GOD IS ABLE - 2. Stones for Abraham

~ "Do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones." -Matthew 3:9

~ "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones." -Luke 3:8

Yesterday we began this series with a "God is able" message that came a few months before Jesus was born.  Today's passage comes about 30 years later, just before Jesus began His time of public teaching.  In order to prepare people for that teaching, God used John the Baptizer to preach about righteousness and repentance.  He's the source of today's quote, as both Matthew and Luke describe in their writings.

His message sounds a bit peculiar and borders on the sarcastic.  Here's what's happening:  Luke says that huge crowds came to the river where John was baptizing.  Matthew's account emphasizes that many were religious leaders.  Some followed conservative traditions, some more liberal. But instead of welcoming them, John calls them all snakes!  "Who warned you to flee from God's wrath?" he asks. "Don't just come here to look good.  Change the way you're living to prove that you're repenting!"

Then comes our verse. "Don't tell me about your spiritual heritage.  I know that Abraham is your ancestor, but God is able to create children of Abraham out of these pebbles on the riverbank. He is not impressed by your credentials." This "God is able" phrase is a message to religious people that if crowds were the only thing that mattered to God, He could easily satisfy that need all by Himself.

What matters to God is reality, not pretense. We cannot come to God on our own terms, telling Him all the reasons why He should accept us.  In truth, there is no reason He should accept us!  He could take stones and make them into servants that are more righteous than the human race has ever been.  If we think God will accept us because of our traditions, our rituals, our heritage, our conservatism, our liberality, or anything else, we have overestimated our own worth and underestimated God's standards.

But if we come to Him because we want to repent... ah, that He accepts. Every time.