Root Repair Not Fruit Inspection

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Luke 3:7-9

He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?⁸ Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

(ESV)

First impressions are important and set the tone for our interaction with each other.  While most of us attempt to make a good first impression, Luke 3:7-9 would most likely be taught as an example of how not to make a good first impression.  However, since many of those coming out to hear John were most likely some of the religious leaders of his time, John was declaring the truth and using his first statement to these people as a means of awakening them to the truth of how they were living their lives. 

Later, while speaking with these religious leaders Jesus pointed out the flaw in these leader’s lives, they had become so caught up in religious tradition that they had lost sight of God (Matthew 15:1-9).  Their traditions were giving God lip service while their hearts had drifted from God (Matthew 15:8). They, In essence, had taken the traditions of men and turned them into religious doctrines (Matthew15:9).  This does not mean, however, that traditions are evil, only that we must never allow the tradition to become our doctrine of faith and instead allow tradition to remind us of the God behind them.

Unfortunately, we as believers and followers of Jesus Christ can allow tradition to become our doctrine, losing sight of the God behind them.  We can do this by,

1)      Becoming judgmental of non-believers in our society – As a believer, the lifestyle of homosexuality is abhorrent to me.  This is because it is specifically spoken out against in Scripture (Romans 1:26-27, Genesis 19:5-7).  However, just as Jesus died for me while I was still a sinner (Romans 5:8), He died for them too.  The homosexuality in one’s life is the fruit of a life whose root is disconnected from God.  We can, and must, speak out against the bad fruit in their lives but must couple that with sharing the loving message of the Gospel with them, giving them an opportunity to repair the root damage in their lives by connecting with their creator, and begin bearing righteous fruit. 

2)      Keeping the message of God’s grace confined in the walls of our churches – Perhaps the most used word in the recent Presidential campaign in the United States was the word wall.  Donald Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico is a wall designed to prevent people from entering the United States illegally, as well as illegal drugs.  The purpose of this proposed physical wall is to make the United States more secure.  However, walls can also be used to keep something, or someone in.  The walls of churches were never designed to keep the message of the Gospel in but are there to provide shelter for those gathering to worship.  Instead of keeping the Gospel message confined within church walls, we must take that message out for it is the only thing that can repair the root damage of sin in people’s lives (Mark 16:15).

3)      Keep religious traditions like Christmas and Easter in their proper position – Christmas, and to some extent Easter have become secularized in our society.  Many, even some Christians, dread Christmas as they become caught up in the news of Black Friday brawls, crowded stores, the stress of preparing a large meal for family, and lose sight of the true meaning of the holiday, the celebration of the birth of our savior.  While the Christmas and Easter seasons can be busy and hectic, let us not forget to take a moment from the busyness and pause to reflect on the root of these traditions, the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ providing total forgiveness of our sins, connecting us to the root of our creator. 

The job of fruit inspector is an easy position for all it requires is for us to point out the rottenness of rotten fruit.  This is especially true in our modern society where one can from the isolation of a keyboard lash out in condemnation at those whose lifestyles and opinions differ from ours.  Instead, we as believers and followers of Jesus Christ must lay the axe to the root connecting people to this sinful world and point them to the root repairer Jesus Christ through sharing the message of the Gospel of God’s grace.