JOHN’S
PRELIMINARY VISION FROM GOD
The preliminary vision was a twofold one. First a great
consciousness of the sin of the people, and secondly an overwhelming sense of
an approaching crisis. These were the two great facts that made the
ministry of John powerful, his sense of sin, and his sense of the imminence of Divine
departure. His vision of the people as they really were, instead of
as they thought they were, and his understanding of the signs of the times were
so perfect, that he knew that he stood on the eve of a new departure.
His consciousness of the sin of the
people is evidenced first by the words addressed to them, especially by that
stinging and terrible description, "Ye
offspring of vipers." (Luke 3:7)
Perhaps the best way to have any correct idea of how these words sounded in the
ears of the listeners is to imagine that a prophet today should use them in
addressing a promiscuous congregation. John looked into the faces of the multitudes
and deliberately called them "offspring
of vipers." These multitudes were not made up exclusively of one class
of people. All Judea went out to hear him. Among the rest there is very little
doubt that Herod at times was an attentive listener. Royalty mingled with the
masses, all sorts and conditions of men stood together, and listened to the
burning words that fell from the lips of the prophet; and looking out over the
sea of upturned faces, and knowing their true moral condition, he called them "offspring of vipers." Matthew
says that these words were specially addressed to the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Luke tells us that they were spoken to the whole of the multitudes, and
undoubtedly both are correct. Luke gives his declamation against the nation,
while Matthew records the special address of John, in which he puts his finger
upon the heart of the sore, showing that he understood the process of the
nation's corruption. Said he to the Pharisees and Sadducees, "Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you
to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matt
3:7) These men were the ritualists and the rationalists of the day, the men
under whose influence religion was evaporating in mere outward form and
ceremony, and men who were sapping the very life essence of religion by denying
the spiritual realm. The Pharisees were ritualists, having form without power.
The Sadducees were rationalists, denying power, and
holding even the form in contempt. Between them, they had undermined
the whole religious fabric, which still stood, a vast and gaudy pile, covering
untold corruption, and liable at any moment to fall in utter ruin.
John looking at these men and at
the people whom they had influenced said, "Ye
offspring of vipers." It was forceful and terrible language,
indicative of the prophet's righteous indignation, born of his keen
understanding of the true condition of affairs.
His sense of sin is also proved by
the varied answers he gave to different people who questioned him. To the
common multitudes he cried, "Bring
forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves,
We have Abraham to our father." (Luke
3:8) In these last words he indicated the characteristic sin of the people,
that namely, of satisfaction in blood relationship to Abraham, despite the fact
that the material corruption of their life contradicted the first essential
greatness of Abraham that of his faith in God and obedience to the Divine will.
When the publicans came to him, and
asked him what they were to do, he replied, "Extort
no more than that which is appointed you." (Luke 3:13) From this answer is seen how accurately he understood
the dishonesty of these men, who under the protection of their influential
position were robbing the people, and enriching themselves.
When the soldiers came to him and
asked, What are we to do, he replied, "Extort
from no man by violence, neither accuse any one wrongfully; and be content with
your wages." (Luke 3:14)
Here again is seen how keen was his
consciousness of the sin of the alien armies, the tyranny of the conquerors.
These men were exacting that which was not their due and this by violence,
creating false charges against men, in order that they might enrich themselves
by the fines imposed. All these replies show how accurate a knowledge the
prophet had of the true condition of affairs, and that was the first part of
his burden.
This SENSE OF SIN had given birth
to another, that of AN APPROACHING CRISIS. Listen to his words, "And even now the axe also lieth at the
root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is
hewn down, and cast into the fire." (Luke 3:9) The axe is laid at the root of the trees. That is a figure of
coming and swift destruction, not the pruning of the knife, but the
destruction of the axe. It is not an occasional branch in which the signs of
decay are manifest. The tree is diseased, and the axe is laid at
its root. Outwardly fair, but inwardly decayed, the tree is doomed to an
immediate destruction.
But the vision was clearer than
this alone would indicate. It was not an undefined crisis that was
approaching, but the definite coming of One, for hear his language,
"He that cometh
after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall
baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire." (Matt 3:11) This One was to be active, and mark well the
characteristics of His activity as John foresaw them, "Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly cleanse His
threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the garner, but the chaff He
will burn up with unquenchable fire." (Matt 3:12) Note the twofold fact, the destructive side as
symbolized by the fan and the fire; and the constructive aspect, as seen in the
cleansing by fire and the gathering into the garner of precious things.
John had a sense of the sin of the people, a consciousness
of a coming crisis, a clear vision of the Deliverer, Whose work was to be
destructive and constructive. With this double consciousness, he
preached with overwhelming force to the vast multitudes that flocked to the
valley of the Jordan to hear him.
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