Read Matthew 11 online here.
lame beggars walk, and blind men see.”
-- 1934 Illustration by Norman Rockwell
At the outset of Jesus' ministry, John the Baptist was put in prison (chapter 4). During the time that has passed since then, John remained in prison. He's heard at least some of what has taken place, but based on Jesus' response to John's followers, he hasn't heard everything that has taken place.
And he's probably wondering why he's still in jail. Wasn't I right about Messiah? Shouldn't I be released soon?* And so he sent some of his followers to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” (v.11:3)
What would you expect the answer to be? I'm thinking that it would be something like "I am he." Or, "Don't worry John, you got it right." Instead, Jesus says, "Go tell John what you hear and see: The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them. Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
Jesus did a lot of that. Answering a question with another question. Or with something seemingly unrelated. Nicodemus came to see Jesus one night and began with some pleasantries. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” One might expect Jesus to say something like, "I'm glad to hear that you recognize the miraculous signs for what they are. Why have you come?" Nope.
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:2-3 NLT)
Most of the time, maybe all the time, when Jesus spoke like this, he was in teaching mode. And like a laser, he focused on what was essential. For Nicodemus, it didn't matter why he had come to see Jesus. He needed to know that he was spiritually dead (we needed to know that too), and that entering God's Kingdom would take a radical, spiritual rebirth.
So what was Jesus saying to John? What did Jesus say to John? Basically, his response was a paraphrase of several descriptions from their text, the Old Testament, of what it would be like when the expected day of the Lord arrived.** In essence, Jesus said to John's disciples, "Tell John that the time has come. Just look at what's taking place."
That's the what. Jesus did answer John with an affirmative, but not with a declaration of his title, "the one who is to come", or Messiah. The why he said it this way is intriguing. He is reluctant to claim this title all through his life, as we'll be reading.
I can think of at least three strong reasons for Jesus reluctance. First, he was doing the Father's work. If this is how the Father wanted it to be, that was how it would be. Second, calling yourself Messiah could get you in a heap of trouble with the authorities, including the Romans, and cut short what you might want to accomplish. Jesus was careful to make sure his disciples were ready before he stepped onto the main road that led to Calvary.
The third reason is related to these two. Calling yourself Messiah could also result in the loss of control over your own actions to the demands of the crowd. The people's expectations of Messiah were one side of the picture of who Messiah would be -- conquering king, heir to David, kicking the foreign rulers out, and establishing God's kingdom once again. A physical, political kingdom.
John may have been thinking that. Sitting in prison. But whether he was or not, the people were. They were ignoring the other picture of Messiah -- the suffering servant who would bring salvation for Israel. The signs of his arrival would be the blind seeing, the lame walking, etc.
Paraphrasing Jesus' response, then, he said, "John I am the one who was promised. But I have come as suffering servant to bring salvation. The kingdom I'm announcing is not the one you expected if you, and anyone else who is listening, were expecting me to lead an army to overthrow the oppressors. But look at what's taking place."
I'm sure John was encouraged by that response. Don't we often expect one kind of response to our asking, seeking, and knocking, but get a response that is sideways to that expectation? It's important to take heart that God has responded, understanding that He sees beyond our request to our need. And we may have to wrestle with the response a bit, to see it from God's perspective.
I love how Jesus continues to teach to those around him after he sends off John's disciples. Now listen people. Just because John asked that question, don't forget who he is and why he came, and what you thought of him. He is as great as anyone born on earth. And know this, too, that in the kingdom, for all who enter the kingdom, you will be greater than he.
That's an amazing statement. What exactly did Jesus mean? Put your answer in the comments. I'll put my answer there later today.
*We don't know if this was behind John's thoughts, but it seems likely. What we can say for sure is that John questioned his own, earlier thoughts about Jesus, whatever the reason.
**Isa 35:5-6; 26:19; 29:18-19; 61:1.
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