John the Baptist was a bigger figure in the first century than we realize.

• John’s birth was talked about throughout Judea (Luke 1:57–80)
• People from Jerusalem, Judea, and the countryside went to be baptized by John in the wilderness (Matt. 3:1–6)
• People wondered in John was the Christ or Elijah (cf. John 1:19–28).¹
• Herod believed John was righteous and enjoyed listening to him even though he eventually turned against John (Mark 6:16–20)
• John’s influence spread beyond the borders of Judea; there were Jewish disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus, about 620 miles away as the crow flies.

John’s message and ministry were huge. He preached a baptism of repentance, and people were committed to his message. Matthew 3:6 says and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. People weren’t merely swayed in the moment by a charismatic speaker. They intended to live different lives.

This is illustrated by an interaction between John and the crowd in Luke 3:7–14. John preaches for the people to bear fruits in keeping with repentance (v.8). He goes on to condemn the common thought that being physical descendants of Abraham warranted protection from God (vv.8–9).

The people responded with genuine desire to adhere to John’s teaching. They said what then shall we do? (v.10).

John’s response to this question stood out to me. He did not tell them to be more zealous for ritual purity. He did not tell them to be more distinct from the gentiles than they already were. Instead, he told them to change how to relate to one another. In verses 11–14, he gives the following instructions:

• those with extra clothes or food should give to those without (v.11)
• tax collectors are to only collect what is owed instead of taking excess and pocketing the difference (vv.12–13)
• soldiers should be content with their wages instead of extorting people for extra (v.14)

The people asking these questions were from different walks of life. Some were average folks; others were resented tax collectors; some were soldiers. All these groups had individuals who took John’s message and their baptism seriously. They had repented. They had confessed. Now they were looking to live different lives. And John told them their next steps were to treat people differently. None of John’s responses allowed them to only view people differently. He didn’t say “make sure you no longer hate people in your hearts.” No, he commanded them to treat people differently– give to those who don’t have; don’t force people to give more than they’re required; don’t leverage your authority to get what you want from people.

John’s commands required action (or inaction) from those who received them. Making intellectual distinctions alone is not fulfilling the gospel. Good works are the appropriate response to repentance and faith. Genuine repentance instills a desire to live differently and to produce good works.

Footnotes

1. The Jews hold Elijah in very high regard. Elijah ascended into heaven without dying (cf. 2 Kings 2:11); Malachi prophesied that Elijah would return before the Messianic age (cf. Mal. 4:5). Jews to this day set a plate aside for Elijah during Passover in light of this hope. ↩︎