Skip to main content

111. John's Question, Jesus' reassurance


Matthew 4:12-&-11:1-19, Luke 7:18-35,
Key Verse: "Are You the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"
Matthew 11:3B & Luke 7:19B

In John 3:31, John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin, had said of Jesus, "He must increase and I must decrease." Subsequently, John was arrested and Jesus grew in popularity with the people.

Now, languishing away in prison, probably a cold, dark dungeon, John has had plenty of time to think and wait. Perhaps he thought that, as Messiah, Jesus would set him free. After all, wasn't that one of the signs of Messiah, "to set the captives free?" Well, John was certainly being held captive, and for the cause of God! Surely, it would have been reasonable for John to expect Jesus to come riding in, the hero of the day, and vindicate John for his bold truths and faithfulness to God's law.

John sat waiting. His disciples brought him news of Jesus' teaching and miracles, but left alone, in the damp darkness, John was left to ponder, "Is He really Messiah, or will there be yet another to come after Him?" So, he sent off two of his disciples to relay this question while he continued to wait and pray.

When Jesus responds, it is with words of scripture from Isaiah again, but He omits setting the captive free. Interestingly, we never learn directly if these words were enough for John, but perhaps we can assume that they were. Jesus met John's need to know that Scripture was being fulfilled. That is something that we can all take hope in.

It is interesting too that Jesus waits until after John's disciples leave, that He compliments John's greatness and acknowledges his place in scriptural history. He reminds the people that what was attractive about John, was the message, emphasizing the importance of substance over style. Yet, because of the Holy Spirit, we can be even greater than John, when we proclaim the message that God plants in us for today.

Finally, Jesus makes a statement about His generation, but really, it can apply to any generation of whom God does not meet their expectations to the letter. John's expectations had caused him to question, but the expectations of the religious leaders had led them to only criticize and condemn. Jesus warns them that John didn't meet your expectations and evidently, I'm not either. Your religion is blinding you to the reality that is happening around you! They were so focused on forms, and jots and tittles that they could only find fault in John and Jesus, and by doing so, they apparently were missing the blessing altogether.

This is a caution for us today as well. It becomes so easy for us, with the many divisions and separations in the body of Christ, to create an “us-versus-them” mentality, and this is between brothers and sisters in the Lord! To think we're right and criticize those who do not agree with us. We miss out on God's blessing when we focus on the flaws. Criticism caused the religious leaders of Jesus' day to miss their Messiah altogether. May we be more humble and reflective.

Hymn: "Where Charity and Love Prevail" 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

These Boots are Made for Walking

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-15 These Boots are Made for Walking. Of course, I picked that title because it has a reference to popular culture, and it connects with our text today about “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” I was tempted to play the video of that song, but it’s really not amenable to worship. If you remember that old song, it was quite confrontational. The singer had a righteous complaint against a boyfriend or spouse who was cheating on her. She’s not going to put up with that, and the song goes on to say, “One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you!” And that “take a stand” bravado made her a hero! It was a #1 hit in 1966. I mention it because it has one interesting parallel and one major contrast with the message of grace and forgiveness. That parallel is this. God has a righteous complaint against the entire human race for cheating Him out of the loving relationship He desires with us. As the God who created us, he h...
Post a Comment
Read more

201. All for God's Glory

John 9 & 2 Corinthians 12:7-12 Key Verse: "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:3 In this event John records my personal favorite from all four gospels. I love it for its detail. I love it because it demonstrates so much of our human frailty. It shows us how powerful our fears can be in the midst of God's amazing grace and glory. First, we have the disciples who are suffering under the misconception that sickness and unfortunate circumstances are the result of sin only. They are thinking like Job and his friends. If you obey you will always be blessed and if you sin, God will punish you for it. They couldn't imagine that God could have possibly designed this man, blind, for His own glorious purposes. Then we have the neighbors who are all amazed, but then what? What do you do when the mold has been broken? This man was blind and now he...
Post a Comment
Read more