Are you the One?
Matthew 11:2-11
John the Baptist is the subject of a lot of sermons preached through the Christian season of Advent. And, indeed, it should be, as Advent is a season of preparation. Unlike what is commonly believed, Advent is not a season to prepare us for Christmas, to receive the Christ child into the world. As thankful as we are that the Word became flesh in Jesus Christ and was born in Bethlehem, Christmas has come and gone. It is an event in history and cannot be repeated. Instead, we use this season to anticipate the Lord Jesus’ return to earth and the establishment of His eternal kingdom. This kingdom is for a prepared people, so we examine ourselves during this period to ensure we are ready for this event. John the Baptist is important, because he prepared Israel for the first coming of the Christ (Messiah). The message he brought is just as valid today as we prepare for the Second Coming.
Often we take the texts about John the Baptist and make a montage about his life, a biography. This is certainly a useful approach. All of the gospels mention John as the one who prepared the way for Jesus. Even though the Gospel of John does not explicitly mention John baptizing Jesus, even there Jesus comes to the Jordan for John to introduce to Israel. John 3 returns briefly to John the Baptist to answer a problem that had come up between the disciples of John the Baptist and Jesus, who was greater. Matthew and Luke mention a moment of doubt on the part (this passage). Then there is the account of the death of John the Baptist as the result of the scheming of Herodias. But each of these passages have their own contexts as well which needs to be examined.
This morning’s passage is introduced by verse one which says that Jesus had just finished commissioning His disciples and had sent them out on a preaching mission. Then Jesus also went out and began to teach the people. The fact that this passage follows the commissioning sermon in which Jesus goes into great detail about how they were to conduct their commission. He also elaborates of the dangers which they would face. From all appearances, the first mission tour of the disciples seemed to be pretty successful. The report we get is they were amazed they had power over demons. There was no mention of persecution. They jumped to the wrong conclusion, and Jesus had to correct this by saying they should have rejoiced that their names were written in the book of life. A lot of what Jesus warned the disciples did eventually come to pass, but only after Jesus’ resurrection when the church went out on mission. It seems that Jesus was preparing them for this well in advance just as He prepared them well in advance about His rejection, crucifixion and resurrection. We should also appreciate that Matthew’s gospel is also addressing concerns of the people he was writing, and the Holy Spirit has seen it fit that these words be preserved for us as well.
Times of persecution can really shake one’s faith. And as great as John the Baptist was which Jesus here acknowledges, he was subject to disillusionment. He had boldly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah. He boldly preached against Herod and Herodias, that they were illegitimately married. For this, he was arrested and imprisoned. Perhaps john had thought the Kingdom would come immediately after His introduction of Jesus. The Messiah would crush Herod and Caesar both and set up Jerusalem as the new capital of a restored Israel. The wicked would be judged, the righteous rewarded, and all Israel would live happily ever after. The disciples also fell into this misunderstanding and ran when Jesus was arrested. Peter shrank in horror about the prospect of Jesus’ rejection, suffering and death at Caesarea Philippi. Even after the resurrection and just before Jesus ascended, they still clung tht the resoration of the kingdom to Israel was just a few days off.
So John was foundering in prison, so he sent two of his disciples to ask whether he had gotten it right about Jesus. Things were not happening according to John’s interpretation of the script. “Should we look for another?” An interesting observation to be made here is “Why did John still have disciples?” In the Gospel of John, when John identifies Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Two of John’s disciples leave John and follow Jesus. In chapter 3 of John, a dispute broke out between the disciples of John who were jealous of the success of Jesus’ ministry. If John’s disciples had listened a bit more carefully to John himself, they would not have been jealous and would have become the disciples of Jesus.
Jesus indirectly responds to John’s question. He does not give a yes or no answer. Rather he asks John’s disciples to observe what was going on. There must have been a lot of miracles being performed in addition to Jesus’ teaching the people. The blind were seeing, the lame were walking, lepers were cleansed, the deaf were hearing, the dead were being raised, and, most importantly, the poor were hearing the Gospel preached. “Look what’s happening!” “Read Isaiah 61!” “You’ve got the right man, you just the wrong picture in your mind.” Then Jesus tells John and everyone else not to be scandalized over Jesus. This, Jesus tells us also.
The two disciples of John returned to him and told John in prison which must have greatly encouraged him. John would need that assurance all too soon when he would be martyred.
After the disciples of John depart, Jesus turns to the crowd to teach them about John. “What did you expect to see? -- A reed shaken in the wind? Did you expect to find a man dressed in fine clothes such as those who are raised in king’s houses? If they had, they would have been disappointed. Instead John appeared humbly. Yet John was greater than any nattily dressed king or carnival barker. He was greater than all the other prophets before him. He was especially chosen to prepare the way of the Great King, Jesus. There has never been any man born of a woman who has been greater than John until his time. Yes, the One He had prepared the way for was far greater. Yet it says that the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John. This is an odd affirmation. But if we think that the least who attains to this Kingdom, regardless of his status in this life will be far greater than the greatest in this life. John was still alive. He was living in the king’s house, that is his dungeon. Soon He would die and achieve a higher life, greater than Herod or Caesar. This is where he is now, with Jesus the King.
Jesus had specifically told His disciples that they too would be called to be in king’s houses as well, to testify as John did about Jesus, and to share in the king’s luxury accommodations in the basement. Nothing like wearing the finest chain jewelry! They might languish there for a season for their witness. Their faith might start to waver as well. They would need to be reminded of who Jesus is. Then they could die in peace and hope. To be a witness for Jesus was to be in mortal danger. But they would be held in God’s care. God would give them the words to say in defense.
So John does indeed fit well here, whether like here, it is his moment of doubt, or as in Mark, his death. We don’t know the actual time sequences in events as some material is logically assembled rather than temporally. Regardless, this serves as an example of what the witness of Jesus can expect. It would not happen to the disciples on the first tour which went well. It had likewise went well with both John and Jesus for a season. Their popularity spread. But hard times came. The early church also had a rather peaceful start, and things were going well. But persecutions came. John and Peter suffered several imprisonments. This alternating periods of growth and acceptance with persecution and imprisonment occur. The words in chapter 10 that Jesus addresses in relation to sending them out would ring all too true.
It is always much nicer when we divide prosperity and persecution, especially when we get the prosperity, and they get the persecution. But we must realize that God does not divide His servants into two classes. We must come to the realization that the “they” are likely to be “us” at some point. We might be here, in America, in relative comfort, especially when compared to Christians in North Korea. Are we using this opportunity to grow and witness? Or are we living in ease in Zion? I must remind you that there have been millions of Christian martyrs over the centuries. There are millions of Christians in dungeons even now, whose earthly voices are failing, as the strong voice of their blood is being poured out as a drink offering unto the LORD.
I do not claim I know when the Lord will return. I do not even know what the immediate future holds. I keep on doing the Lord’s work, even as I wait. I pray that if my path takes me through the dungeon, fire or sword that the Lord will send His angel to strengthen me and that the Holy Spirit will equip me. I am not even half as bold as John the Baptist. I could easily despair and be discouraged. I hope my brothers and sisters in Christ will pray for me and hold me up. But if the situation is reversed, God grant me to be encouraging to the Christians who are suffering for their faith right now. Help me to keep them in prayer.
We need to be bold while we wait. The joy will be indeed great when the Lord appears.
