Matthew 3:7-12 the Axe of God's judgement

Matthew 3 - John the Baptist Prepares the Way

 ¹ In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, ² “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.^[c]” ³ The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,
   “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
   ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
      Clear the road for him!’”
 ⁴ John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. ⁶ And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

 ⁷ But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? ⁸ Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. ⁹ Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. ¹⁰ Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.
 ¹¹ “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹² He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus

 ¹³ Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
 ¹⁵ But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.
 ¹⁶ After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Trees, in scripture, evoke powerful symbolism. In some cases, like the Tree of Life or the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they are used as metaphors that are foundational to our faith. 

The first tree mentioned by name in the Bible is the fig (Gen 3:7).  It is ripe with symbolism.  After they have sinned, Adam and Eve used fig leaves to try to hide their sinfulness from the eyes of a searching God (Gen 3:6-13). Jesus came to a fig tree, desiring fruit, but found only leaves.  He cursed the tree, and it fried up from the roots (Mark 11:12-14, 20).  http://relijournal.com/christianity/symbolisms-of-significant-trees-in-the-bible/

Zacchaeus climbed into a sycamore tree (a type of fig tree) to see Jesus as he passed that way (Luke 19:1-10). It is not unusual for a sycamore tree to reach a height of fifty feet.

The cedar tree was chosen for the temple of God in Jerusalem (I Kings 6:9-20) because of its magnificent qualities. “The wood is not attacked by insect pests; it is free from knots.  It has remarkable lasting qualities.” The cedar forests in Lebanon were famous, and the people traveled great distances just to see them.  These trees grew to heights of 120 feet and girths of 40 feet.  Their life span was often over two thousand years.  The cedars of Lebanon are now very rare; their glory has passed. The cedar tree was used to build not only the temple of the Lord but also Solomon’s house and other public edifices in Jerusalem. 
Another tree of importance, especially in the land of Israel, was the olive.  The tree became the Biblical symbol for the nation of Israel (Rom. 11:15-25).  Its berries continue to be leading articles of Israeli commerce.  This tree has been called an emblem of peace, prosperity, and wealth (Ps. 128).  When the olive crop fails, it is considered to be a sign of divine wrath (Jer. 11:16-23). Olive oil was also used in the tabernacle for light and ceremonial anointing by the priests of God (Exod. 30: 24- 25; Lev. 24:2-4).  It even plays a role in the book of Genesis.  When the dove returned with an olive leaf in its mouth, Noah knew the waters had receded from the earth.

So, when John the Baptist makes mentions of trees we ought to pay attention. The 3rd chapter of Matthew introduces John...and his prophetic ministry of preparing Israel for the coming Messiah. I seems, based on John's message, that the preparation needed was to help people understand the Messiah was not interested in human righteousness...a popular notion among the elite...but was more interested in a contrite and repentant heart. “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God."

But the religious leaders didn't get it. They were smug in their self-sufficiency. They believed they had done everything possible to be in relationship with God. Some were able to claim they hadn't sinned since their Bar-mitzvah. Plus...they claimed a lineage all the way back to Abraham. They were sure that had to mean something. John had a caution for them.  Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. ¹⁰ Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

It's very possible these trees represent the edifice people erect to lay claim to righteousness. The rituals, the rites, the habits...all constructed to demonstrate worth before God. So we select the timbers and...one by one...erect a monument God couldn't ignore: (Exodus 20)
1 Do not have any other gods before me.
2 You shall not make for yourself an idol.
3 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.
4 Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5 Honor your father and your mother.
6 You shall not kill/murder.
7 You shall not commit adultery.
8 You shall not steal.
9 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10 You shall not covet.

And...with careful attention to detail...we stand proudly before God and say "Look what I've done for you!" How could God ignore such righteousness?

But, what do we do when we find ourselves in a lie? The axe of God just felled the ninth tree of our magnificent structure. Then we find ourselves cursing at our neighbor and God's axe just felled the third tree. And on it goes. How many trees must fall before the monument crumbles? Just one.

Then what do we have to show the Lord? We find ourselves facing God's righteous judgment with no protection. Or, we could humble our hearts...repent of our sin and trust Christ's righteousness rather than our own. Christ is the "sure foundation." His righteousness will never crumble. Stand in him.

Live boldly out there today...