The
multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?” He answered them, “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.”
Luke 3:10-11
Luke 3 [7.] He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.”
Luke 3 [10.] The multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?”
Luke 3 [11.] He answered them, “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.”
Luke 3 [12.] Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?”
Meaning:
John had just warned the crowds that they must “produce fruits worthy of repentance” and that every tree without good fruit would be cut down (Luke 3:7-9). His hearers were stirred and asked the obvious question. Only Luke records this exchange. It shows that John’s fiery preaching led straight to very practical instructions, given in turn to the crowds, to tax collectors (Luke 3:12-13) and to soldiers (Luke 3:14).
- “What then must we do?”
This is the question of people who have been moved and want to respond. It appears again and again in Luke’s writings. At Pentecost those who heard Peter were “cut to the heart” and asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). John did not answer by telling the crowds to leave their homes and live in the desert like him, or to take on special religious duties. He sent them back to their ordinary lives with a new way of living. Repentance is not only something felt in the heart or spoken at the river; it is something done on Monday morning.
- “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none”
The “coat” here is the tunic, the long shirt worn next to the skin. A person with two had a spare; a person with none was among the very poor, exposed to the cold nights of the Judean hills. John asks those who have more than they need to share with those who lack what they need. He does not ask everyone to give away everything. He asks for a simple, concrete act of love that anyone with a little extra could do. Notice that the answer is addressed to the crowd as a whole, to farmers, traders, craftsmen and housewives. No one is too poor to share something, and no one is too important to be asked. The Law of Moses had already expressed God’s care for the needy: “For the poor will never cease out of the land. Therefore I command you to surely open your hand to your brother” (Deuteronomy 15:11). Isaiah described the kind of fasting God really wants: “Isn’t it to distribute your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him” (Isaiah 58:7). John calls the people back to this heart of the Law.
- “He who has food, let him do likewise”
Food and clothing are the most basic needs of life. John’s answer shows that turning to God always turns us toward our neighbour. Real repentance breaks the grip of selfishness and makes room for generosity. It also breaks the habit of looking away. Those who have turned to God begin to notice the hungry and the cold people they once passed by. Jesus would teach the same in stronger words: “Give to everyone who asks you” (Luke 6:30). The early church in Jerusalem lived it out, sharing their possessions “according as anyone had need” (Acts 2:45).
- Faith that works
John’s teaching anticipates the apostles. James asks what good it is if a brother or sister is “naked and in lack of daily food,” and someone only says, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them what the body needs (James 2:15-16). John writes, “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him?” (1 John 3:17). Generosity does not earn salvation, but it is the natural fruit of a heart that has been turned toward God.
The Significance of Luke 3:10-11
- Ask the right question
“What then must we do?” is a good question to bring to God after hearing his word. It moves us from listening to obeying.
- Start with what is at hand
Most of us have a “second coat”: spare clothes, food, time or money. John’s word is simple and doable. Share what you have with someone who has none.
- Repentance in everyday life
God’s call to repent is not only about avoiding wrongdoing. It also means doing good, and especially seeing and meeting the needs of the people around us.
Cross-References:
Isaiah 58:7: “When you see the naked, that you cover him;” The fast God chooses.
Acts 2:37: “Brothers, what shall we do?” The same question at Pentecost.
James 2:15: “And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,” Faith shown in deeds.
1 John 3:18: “My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.” Love in action.
Conclusion: In Luke 3:10-11 the crowds ask John, “What then must we do?” His answer is simple and practical: whoever has two coats should give to the one who has none, and whoever has food should do the same. Repentance shows itself in generosity toward people in need. This was the heart of the Law and the prophets, and it remains the mark of everyone who truly turns to God.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible