Thursday 1st January
Read Matthew 3:7-8
“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptising, he said to them: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (NIVUK)
‘Brood of vipers’ is literally ‘seed of the snake’! They are the offspring of the evil one. John never minced words and was rather skeptical of the earnestness of their repentance. Given that he himself was the one warning people to flee from the coming wrath, his question is rhetorical in nature. The real question is why were they repenting at all?
It is an interesting question to ask on a day when people traditionally ‘repent’ of many of their vices and resolve to live life differently. There is nothing particularly special about the first day of a new year that would warrant such new resolutions – yet people regularly make them – consciously or subconsciously. There is a deep-seated knowledge that things aren’t right and decisions must be made.
Statistically these resolutions, grounded in human will power alone, rarely make it past 10 days. They are superficial. Much like John suspects the Jewish leaders’ professions are. The proof of their sincerity will be in their changed lives – they will produce fruit in keeping with repentance. That may change with each individual, but it will be clear to track and measure.
Every day is a day to resolve anew to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. But the scriptures would encourage us to cultivate the fruit of the spirit…“love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) (NIVUK)
