The Gospel of Luke 3:12-13 When God Says...I Say, AMEN!

When God Says …

“Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.” (Luke 3:12-13 KJV).

These passages show another group of people asking John the Baptist what they shall do? - in response to his call for repentance. John's counsel to questions from various groups about how to live out that repentance, directly points to opposite direction of what they do. Each corresponds to some temptation common to such group. For people in general, John's advice is to use one's abundance to bless those who are in lack.

Here, John is approached by publicans or tax collectors (Luke 3:12 NIV). Being in an era of Roman occupation, the Jewish people were subjects of a pagan empire. Fellow local Jews were hired by the invaders to levy and collect taxes. This was doubly offensive to the people of Israel. Not only did the publicans and tax collectors work on behalf of their nation's oppressors, but they also collaborated with unclean Gentiles. As a result, the term "tax collectors" was often used as general metaphor for distasteful, immoral people.

Worse was the reality that many tax collectors were prone to corruption. Romans cared little how much money they collect from conquered people, so long as the correct tax amount was given to imperial officers. Unscrupulous tax collectors could add extravagant amounts to the taxes they collected, knowing they could threaten them with arrest or imprisonment. Sounds very familiar in today's environment.

John's advice speaks to the core of rampant overtaxing. He instructs them to collect only what was right and no more. In a later passage, Zacchaeus the tax collector will demonstrate repentance by restoring fraudulent wealth to those from whom it was taken (Luke 19:8). This can only be manifest by pursuing and coming to grace as shown by Zacchaeus - the short tax collector. He sought the Lord Jesus without rituals of religion by just climbing a sycamore tree to see the Lord. All he did was come to the Person of Grace. No rigmaroles of confessions and other religious red tapes. Which is what one should do. He turned around come to the Lord Jesus and grace embraced him, saying: “When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”” (Luke 19:5 NIV).

And Zacchaeus drawn by the grace of God, not by self effort to comply the demands of the law or religious creed, displayed spontaneous fruit of grace. “And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”” (Luke 19:8-10 ESV).

And I say, AMEN!

Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries

When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.

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