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 3:7-9
Luke 3 [4.] As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord.
Make his paths straight.
Every valley will be filled.
Every mountain and hill will be brought low.
The crooked will become straight,
and the rough ways smooth.
All flesh will see God’s salvation.’”
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?”
Meaning:
After Luke has introduced John as the voice in the wilderness (Luke 3:1-6), he gives a sample of John’s preaching. It is blunt and uncomfortable. Matthew records almost the same words, addressed especially to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to watch (Matthew 3:5-7; Matthew 3:8-9; Matthew 3:10-12). Luke says John spoke this way “to the multitudes,” because the warning applied to everyone who came for baptism.
- “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
People living by the Jordan knew what happened when the dry brush caught fire: snakes would slither out of the scrub in front of the flames. John compares the crowds to such vipers, hurrying to the river not because they had changed but because they wanted to escape the coming fire. Baptism could become a kind of insurance, a ritual performed to be safe, without any turning of the heart. Jesus would later use the same phrase for religious leaders whose words came from evil hearts (Matthew 12:34). The “wrath to come” is God’s just judgement on sin, which the prophets had linked to the day of the Lord. The good news is that God provides a way of escape. Paul speaks of “Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
- “Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance”
Repentance is a change of mind and direction, and real change shows itself. Fruit is the visible result of what is happening inside a tree. John was not asking people to earn forgiveness by good works; he was saying that genuine turning to God will always show in how a person lives. Years later Paul summed up his own preaching in the same way when he stood before King Agrippa: he had called Jews and Gentiles alike to repent, to turn to God and to do works worthy of repentance. Faith and a changed life belong together. The following verses spell out what such fruit looked like for ordinary people, tax collectors and soldiers (Luke 3:10-11; Luke 3:12-13; Luke 3:14).
- “We have Abraham for our father”
Many of John’s hearers felt secure because they were physical descendants of Abraham, the man to whom God had made his covenant promises. John strips away that confidence. Belonging to the right family, nation or religious group does not by itself make anyone right with God. “God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!” There may be a play on words here, since in Hebrew and Aramaic “children” (banim) and “stones” (abanim) sound alike. The God who created Adam from the dust could create a new people for Abraham from the rocks of the riverbank. Paul explains that Abraham himself was accepted because he “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness” (Galatians 3:6), so his true children are those who share his faith. Jesus later called the repentant tax collector Zacchaeus “a son of Abraham” because salvation had come to his house (Luke 19:9).
- “Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees”
A woodsman lays his ax at the base of a tree before he begins to cut. The picture is of judgement that is near and ready. The trees are not merely being pruned; the ax is at the root. “Every tree therefore that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.” Jesus used the same image: “For each tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 6:44). In his parable of the barren fig tree, the owner says, “Cut it down,” but the vine dresser pleads for one more year (Luke 13:6-9). The urgency of John’s message is matched by God’s patience in giving time to repent.
The Significance of Luke 3:7-9
- No hiding behind religion
Church membership, a Christian family or past religious experiences cannot replace a living, repentant faith. God looks for a heart that has truly turned to him.
- Faith that shows
The fruit of repentance is seen in honesty, generosity and changed relationships. Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). These grow in those who belong to Christ.
- Urgency and hope
John’s warning is severe because the stakes are high. Yet it is a warning given in love, while there is still time to flee to the one who rescues from the wrath to come.
Cross-References:
Matthew 3:7: “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Matthew’s parallel account.
1 Thessalonians 1:10: “Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.” The way of escape John pointed to.
Luke 6:44: “For each tree is known by its own fruit.” Jesus repeats John’s picture.
Luke 13:6: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it, and found none.” God looks for fruit.
Conclusion: In Luke 3:7-9 John warns the crowds that baptism without a changed life cannot save them from the wrath to come. Descent from Abraham is no guarantee, for God can raise up children to Abraham from stones. Real repentance produces fruit, and the ax already lies at the root of the trees. The warning is urgent, but it comes with an open door: turn to God now and live a life that shows it.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible