John the Baptist

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:

After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Matthew 11:1-6, NIV)

..........

1        In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;

    let me never be put to shame.

2        In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;

    turn your ear to me and save me.

3        Be my rock of refuge,

    to which I can always go;

give the command to save me,

    for you are my rock and my fortress.

4        Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,

    from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

5        For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD,

    my confidence since my youth.

6        From birth I have relied on you;

    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.

    I will ever praise you.

7        I have become a sign to many;

    you are my strong refuge.

8        My mouth is filled with your praise,

    declaring your splendor all day long.

9        Do not cast me away when I am old;

    do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

10      For my enemies speak against me;

    those who wait to kill me conspire together.

11      They say, “God has forsaken him;

    pursue him and seize him,

    for no one will rescue him.”

12      Do not be far from me, my God;

    come quickly, God, to help me.

13      May my accusers perish in shame;

    may those who want to harm me

    be covered with scorn and disgrace.

14      As for me, I will always have hope;

    I will praise you more and more.

15      My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,

    of your saving acts all day long—

    though I know not how to relate them all.

16      I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD;

    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.

17      Since my youth, God, you have taught me,

    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

18      Even when I am old and gray,

    do not forsake me, my God,

till I declare your power to the next generation,

    your mighty acts to all who are to come.

19      Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,

    you who have done great things.

    Who is like you, God?

20      Though you have made me see troubles,

    many and bitter,

    you will restore my life again;

from the depths of the earth

    you will again bring me up.

21      You will increase my honor

    and comfort me once more.

22      I will praise you with the harp

    for your faithfulness, my God;

I will sing praise to you with the lyre,

    Holy One of Israel.

23      My lips will shout for joy

    when I sing praise to you—

    I whom you have delivered.

24      My tongue will tell of your righteous acts

    all day long,

for those who wanted to harm me

    have been put to shame and confusion. (Psalm 71, NIV) 

REFLECTIONS:

When we read the story of John the Baptist sending his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the Messiah, at first it seems a bit confusing. After all, hadn’t we seen John baptize Jesus just a few chapters before, followed by a booming voice from Heaven declaring Jesus to be God’s Son (3:13-17)? So why is he now confused and unsure?

Perhaps John had misunderstood what the Kingdom would be. Before baptizing Jesus, John was sent by God to preach that Jesus is, “one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (3:11-12).

In other words, John could have likely thought the coming of the Mes­siah meant the judgment of sinners and the enemies of Israel. We know that he condemned the Pharisees and Sadducees for their lack of faith and genuine piety, but it was also a common expectation that the Mes­siah would liberate Israel from under the oppressive Roman rule. It was thought that God would re-gather the exiled tribes of Israel under the benevolent rule of a David-like King. And just as David defeated all of Israel’s enemies and ruled over the region, Israel would be restored to a national prominence in the Mediterranean.

Then we get to Chapter 11, and John is rotting in the jail cell of Israel’s imposter king. When John heard the audible voice from heaven as he baptized Jesus, there would have been no doubt on that day concerning who he was baptizing. Undoubtedly, as he laid his head down to sleep that night, he thought carefully upon the events of the day and wor­shipped God for his revelation. Surely for many weeks and months he eagerly expected news of the teachings and doings of Jesus. We do not know how much time passed from that day at the Jordan to when he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was indeed the Messiah, but it is evident that much of the powerful impact of that day at the river had waned.

Jesus was supposed to come with his winnowing fork in hand separating the wheat from the chaff, the righteous from the unrighteous. So how did Jesus answer his question? It seems vague to us, but it would not at all have been vague to John. Jesus pointed John’s disciples to the miracles that had been seen in Matthew 8-9, for these indicate that the long-awaited kingdom prophesied by Isaiah had come: “the blind are seeing” (Matthew 9:27-31; Isaiah 29:18;35:5; 42:7,18); “the lame are walking” (Matthew 9:2-8; Isaiah 35:6); “the lepers are cleansed” (Matthew 8:1-4; Isaiah 53:4); “the deaf are hearing” (Matthew9:32-33; Isaiah 35:5; 29:18; 42:18); “the dead are raised” (Matthew 9:18-26; Isaiah26:19); “the poor are receiving the gospel” (Matthew 4:17, 23; 5-7, 9:35; 10:7;Isaiah 61:1).

All of these prophesies from Isaiah are taken out of texts in which the Messiah is judging the unrighteous. This is what John must have expected to be true of Jesus too. However, Jesus not once mentioned the coming judgment to John, but rather tells only of healing and salvation. Just as Isaiah 40  foretold, God is indeed visiting and comforting his people.

It seems that John had hoped in a King who would judge the wicked. While this judgment is a necessary part of God’s unfolding plan, what is infinitely more glorious than John could have ever imagined was the salvation of God’s new and adopted sons. John had a certain hope and expectation for how Jesus would come and work, and when Jesus didn’t act as John expected, he had doubts.

Is your hope in Jesus’ coming found in what Jesus can do for you? Or do you trust him so much that when things don’t go as you’d like or expect your hope in him is unwavering? Sometimes it’s hard for us to remember that we are not the main character of our own story, but that we are very much a supporting actor that only exists to show how dynamic the Main Character really is. Hope that is real and sustainable is found in the first coming of Christ, in which he has reconciled sinners to God. And is found in his second coming, when he will make all things new.

PRAYER:

Father, we repent of hoping that your Kingdom only serves to vindicate us and to advance us. We hope in Christ and Christ alone. May we live our lives to bring glory to the risen Lord, making much of him and less of us. We hope in Christ’s first coming to redeem us, and his second coming to make all things new.