What Shall We Do Then

Introduction John's message is sharp. He called the people a generation of vipers. He said the axe was already laid at the root of the trees. He spoke of fire that would not be quenched. Those listening were shaken to the core. And yet it was precisely at that moment that this question broke from the crowd: "What shall we do then?" This is not simply an ethical inquiry. It is a question that rises from the place of exposure — from the ground where a person's true face has been uncovered and there is nothing left to hide behind. Today we will follow this question: how it arose, and where it must ultimately lead. I. The Word Is a Mirror — The True Inner Condition Is Exposed (vv. 7–9) John's opening words are striking. "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" This is not an insult aimed at provoking shame. It is what happens when the proclaimed Word becomes a mirror — the person standing before it sees what they actually are. "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees." Judgment is not distant. It has already begun. And the safety net of lineage — "We have Abraham to our father" — is stripped away on the spot. "God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Descent, tradition, inherited identity: none of it holds before God's judgment. This is the first thing the Word does when it becomes a mirror. Everything a person relies on is shown to be insufficient. Origin, belonging, religious tradition — none of it protects against the judgment of God. The mirror does not flatter. It shows what is actually there. II. Exposure Produces Brokenness — "What Shall We Do Then?" (vv. 10–14) But John's message did not simply level the crowd and leave them there. Something broke open. The people asked: "What shall we do then?" The question comes three times. The multitude asks it. Then the publicans. Then the soldiers. Each group, in turn, with the same question. Where did this question come from? It came from the place where the true self had been uncovered. When the Word holds up its mirror and the inner life is lit from within, excuses fall away and what remains is brokenness. Not "I am this kind of person" — but "then what must I do?" That shift is the mark of a heart that has been reached. John's answers are concrete. He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none. The publicans: exact no more than that which is appointed you. The soldiers: do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely. These are not a moral improvement checklist. They are the fruit of a life whose direction has changed. They are the evidence of repentance, not the means of earning it. "Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance." (Luke 3:8) The question "what shall we do?" is not answered by a program. It is answered by a changed orientation — a life now moving in a different direction because something inside has been broken and turned. III. Brokenness Ends at Christ — The Holy Spirit Leads Us There (vv. 15–17) But John does not stop there. At the very moment the crowd was privately debating whether John himself might be the Christ, John makes his declaration. "John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." (Luke 3:16) The true answer to "what shall we do then?" is not found in John's practical instructions. It is found in the One who is coming — Jesus Christ. John receives the question and hands it on to Christ. He is the signpost, not the destination. When the Word exposes us and we turn with a broken heart, the Holy Spirit does not leave us in that brokenness. He uses it. That broken and contrite place is the very channel through which the Spirit leads us to Christ. This is the gospel. This is why the announcement of judgment can itself be good news. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psalm 51:17) The broken heart is not the end of the road. It is the opening through which Christ enters. Conclusion The Word is a mirror. It shows us our true face. Before it, two responses are possible. Like Herod — who shut up John in prison rather than receive the word that touched his life — we can silence the voice. Or like the crowd, we can let the question rise: "What shall we do then?" If that question arises in you, it is already the sign that the Spirit is at work. And the end of that question is always Christ. What has the Word exposed in you today? And where is that exposure leading you? The one who comes to Christ with a broken heart — the Holy Spirit leads that person to Jesus Christ, and to Him alone.