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"
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