In Luke chapter 3, we read an account of John the Baptist telling those who came to him for baptism to repent from their sins.
"Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance," he told them.
8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father: for I say to you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
9 And now also the ax is laid to the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
11 He answereth and saith to them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath provisions, let him do likewise.
12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said to him, Master, what shall we do?
13 And he said to them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
14 And the soldiers likewise asked him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said to them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with your wages.
Luke 3:8 – 14 Noah Webster Bible
What must one do to bear fruits worthy of repentance? What fruits are these?
Verse 12 tells us that the publicans (tax-collectors) asked John,
"Master, what shall we do?"
Similarly, in verse 13, the soldiers who came to be baptised asked him,
"And what shall we do?"
It seems that many of them did not know how to go about bearing fruits that are worthy of repentance.
We can see from the passage above that John the Baptist did not leave them groping in the dark. He told the tax-collectors that they must no longer demand more money than that which has been officially stated in their appointment. And to the soldiers, John told them to stop doing violence to people, nor to accuse anyone falsely, but instead to be contented with their wages.
There is one group of people, however, who were not sinners. They were not among those who were notorious for unjust or corrupt practices. They were neither tax-collectors nor soldiers.
They were ordinary people, like you and me. People who lived ordinary lives, who worked everyday to earn an ordinary living. People who were not hated by others, neither treated with disdain like the tax-collectors, nor viewed with fear like the soldiers.
These people asked John the Baptist in verse 10, "What shall we do then?"
How do ordinary people like you and me repent? What sins do we repent from? How do we "bring forth fruits worthy of repentance?"
The answer from John the Baptist is found in verse 11,
He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath provisions, let him do likewise.
Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed One, let us learn to give to those in need. Let us give to the poor: our spare coat, our extra pair of shoes, some of our provisions, and some of our reserves of money.
Let us learn to bear fruits that are worthy of repentance.
