Monday after the Sunday after Christmas
Posted on January 2, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 3:1-12 (NKJV)
3:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’”
4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto 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 fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Devotion
John’s ministry was done in a most fitting setting: the Desert of Judea. It was desolate and untamed. How fitting that he would be preaching to a people who were also “desolate and untamed.” His first recorded word was “repent.” How stern and serious was John? What did this little word “repent” really imply? “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance…”
John’s audience was no different than we, as we also need to hear the stern word of God’s Law. Additionally, repentance is no casual one-time act, for even as Christians we sin daily and must confess our many sins. Luther himself said in the first of his 95 Theses that the entire life of the Christian is to be one of repentance. He also said in the Small Catechism that we should, “by daily contrition and repentance, drown our sins and all evil desires.” So it is not only about confessing our sins, it is about battling against them. “Bearing fruit” means to amend our sinful ways. Just like faith without works is dead, repentance without fruit is no repentance. May God work in us to live out our faith each and every day.
Prayer: Almighty and Everlasting God, direct our actions according to Thy good pleasure, that in the Name of Thy beloved Son, we may be made to abound in good works; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
