Luke 3:8

Bear fruits in keeping with repentance

As he undertakes the task of speaking for his brothers, Judah approaches Joseph (Genesis 44:18). For a reason only God knows, Judah recounts to the Egyptian Viceroy the story of their long lost brother and of the pain it inflicted on their father. Joseph listens intently to this inside information concerning himself. Jacob’s pain concerning Joseph seems to have been a crushing weight on that family. The biblical text implies that Jacob never found closure and mourned for twenty-one years, until the time when he was finally reunited with his son. As Judah makes his plea before the Viceroy, he reveals that he stands as safety for Benjamin in the eyes of his father (Genesis 43:9).

This is a pivotal moment for Judah and his family; this is the time of reckoning. Their sin has returned upon them and judgment from on high is about to be pronounced. They stand before Joseph as if it were before the court of Heaven. The verdict about to be pronounced until Judah makes the move that changes the wheels of justice: he offers himself as a ransom for the life Benjamin. He presents himself to become a slave so Benjamin can go free, and this is what Joseph was looking for: true repentance from a change of heart that is translates into godly acts.

To be repentant with the heart only is not enough. If this repentance does not become the force and the engine that puts the body into motion towards godly behavior and actions, this is not repentance; it is just being sorry which is legislatively useless. When Judah offered himself as a slave for Benjamin, he showed concerned for the father which he had before despised and that was acceptable unto Joseph. The idea here is that no matter how sorry we are, we cannot change the grade until we are faced again with the same test, with a similar situation, and have the chance to make different choices. In this case, Judah passed the test.

It is the same with us. We are daily faced with situations and choices. Some we pass, some we don’t and the Master keeps the grade. In the end we are told that Abba will judge the world according to the Master’s deciding (Acts 10:42). Jewish sages teach us that a judge is unfit to judge a man unless he can find that man’s sin within Himself. Yeshua who taught the same thing (Matthew 7:3-5) came and was subject to every temptation just as we are; he is therefore the Fit Judge and one day, we will stand before Him like Judah before Joseph and have to not only confess to repentance, but show fruits meet for repentance.

This is part of the restoration of our heart mind and soul. Restoration does not come by a stroke of magic that instantly reprograms our nature and character. It comes by meeting again the situations that made us fall; it comes by taking the test again and hopefully get a better grade. God is patient and also believes in ‘no child left behind’ (2 Peter 3:9). May we therefore be faithful to do our homework, to do our best to present ourselves to God as approved, workers who have no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2Timothy2:15).