Luke the physician wrote, “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God”, and in chapter three and verse seven of his book Luke shared how John called the multitude who came “to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers” where we read:
Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him,
O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
The verse reads, “Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, ...” Luke began with the words, “then said he to the multitude” or “therefore, accordingly, consequently and these things being so John uttered, declared, proclaimed and asked the large crowd of people” “that came forth” which means “who presented themselves” “to be baptized of him” or “to be submerged or immersed in water for cleansing by John” the following words. Luke shared how John asked the large crowd who came to be “baptized” by him the following question.
The verse continues, “... O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Luke added the words, “O generation” which means “O offspring, progeny and fruit of men” “of vipers” or “belonging to an adders or other poisonous snakes which are like cunning, malignant and wicked men”, “who has warned you” which means “what person has shown by arguments, taught and admonished the wicked men” “to flee from the wrath to come” or “to seek safety by flight, vanish and escape from the anger, indignation and violent passion that is thought of, intended and had in mind”? Luke shared how John called some of the people who came to him to be baptized a “brood of snakes” and he wondered who “alarmed” them to “seek safety” from the “judgment” of God that was to come upon them.
When think through Luke's words in this verse, we see how John did not pull any punches with people who were coming to him to be “baptized”. He called them “snakes” which implied they were not credible in their pursuits of relating to God, and he wondered who “alarmed” them concerning God's “judgment” to “come”. There will indeed be a “judgment” from God, and because, “every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (See Romans 14:12), God sent His Son Jesus to be the Messiah and Savior of the world. Jesus said, “every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (See Matthew 12:36), and those who are wise will “believe and trust” in Jesus to be their personal “Savior and Lord” so they may receive God's “grace” and “escape” those things which are planned and purposed for those who choose not to yield themselves to Him.
Next time Luke shares how John told the multitude who came to be baptized, “bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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