10 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
Luke 3.10-14: John the Baptist Teaches
Specifically, they ask what they should do unto repentance, which John was preaching. He was preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (3.3). Clearly, baptism alone would not profit—repentance was necessary, for God demands not an outward, physical cleansing, but an inward change of heart. The outward sign of baptism certainly was necessary—in Luke 7.28-30, we find that “the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by [John].” Thus, it was the will of God that they be baptized, and those who refused found themselves fighting against the Lord. But the water alone meant nothing. God demands a repentance of our sins, a change of our inward man which results in an outward change of action. Here John teaches three categories of men how they can show the fruit of truly repentant hearts in the outward working of their lives.
“What shall we do?” they all ask. In every case, they must change their unrighteous behavior and act with kindness and grace toward their fellow men.
Repentance and Faith may be understood as two sides of the same coin. Saving faith is a conviction and trust which always results in obedience to God. Repentance is a change of heart that always bears outward fruit. Both heart attitudes reveal themselves in a disciple’s language, attitude, and action.