John’s word to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him reveals our need to have our nature changed. Verse 7 says, “But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” The Pharisees were the strictest religious sect of the Jews (Acts 26:5), formed about 200 B.C. They were proud of their superior sanctity of life, devotion to God, and knowledge of the Scriptures. Actually, they were degraded into pretentious conduct and hypocrisy (Matt. 23:2-33). The Sadducees were another sect in Judaism (Acts 5:17). They did not believe in the resurrection, nor in angels, nor in spirits (Matt. 22:23; Acts 23:8). Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees were denounced by John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus as a brood of vipers (3:7; 12:34; 23:33). The Pharisees were supposed to be the orthodox ones, and the Sadducees were the ancient modernists.
In verses 8 and 9 John said, “Produce then fruit worthy of repentance. And do not presume to say within yourselves, We have Abraham for our father; for I say to you that God is able out of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” Due to the impenitence of the Jews, both this word and the word in verse 10 have been fulfilled. God has cut them off and raised up the believing Gentiles to be children unto Abraham in faith (Rom. 11:15, 19-20, 22; Gal. 3:7, 28-29). John’s word in this verse clearly indicates that the kingdom of the heavens preached by him is not constituted of the children of Abraham by birth, but of the children of Abraham by faith. Thus, it is a heavenly kingdom, not the earthly kingdom of the Messiah.
The Pharisees and Sadducees were the leaders of the children of Israel. When they came to John the Baptist, with a rebuking tone he called them a brood of vipers. Vipers are poisonous snakes. John spoke this word to the Jews, to the chosen race. The children of Israel were not heathen swine. They considered the Gentiles as swine and themselves as the holy people. But when the leaders of this holy people came to John, he did not say, “Welcome. How good it is of you to come to my ministry. What an honor it is to me for you, the leaders of the children of Israel, to pay me a visit.” John did not speak like the pastors in today’s Christianity. He neither thanked the Pharisees and Sadducees for their visitation, nor did he address them as leaders; instead, he called them a brood of vipers. Can you believe that the children of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, the called one, could have become so evil?
John also told them not to presume to say that they had Abraham for their father, for God was able of the stones to raise up children to Abraham. John seemed to be saying, “Don’t presume anything. Don’t presume that you are the children of Israel with Abraham as your father. God is able to raise up children out of these stones.” John’s word was a strong indication and actually a prophecy of the fact that the age had changed. Because the age had changed, it was no longer a matter of the natural birth, but of the second birth, the spiritual birth. Although you might have been born a lifeless stone, God is able to make you His living child. Hallelujah, this is just what He has done to us! We need to recall our condition before we were saved. As far as life was concerned, we were lifeless stones. But as far as sin was concerned, we were filled with sin and active in sin. Praise the Lord that on the day of our repentance we believed in the Lord Jesus, and God made us His living children.
Through John’s word here we see that God was prepared to forsake this brood of vipers, His chosen people of old, and to pursue another people. He was ready to forsake the children of Israel and to turn to the stones, which mainly were the Gentiles. Although the Gentiles were lifeless stones, they were destined to become the living children of God. This proves that God is truly able to make every lifeless stone a child of God.
In verse 10 John said to the Pharisees and Sadducees, “And already the axe is laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not produce good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.” John seemed to be saying, “Brood of vipers, the cutting axe is now at the root of the tree. If you are a good tree producing good fruit, you will be all right. If not, you will be cut down and cast into the fire.” As we shall see, the fire spoken of in this verse is the fire in the lake of fire.