you to come to church?  Who told you to confess your sins?  Who told you to come here and seek forgiveness?” 

The disheveled man, wearing skins that only cover the…um…necessities, interrupts the pastor’s sermon and slowly moves up the aisle of the church, yelling as he goes.

“If you are forgiven,” he continues shouting, “then I better see some proof of it in what you do.  If you are a precious tree planted by God, then I better see that you are handing out some sweet juicy fruit to those around you. 

Stopping by the baptismal font, the man challenges those who are listening…and believe me, when a man shows up at church in December in a loin cloth…all are listening.  

“Don’t start to say to me, ‘Hold on sir, we are baptized, we are saved, we are God’s people.’  Enough!  Hypocrites!  If you presume to be a tree, drinking from these waters of life, then you better show it in what you do! 

God doesn’t need to keep you around.  God keeps you around as God’s people right now as a gift.  But, make no mistake, God can baptize the stones of this church and make them God’s holy people if God so chooses. 

So, hear me clearly,” he shouts as if no one could hear his shouting in the little box of a church, “an ax is ready to swing at your feet.”

And, with that, the man pulls out a full sized ax and raises it high. 

A woman gasps and grabs her child. 

A farmer stares and wonders, “How do you hide an axe in a loin cloth?” 

The pastor thinks, “Man that was effective, I wish I had thought of whipping out an ax.”  The sermon is shot anyway, so the pastor quickly turns away to write a note for himself for future reference (“Bring ax, hide in pulpit”). 

For a moment there is a tense silence in the church.  The man holds the ax high over one shoulder…ready to strike.  The congregation stares awkwardly at him…unmoving.  The mother covers and protects her child.  The usher slowly reaches for his cell phone and dials 911.  The Boy Scout ponders on how a well tied knot might help in this situation.  The husband that was dragged along to church wonders what the score of the game is.  

But the most sensible person in the place, the ones who was actually listening to what the man was saying and taking it seriously because he had not yet learned to ignore whatever is said in church, the 13 year old teen, says, “Are you just going to stand there holding an ax in a threatening manner, or are you going to tell us what we need to do?  What should we do?”

The congregation stares at the teen, and then stares at the disheveled, half clothed man who smiles and slowly lowers his ax.  “Your fruits are ripe,” he says, continuing to smile at the boy.  “Do you have more than one coat in your closet at home?” 

“If you needed a coat sir, all you would have had to do was ask,” the teen replied.

“Shut up!” the man shouts.  “Answer the question!  Do you have more than one coat?”

“Yes, of course” the teen replied.

“Good, then take your extra one to school, give it to the front desk and tell them to give it to someone who needs one this winter.”

“Really, that’s it?  That warranted an ax?” the teen asked.

“The extra coat is still in your closet is it not?  It’s serving no purpose right now is it not?  It could be keeping someone warm, could it not?  You hadn’t thought to do it before this very moment, correct?”

“Correct sir.”

“Then I guess you needed an ax,” the man replied.

Seeing how the teenager did not die when talking to the man, the local grocery store owner decides to stand up and give it a go. 

“Tell me then, what must I do?”

“Don’t charge more than what you and your employees need to live.  You shouldn’t be getting rich by selling people what they need to survive.”

“Can’t I just give away a coat like the boy?” the man asks quietly.

The disheveled man raises the ax, and yells at the top of his lungs, “Do both!”

“Ok, Ok, Ok, I got it, don’t get rich off of the poor,” the man said stepping back. 

It is true; sometimes it takes an ax before people will even consider acting reasonably toward their neighbors.  Why should that be the case?

It is at that moment that the police officer at the door asks, “What should I be doing?” 

The usher who had placed the call stares at the police officer thinking, “Let’s look at the situation; room full of people; axe wielding man.  I know exactly what you should be doing!” 

The police officer ignores the usher’s stare.  He has been listening to the strange man of God, and he honestly wants to know. 

“Don’t bribe anyone.  Don’t threaten anyone who doesn’t deserve it.  Don’t hurt someone when it is uncalled for.  Just protect and serve.  Just do your job and do it honestly.  Do your job as if God cares what you are doing.” 

Then the disheveled man with the ax faces the entire crowd and says, “Go about your life, and do your job as if God cares, because God does.  God cares about everyone you run into.  God cares about everyone you deal with.  God cares. 

If any part of your body doesn’t care, then cut it off.  Or, better yet, let Christ burn that part away like a refiner burns away the impurities, or like a farmer burns away the chaff. 

Or better yet, if you are baptized, let the part of you that doesn’t care be drowned.  You are a tree planted by God.  You are a tree fed by the waters of grace from Christ found in this font.  Your fruit is good to eat...it is full of grace.  Let others eat of your good fruit.”

And with that, he lays the ax at the base of the font and walks out of the door.  The pastor gets done scribbling his sermon idea and asks, “What did I miss?”

What did he miss? 

He missed the idea that our life of faith is exactly that: a life.  Faith is not just a set of beliefs, it is a life. 

So, repent, change your minds, turn from your old ways and live a different way.  There are opportunities every single day in which you can decide to refuse to live the way the rest of the world lives. 

The world hordes, the people of God provide. 

The world feels sorry for those who struggle; the people of God join with those who struggle. 

The world shies away from those who are abused and forgotten and say, “I will pray for you,” the people of God pray and then stand right beside those who are abused and forgotten. 

The people of God are a tree that develops juicy, life-bearing fruit, rooted in the deep sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.  

So, prepare to live this day, and tomorrow, and the day after that as if you carry with you the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.  Take a shower in grace, freshen up and prepare for a day of generous giving and love of neighbor.  Make John proud.