Presenting oneself to be baptized constitutes a public admission of sinfulness, a humiliating thing to do in a status-conscious society that elevates honor and denigrates shame. A penitent person would assume this posture of humbleness and receptivity to be baptized by John.
The purpose of baptism is explicitly stated, but how baptism is a fitting ritual to signify repentance and forgiveness of sins is less obvious. The notion of baptism is related to washing and cleansing. In the OT, washing signifies repentance (Isa 1:16–17; Jer 3:14) as well as God’s cleansing of a person from sin (Ps 51:5; Ezek 36:25, 33). The Jews practice cleansing for purification (Lev 14–15), but these rites are performed repeatedly whereas John’s baptism seems to be a one-time event. John himself cannot dispense forgiveness, since it is a divine prerogative, but he can at least prepare those who are willing to receive God’s forgiveness and salvation when the Messiah comes.
As the crowds flock to John in droves, the prophet confronts them with a two-pronged challenge. To those who will not repent, John warns of impending judgment. To those who do, he gives practical exhortations on what it means to “bear fruit worthy of repentance” (3:8a). John pulls no punches when it comes to those who rely on their Abrahamic ancestry for absolution of guilt (3:7, 8b). Calling the Jews “a brood of vipers” is highly inflammatory as far as invectives go. We think fearfully of vipers because they are poisonous, hence the metaphor gives an impression of danger, evil, and threat.83 Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that vipers killed their mother when they were born, rendering the offspring of vipers especially contemptible.84 If the coming of God or his Messiah signals the day of judgment to those who do not repent,85 and these vipers think they can slither away unscathed by virtue of their Abrahamic ancestry, then they are deceiving themselves. If God so chooses, even the inanimate stones strewn all over the wilderness can be raised up to take their place as Abraham’s children and God’s elect. Their status as Abraham’s offspring gives them no immunity when it comes to the need for repentance (cf. John 8:33–39).
The analogy of the fruit tree drives home the points of urgency and judgment (3:9). Healthy trees naturally bear good fruit, and those that do not are cut down and burned.86 Similarly, genuine repentance should produce behavior that befits one’s claim to be a bona fide child of God. Otherwise, destruction by fiery judgment is imminent and inescapable, as depicted by the picture of an ax ready to strike at the bottom of a dead tree.87 The fact that the unproductive tree has not yet been cut down offers a glimmer of hope at the eleventh hour. There is still time to repent, even for “the brood of vipers.”
In response to the crowd’s request for specific instructions, John lays out practical examples of fruit-bearing (3:8, 10). Justice, charity, and honesty must characterize communal life. In spite of sparse resources, people must care for one another with a spirit of generosity, sharing clothing and food (3:11). God has always instructed the Jews to care for the poor and needy among them, and they should continue to do so.88
More unexpected is the willingness of tax collectors and soldiers, people marked by their exploitative behaviors, to respond positively to John’s call (3:12, 14). In those days, there were two types of taxes, direct and indirect taxes. Direct taxes (head and land taxes) were collected by the Jewish authorities. The collection of indirect taxes (for customs, tolls, and duties) were farmed out to local tax collectors. Whoever had the highest bid would advance the money to the Romans to earn the right to assess the value of goods and determine how much to tax. Not only did a tax collector have to collect enough from his fellow Jews to recoup the outlay, he would also demand extra to cover his expenses and make a profit.89 A fine line lay between legal taxation and unjust practice. Operating with Roman authority, a greedy Jewish tax collector could line his pockets living off the backs of the common folks. Needless to say, tax collectors were hated and despised as unclean and traitorous because of their dealings with the Romans and their exploitation of their own people.90 John does not order the tax collectors to change their profession, but he challenges them to “collect no more than the amount prescribed” (3:12–13). After all, Rome will still demand taxation, but reformed tax collectors can effectively penetrate a corrupt system with justice and integrity, until the idea of an honest tax collector is no longer an oxymoron.
To soldiers John directs an exhortation not to “extort money . . . by threats and false accusations, and be satisfied with [their] wages” (3:14). Although it is unclear what type of soldiers these are, those paid meagerly may be tempted to bully others to get what they want.91 Again, honesty and contentment are expected of a life oriented toward God, especially when it is so easy for a soldier to intimidate others with their strength and weapon.
John must have left quite an impression on his hearers, for messianic speculation quickly surrounds him (3:15). While many Jews expected the Messiah to be of royal Davidic pedigree (1:32–33; 2:10–11),92 others envisioned a Messiah to be a prophetic figure like Moses or Elijah.93 John’s denial redirects the crowd’s focus on the real Messiah who is to come (3:16–17). First, John highlights the power differential between him and the Messiah in the most emphatic of terms. He construes his relationship to the Messiah as that of a slave before his master. By claiming that he is unworthy to untie the thong of the latter’s sandals, John places himself lower than the lowest, for this demeaning task is normally left to gentile slaves (b. Qidd. 22b). That which Luke implies in the step-parallel pattern of the birth narratives, that the Son of the Most High is far greater than the prophet of the Most High, is now made explicit in John’s admission.94
Second, John’s baptism pales in comparison to the Messiah’s baptism. While this is not meant to devalue the significance of John’s baptism, it anticipates the greater impact of Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire (3:16). An outpouring of the Spirit upon God’s people is a sign of the last days.95 In the Greek, there is only one preposition governing both nouns, en pneumati hagiō kai puri (“with the Holy Spirit and fire”), so one single baptism is in view. But is this a baptism of judgment or of blessing?
The theme of judgment looms large in the immediate context, as fruitless trees and chaff are about to be burned (3:9, 17). Since the Greek word for Spirit, pneuma, also means wind, the combination of Spirit, wind, and fire recalls Isaiah’s description of God’s judgment as a fiery wind (Isa 29:5–6). Whoever refuses water baptism for forgiveness of sins will have to face the Messiah’s baptism of judgment (12:49–53). Although the Holy Spirit judges the wicked, it also blesses the righteous through purification, refinement, and empowerment.96 For Luke, receiving the Holy Spirit is a gift from God (11:13; 24:49). From this angle, the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire anticipates the outpouring of the Spirit in tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost, interpreted by Peter as a sign of the last days (Acts 1:5; 2:1–21).97
Perhaps it is best to let both positive and negative images of the Messiah’s baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire stand without privileging one over the other. According to Simeon, Jesus is “destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel” (2:34). There will be a mixed reception. For those who welcome the Messiah, the baptism of Spirit and fire will be a guarantee of the Spirit’s empowerment now and
