Life Change in Public Life
And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. - Luke 3:13-14
Power is a desirable thing when you don’t have it and a dangerous thing when you do. In many ways, it is a neutral force on the surface – like a bag of gold sitting in the corner of a room not doing anyone good or harm.
Yet, like the bag of gold, power is seldom allowed to just sit there. People who have it use it, either for good or for harm. They are tempted to use it primarily for themselves and they often use it to oppress the powerless.
They almost always want to keep it and they are reluctant to share it.
There were men of influence and power who came to John to be baptized, men who wielded authority over common people, who carried the sword and were authorized to use it to subdue, torment, and enforce.
These men also had the capacity to abuse their power, to punish their enemies, to extract unfair compensation, to be bribed, to extort, ad to oppress. No one would challenge them. They had free reign to inflict violence and abuse people.
Now, they were hearing a message they had never heard before. At least they had not taken it to heart. There was a morality that should govern their discharge of power. There were principles that brought them under a greater authority than their own. There was a truth that should inform their attitudes and actions. How they treated people mattered.
They had personal and corporate sins that called for repentance.
Under deep conviction, they asked how the message of the Baptizer applied to their lives and positions.
John tells these soldiers to be very careful how they used their power. They would need to humble themselves and realize that they were called to live by a higher power than that of their captains or their swords. Having power would no longer be a license for them to misuse it to their own selfish ends.
It is an awesome responsibility to have authority. It takes more grace to carry greater power. To be a covenant man or woman in a position of great influence requires fruits of repentance reflected in a servant’s attitude.
One’s coworkers and fellow soldiers and officers may not be willing or able to reinforce such life change. Only God can and he will.
We all have arenas of temptation that are unique to our stations in life. The same call is present for each: Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance: Stop doing what is wrong; live simply; share what you have; live for God.
If you have power, tremble before God and ask the same question these men asked: What shall we do with all this power?
