GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
LUKE 3:14
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “Is there something even we should do?” He replied, “No extorting money from anyone by force, not even by false accusations. Be content with your pay.”
What’s the difference between these soldiers and the other people who were asking John questions? It was more than their profession. It’s that they were Romans; they were Gentiles. They were outside the kingdom of Israel, but John’s preaching was doing something new. It was bringing all kinds of people into the kingdom of God—through the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
These soldiers wondered if there were something even they could do. That isn’t always reflected in translations, but there’s an extra conjunction in their question (kai) which in this case means “even.” John doesn’t pull any punches with his answer. Both diaseio and sykophanteo mean to take money away from people; the first by violence or brute force, and the second by extortion or false charges. “No more ripping people off with violence or trumped-up charges. Get paid for what you do and don’t be a thug.”
Think carefully about John’s words with these Gentiles. What burdens he could have put on them! You’re not circumcised, you’re not properly under the law, you don’t make the right kind of sacrifices, you haven’t even learned enough Hebrew that you could pass your bar-mitzvah like any 13-year-old boy! John says none of it. Later, Jesus would be criticized for not keeping the extraneous laws of the Pharisees, and they expected that he would cave in (Luke 11:38-44). When one of the ‘old guard’ took him to task for what he said, he added even more things the Pharisees and teachers of the law did that went unnecessarily beyond the Scriptures (Luke 11:45-52). Here, John is neither too strict nor too soft with these Gentiles. What does he tell them to do? Luther asks: “Has he in any way imposed anything here other than the ordinary commands of God?” (LW 31, p. 96). As soon as we step across the line of what God commands, we ourselves have transgressed his holy will and sinned, even if we are instructing someone else about their repentance and aren’t the ones who sinned in the first place. Do you wish to repent and show your repentance? Keep the commands of God. Stop questioning what God has said and putting your own desires and wills in its place. In short, show your obedience by willing submission.
The Law as a Curb
Obeying God’s will doesn’t restrict us. It doesn’t constrict our lives so that we can never have any fun. Those are lies of the devil. Obeying God’s will is like obeying traffic laws while driving on a long, high bridge. If anyone disobeys the law, it could be a very bad day for everyone. God is keeping more people than just you safe with his law. His will is that the whole world will be kept safe. The law is “for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers” (1 Timothy 1:10). That’s the first purpose or use of the law—as a curb. It’s what basic commands like “Don’t murder” and “Don’t steal” are all about.
The Law as a Mirror
The law also shows us the extent and depth of our sins. Like a mirror, the law reflects our guilt. “Through the law we become conscious of sin” (Romans 3:20). The second use of the law is as a mirror.
The Law as a Guide
The first two uses are for all people. The first use is more for unbelievers than believers (“The law was not made for the righteous but for lawbreakers,” 1 Timothy 1:9), although all people are sinful. The second use of the law is for everyone but is usually ignored by unbelievers. But there is a third use of the law, a use which is not for unbelievers at all, but is only for the Christian This is the law as a guide—a guide to living our lives of faith. The law shows us how “not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).
God uses the law as a curb to make the world a safer, if not always safe, place. He uses the law as a mirror to lead us to repentance and to a fuller knowledge of our sin. But for us, who put our faith in Christ, he gives the law as a guide for Christian living. This is something we do out of thankful joy due to the message of the gospel. Our motive for willing obedience is not fear—this is something the world doesn’t understand. Our motive is as far from fear as the stars are one from another. Our motive is delight.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota