Doubting John
Matthew 11:1-6
1. Have you ever doubted God
2. I think most every child of God goes through momentary lapses of faith. From time to time we all doubt. When we do, we usually feel incredibly guilty. We wonder what our Father must think of us. I want you to jot down an important truth: If God is not larger than our doubts, He is not large enough to be our God.
3. Lazarus died, Mary & Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." This statement reveals both their doubts about Jesus' love and His ability to raise their brother from the dead. "Jesus wept." I think part of the reason for His grief was for the doubts of His dear friends.
4. When Thomas heard that Jesus had risen from the dead, He said, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe" (Jn.20:25). Later, when Jesus appeared before him, the Lord said, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have elieved. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (v. 29).
5. On another occasion, Jesus said to the Father of a demon-possessed child, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (Mk.9:23). In helpless confusion, the father cried, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (v. 24).
6. In this text, another extremely godly man betrays his doubts concerning Jesus.
I. John's Doubtful Question (vv. 1-3). Matt. 1:1-3, When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went off teaching and preaching in towns throughout the country. 2 John the Baptist, who was now in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you really the Messiah we’ve been waiting for, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
A. The Importance of John the Baptist.
1. John was a mighty man of God, the forerunner of Jesus, the herald of the King. Physically, he was Jesus' cousin. Lk.1:15 says he was "filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb."
2. Preaching in the wilderness outside Jerusalem, he had prepared the way for Jesus' ministry. He announced Jesus as "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (Jn.1:29).
3. In John 3:30, the baptizer said to his disciples, "He must increase, but I must decrease." He said of Jesus in Lk.3:16, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."
4. When Jesus came to be baptized by John, the Bible says in Mat.3:14 that John "tried to prevent Him" and said, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"
5. At that baptism, John saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus and heard a voice from heaven saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Mat.3:17).
6. Later in our text chapter, Jesus said of John, "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist" (v. 11).
C. The confusion of John the Baptist (v. 2).
1. From vv. 2-3, we realize that John the Baptist had developed some considerable doubt concerning Jesus. He questions Jesus' identity when he asks, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"
2. John's question might be better described as confusion rather than doubt. He was looking for some assurance
3. We know that John was "in prison." History tells us that John was imprisoned for offending the governor of Galilee, Herod Anipas.
4. We know that He had not personally heard Jesus speak or seen His miraculous power. He had only heard "about the works of Christ."
5. From this verse, we can assume while in prison he only had limited access to some "of his disciples."
6. In these conditions, we can begin to grasp some of the reasons for John's doubts and confusion.
D. The Question of John the Baptist (v. 3).
1. According to Lk.7:19, John called "two of his disciples" to him and "sent" them to Jesus to ask this question, "Are You the Coming One or do we look for another?."
2. The title "Coming One" was a common name for the Messiah alluded to in many OT passages
3. In his doubt and depression in prison, John wanted to be absolutely sure that Jesus was who he claimed to be.
II. Reasons for John's Doubtful Question (v. 2).
A. We doubt because of Difficult Circumstances.
1. John was facing difficult circumstances would be an understatement. His ministry and career had fallen apart.
2. Herod Antipas, the current governor of Galilee had become infatuated with his brother Philip's wife Herodias and seduced her.
a. Herod then divorced his own wife and married Herodias.
b. When John the Baptist heard about this he publicly denounced the relationship.
c. Herod wanted to kill John, but fearing the wrath of the people, he had him imprisoned instead.
3. Consider how John must have felt.
a. He had been "filled with the Spirit" from his mother's womb.
b. He took the strictest vow any Jewish man could take, the vow of the Nazarite.
c. He had lived in the wilderness, preaching to the people.
d. He had faithfully declared an unpopular message.
e. He had done all just as God asked, but now he was imprisoned in the dungeon of an old fortress near the Dead Sea.
4. "In prison," John must have doubted the justice of God.
a. He wondered if he had made a mistake.
b. His circumstances clouded his perspective.
5. That happens to believers today. a. When a child dies,
b. violence strikes, c. a mate is slowly killed by cancer, d. a husband walks out... e. Satan begins to whisper lies in our ears, "God doesn't care... He doesn't love you... He wouldn't treat His children this way..."
6. When John began to have these feelings, he sent word to Jesus. When you have doubts, don't go to a counselor, don't talk to worldly friends, go to Jesus. Only He can quench your doubts!
B. We doubt because of Incomplete Knowledge.
1. John had only "heard about the works of Christ." Since the baptism, John had no direct contact with Jesus. He had been in prison for a year. He had not hear sermons nor witnessed any miracles.
2. Jesus' closest disciples often failed to understand Him, how much more must John have misunderstood through second hand information.
3. Many believers today have incomplete knowledge about Jesus.
1. We get lazy in our Bible study.
2. We find excuses not to attend Bible classes and worship.
3. We stop growing in the knowledge and wisdom of the Word.
4. When our minds are not saturated with God's truth, we open ourselves to Satan's deception.
C. We doubt because of Worldly Influence.
1. What Jesus said and did was not what the Jews expected in "the Coming One."
A. They expected a leader who would throw off the shackles of Rome,
b. heal them of all diseases and handicaps,
c. establish a type of welfare state in which all their needs would be provided.
2. Their idea about the Messiah was so distorted and ingrained that they disregarded everything about Jesus that didn't fit their thinking. They rejected Him because of their worldly influence.
3. Today people ask, "If God loves everyone, why does He send people to hell? If God is in control why is there so much evil in the world? Why do bad things happen to good people. Because God does not fit in their preconceived ideas, they doubt Him.
4. When Christians become immersed in worldly ideas, philosophies and entertainment, the evil help them question their faith.
D. We doubt because of Unfulfilled Expectations.
1. John asked "Do we look for another?" Note what he preached in Mt.3:11-12. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you withthe Holy Spirit and fire. 12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the grain with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, storing the grain in his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
As of yet, Jesus had done none of those things. Rather, He called 12 rag-tag disciples and started preaching and healing.
2. John was seeing
a. no divine intervention, b. no justicec. no wrath of God. d. God was not fulfilling his own plans. e. Jesus was preaching and teaching while he stared day after day at four stone walls.
3. Today, many believers have all kinds of plans they expect God to fulfill. When He does not work on their schedule, they become disillusioned.
III. Jesus Assuring Answer (vv. 4-6).
A. Jesus gave John's disciples evidence (vv. 4-5). 4 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.
1. He reminded them of what they knew what they could "hear and see."
2. Jesus even gave new evidence. According to Lk.7:20-21, Jesus gave a display of new miracles just for John's benefit. 20 When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ” 21 And that very hour He cured many of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind.
3. Jesus was saying, "Put away your doubts, these things I do now are but a foretaste of what I will do, for I have power over all things."
B. Jesus gave John's disciples a personal beatitude (v. 6).
Let us pray!
1. He said Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”
