Mat 3:7-10 (NIV) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

That doesn’t sound like John is showing a loving, Christian attitude, does it? Why is he being so mean to them? He is refusing to give pearls to dogs and hogs. They aren’t coming out in order to repent. They have no intentions of making any spiritual changes. The Holy Spirit caused John the Baptist to not allow them to get baptized.

They were trying to use John the Baptist’s popularity to make them look good. They wanted the reputation without being willing to live the life. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. That was a direct diagnosis of their spiritual problem. John the Baptist wasn’t willing to offer them the things of God. Until they were willing to repent, he wasn’t going to be a part of their charade. If he had, that would have created great confusion in the hearts and minds of God’s people. Jesus uncovered it by saying this.

Mat 5:20 (NIV) For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.