The objective of this lesson: to intensify the awareness that God's call to repentance exists in His interaction with people in all periods of time. To come to God, a person must repent. To belong to God, a person must repent. That fact always has been true and always will be true.
Focus on God's continuing call to repentance. The last lesson considered God's calls to Israel to repentance (read Solomon's plea in 1 Kings 8:46-53 for Israel's forgiveness when they repented, and Ezekiel's declaration in Ezekiel 18:30-32 that God prefers repentance to vengeance). The Old Testament contains numerous calls from God to Israel to repent.
Begin with a reminder that God continually called Abraham's descendants through Isaac to repentance. When Solomon dedicated the Jewish temple, he asked God to hear Israel's prayers of repentance even if they are in captivity and forgive them. Ezekiel's plea for repentance included the observation that God prefers to respond to sin through the repentance of the sinner rather than through the punishment of the sinner.
John, the one who baptized, and repentance:
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain brief descriptions of John's ministry. Briefly each notes the core of John's message to the Jewish people. Matthew 3:2 states John's core message to be, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Mark 1:4 states John's core emphasis in this manner: "John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." Luke 3:3 emphasizes John's core message this way: "And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. . ."
Each brief account of John's ministry had the message of repentance at its core. Remember John was preaching to Israel! They placed great confidence in the fact they were God's people! If God's people were to receive the Lord, they must repent [see their need to redirect life]!
First, note his basic emphasis: repentance. Second, ask: "What did that mean?" Third, note that repentance must precede baptism for the remission of sins, or that baptism had no effect. If there was no consciousness of sins and no internal desire and intent to direct life away from recognized evil, a physical submission to baptism was meaningless.
The emphasis on repentance was noted above. Stress the meaning of repentance [John's core emphasis] is the redirection of one's life. The meaning focuses on personal change produced by a positive response to God. The positive response to God changed the way the person thought.
Those three things declare a person's commitment to repentance was essential. God through miraculous conception (John 1:13-20) sent John to prepare Israel for the Messiah [the Christ]. God's prophets declared God would send the Messiah (Luke 1:16,17; Mark 1:2,3). What did John stress in his message to prepare Israel to receive the Lord? Repentance! He told even religious leaders who came for baptism that it was meaningless to baptize them for the remission of sins if they did not first repent! (Consider Matthew 3:7,8.)
Baptism for the remission of sins occurred because the person repented! Baptism was to be the initial visible result of repentance! The act of baptism for remission of sins separated from the occurrence of repentance was powerless and meaningless! John stressed baptism as a responsive act, not as a meritorious act.
What did John mean when he called Israel to repentance? Or, if people repented, what would occur? John meant two things.
If a person repented, repentance was expressed in two basic ways.
First, he meant a genuine redirection of personal behavior. Luke 3:10-14 addresses the meaning of repentance. The person who had two undergarments [they looked similar to a long undershirt] should share one with the person who had no undergarment [an active compassion for the huge section of their society existing in poverty]. Those who collected taxes would cease victimizing tax payers--tax collectors would collect no more than they were instructed to take. [Tax collectors frequently used their position to steal.] Soldiers would do three things: (1) cease taking money by force; (2) cease making false accusations, and (3) be content with their wages.
When repentance occurred, the person's behavior changed. His/her thinking changed, which produced a change in personal values, which produced a change in the way he/she looked at others, which produced a change in behavior. Compassion acquired a new focus and meaning.
Second, he meant past religious acts and rites could not be substituted for redirection of life. Matthew notes incidents when John made the following statement to the Pharisees and Sadducees, an indication he directed it toward the highest levels of religious leadership on occasions. Luke notes occasions when John made the statement to the Jewish crowds. The statement: "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham" (Luke 3:7,8; Matthew 3:7-9).
Repentance totally changed one's concept of being a righteous person. No longer was being a righteous person based on having "the correct ancestors," or "the correct history," or "the correct religious acts," or "the correct rituals and traditions." Repentance focused on how one lived. The end result of repentance was new attitudes and new emotions expressed in new behavior and life style.
First, a brood of vipers is a group of poisonous snakes--rather than being harmless representatives of God [as were the prophets], they were poisonous snakes. [They needed redirection!]
Instead of reflecting God's goodness, they were poisonous snakes! That is how God saw them, not how they saw themselves! The contrast is radical! John said these people who claimed to be God's righteous people needed to repent!
Second, their desire for baptism came from a fear for self preservation, not a sorrow that motivated a dedication to change. The "why" of wanting baptism was important! That "why" went beyond a desire for the remission of sins! The only acceptable motivation was a desire to repent, to redirect life! A desire to escape God's wrath was insufficient! The proper motivation for "baptism for remission of sins" was critical!
The foundation desire of repentance is (a) not based on a desire to escape consequences, but (b) is regret for the mistreatment of God Who blesses us. Motive is critically important! Repentance is based in selfless awareness, not on a selfish focus.
Third, if the repentance was genuine, it would be obvious in their behavior. Repentance evidences itself in the way a person lives and acts. Repentance bears fruit. Repentance's fruit is evidenced in changed behavior.
Stress the fact that repentance expresses itself in a person's life by influencing the way the person lives. It is both a mental and physical response to God, not merely a physical response to God.
Fourth, the first century Israelite people used an alternate approach to righteousness. They believed genealogy [heritage, ancestry, "where I came from"] was the essential factor in being the people owned by God. Because Abraham was their ancient ancestor, they did not need to repent. They were a godly people because of their ancestry, not because of their behavior. They endorsed the "do you know who I am" philosophy. To John, that approach was spiritual disaster. The key to escaping God's wrath was repentance, not ancestry! John declared God could make ancestors of Abraham out of rocks. One does not exercise personal choice in ancestry--that is beyond his/her control! One exercises personal choice in repentance--producing repentance's fruits is his/her decision about the use of his/her life!
One is not righteous because of who his/her ancestors were, or because of the religious history of those who preceded him/her. The avenue to righteousness is through repentance. Not even a first century Israelite was righteous before God because of his/her ancestry!
Jesus and repentance:
When Jesus began his ministry, what was his core message? Consider Matthew 4:17, "From that time Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Repentance was central to Jesus' message in his ministry [consider Luke 15].
The core of Jesus' message in his ministry did not change from the core of John's message. Human repentance was at the heart of an appropriate response to God.
See the common theme: God called Israel to repentance; John called Israel to repentance; and Jesus called Israel to repentance. Does that evidence the importance of human repentance to God?
God's call to repentance has never stopped and never will. Repentance will never be unimportant.
Thought and discussion questions:
The core of John's message was repentance.
Repentance is a change of mind that produces a change of heart that results in change of behavior. The attitudes of repentance in John's audience expressed themselves in these behaviors: (1) sharing with those in need; (2) refusing to exploit one's power and position; (3) refusing to be controlled by greed's motivations.
(1) When repentance occurs, personal behavior changes.
(2) One will evidence repentance through a changed life, not merely through religious acts and rites.
Repentance was the core of Jesus' message and ministry. Do call attention to the illustration stories in Luke 15. If there is time, consider repentance and Jesus' injunctions to "sin no more" when he delivered people [as in John 5:14; 8:1-8] and his declarations that a person's sins were forgiven [as in Matthew 9:2; Luke 5:20; or Mark 2:5].
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 5