winning friends and influencing people?

Matthew 3:7-12

This is probably not the best way to gain influence in a society dominated by the religious expert. Rather than currying favour with them, John blasts them. In the tradition of the OT prophet, John pulls no punches. He calls them a bunch of snakes and calls them hypocrites for coming out to be baptized as a mark of their repentance without showing any evidence of repentance by the way they live. He accuses them of depending on their spiritual heritage (being children of Abraham) rather than on their own spiritual integrity. He reminds them that God chose Abraham in his divine sovereignty and could just as easily raise up another group of people (even while keeping his promise to Abraham) to administer his blessing through (perhaps foreshadowing God bringing the Gentiles into the covenant?).
John also introduces Jesus. This is the turning point in the book where Jesus becomes the central character. He is the one who will follow John, whom John has come to serve. The image that John presents is not the meek and gentle Jesus that we tend to think of. Rather he presents Jesus as the powerful King who is coming with judgement and fire.
I wonder what John would say if he was a guest preacher at our church? I wonder what he would say to me if I came to his baptism service. I'm pretty sure I would get blasted because I really enjoy the religious experience. I really enjoy the rituals and traditions. I really enjoy the routine. And I know that John would challenge me - yes, the traditions and routines are helpful in my pursuit of God but I know that they sometimes become more important than the puruit itself. I also know that John that would challenge on my view of Christ. I have made him too weak and too small. In my effort to make him fit the culture I have taken the fire from his baptism and the threshing fork from his hand.