Luke chapter 3

vs 1

If you don't know who all those people are, at least accept that it gives us a pretty good way of dating what's going on here.

vs 2

So, the story has come back to this first child, the one called John. he's in the desert, apparently, and God's word is coming to him.

vs 3

Apparently this sort of thing was not new per se, but John's ministry obviously meets a felt need of the people, and is very wide ranging.

vs 4-6

The next three verses are the full quote from Isaiah. I say "full quote" because I think we're mostly familiar with the early part of it, which we know identifies John as the voice in the desert. But then there's that complicated bit about mountains and valleys, which to me, in the context of the roads and paths, reads that the way to God will actually be made straight. So John's ministry calling people to make a path for the Lord is actually fulfilled, although not by him. But a path is made, that is straight and smooth, to allow us to come to God. And then, it finishes with the statement that all mankind will see the salvation offered by God. It's a lot easier to see without all those hills and valleys in the way.

vs 7

Not the most sensitive way to treat the people attracted to your ministry, but we all want to say that sometimes, don't we? Perhaps all those years in the desert have made him a little mad.

vs 8

No one can rely on their heritage to get them right with God. Not Jews, and certainly not Christians! And even repentance itself is not enough. We have to produce fruit that shows repentance is true.

vs 9

The fruit is a part of the judgement. The desire to have fruit, or the ability to create fruit, or doing all the right things to make fruit ready to grow is not enough. Fruit trees, no matter how well planted they are, no matter how pretty they look, no matter how much time you've invested in them, are only worth anything if they actually produce good fruit. Of course this probably is not some sort of salvation-by-works regime (at least we Protestants wouldn't read it that way) but the fact is that real repentance should be visible with good fruit.

vs 10

And so the crowd, of course, doesn't want to be cut down by an axe, so they want to know what kind of fruit John's talking about. The fact that they ask means they think he has the answer, and that his answer is important, so John's ministry is obviously respected by at least some people.