“Are you the One?” - A question in the darkness
Matthew 11:2-11 When John heard in prison what Christ was doing,
he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, "Are you the one who was 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 cured, the deaf hear,
the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 6
Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." 7
As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John:
"What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No,
those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. 9 Then what did
you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10
This is the one about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger ahead
of you, who will prepare your way before you.' 11 I tell you the
truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John
the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
In rapid succession disasters overtook Job. Job’s children were enjoying
each other’s company. The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing. The
shepherds were herding the sheep. The camels were doing whatever camels do. The
servants were taking care of business.
Then quite literally, all hell let loose. The devil directed disaster to
strike Job. His children were wiped out by a windstorm. His cattle, donkeys and
camels were carried off. Fire fell from the sky to burn up the sheep. His
servants were murdered by raiding parties.
Though it was probably the middle of the day when all this happened, a
darkness must have settled onto Job. Though his heart was breaking, Job still
had the faith to point to His God. In his deep sorrow he yielded to God’s will
and showed gratitude instead of resentment. He uttered some of the most
profound words ever spoken by any human being: “The Lord gave and the Lord has
taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21 ).
John the Baptist is in prison for having the guts to tell King Herod what
no one else would tell him: that it was wrong to steal his brother’s wife. So Herod
threw John in prison – the kind of prison you don’t leave from alive. And soon
“the voice of one calling in the wilderness” would be silenced as Herod would
order John’s head removed from his body.
The prophet of repentance has been jailed for calling the king to
repentance. Prophetic preaching is dangerous work. The one who came to bear
witness to the light sits in darkness awaiting a certain martyr’s death.
John is in the darkness of a dungeon. He is also in the darkness of doubts
and uncertainty – either his own or on behalf of his disciples. Yet, John has
the faith to point his disciples to Jesus. He would have gone himself, if he
could have. He sends them to the Lord to ask the all important question, “Are
you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”
Doubts and fears arise in us as we sit in the hospital room holding our
sick child’s hand, or as we sit at the dining room table with all our bills
spread out trying to figure which ones to pay first, or as we sit in the
lunchroom at work talking with our co-workers about how slow business is and
wondering if we will have jobs next week.
When you are stressed, Satan will try to spin your hardships as proof that
God is incompetent. Or weak. Or senile. Or absent. Or dead. Or that He has
given up on you and you are left alone to languish in your struggles.
It is in the darkness of doubts and fears and stress that we Christians most
become like Job and John. We have the faith to look to our Savior. For us,
Christmas is more than a one-day party – a distraction from the real cares and
concerns of life. Christmas is the mass – the worship – of Christ. It is the
celebration of the birth of God Incarnate – God in human flesh! You look to
Christ and know that the world can take your head, but it cannot take your
life! The world can take your riches, but it cannot take your inheritance! The
world can take everything away from you, but it cannot take the one thing you
need – Jesus Christ!
John the Baptist asked, “Are
you the One?” Perhaps that’s because John and his disciples perhaps expected a
different kind of Messiah. One who came with the axe of God’s wrath, a
winnowing fork of judgment and a consuming fire. A Messiah who was a warrior
and revolutionary, One who would come to set God’s people free. One who would
come to establish the Kingdom of God
upon the earth where lion and lamb could lie together in peace.
We may ask in our prayers,
“Are you the One?” Perhaps that’s because we expect a different kind of Savior.
We can be like the Jews. We want a Messiah who will take away our health
problems, create high paying jobs and make everything nice and comfortable for
us in His Kingdom. We can be like King Herod. We want a prophet who will
provide a good show, but who had better not offend us by confronting our sins.
We can be like many Christians today who are bored with worshiping God. We want
God to do something else, something flashier, more fun or more impressive. Or
we can be like God’s critics who are always harping on God because there is so
much evil and violence in the world. We want a God who will wipe out our
enemies and end all persecutions, ridicule and martyrdom. Or we can be like
regular church members who are frustrated that God’s Church always seems to be
such a mess. We want a Lord of the Church who will validate our faith by making
the Christian Church more like the slick corporations of the world and not so
disorganized and divided, physically meek and financially poor.
John received something
unexpected. A baptized Messiah willing to stand in solidarity with sinners. A
humble Messiah willing to eat with tax collectors and prostitutes. A lowly
Messiah refusing to use His diving power to feed His hunger or establish an
earthly kingdom. A meek Messiah enduring the beatings of a world who did not
want Him. A crucified Messiah conquering the darkness by hanging in the
darkness of Good Friday, who defeated death by being placed in a grave, and
taking the world along for a ride.
“Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” The
two disciples dutifully ask the dark question of Jesus. And into their
darkness, Jesus shines the light of His divine glory. He demonstrates that the
Messiah was indeed standing right in front of them. He did many signs – Messiah
signs – healing the sick, the lame, the demonized. He told them, “Go back and
tell John, what you have seen and heard. Tell John about the blind man whose
sight is restored, the leper who can return to his family, the lame woman who
is dancing, the dead girl who is returned to her parents, and the spiritually
poor who are made rich with forgiveness and salvation.”
“And say this to John, too: ‘Blessed is the man who does not fall away on
account of me.’ Make sure John hears that last sentence. Make sure all of you
hear it. ‘Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.’ Blessed
is the one who does not stumble over my apparent weakness, my unwillingness to
use my power, my perceived silence, my power perfected in weakness, my victory
hidden in defeat. Blessed is the one who believes in spite of what he sees, who
receives life in my death and who accepts the Kingdom in my cross.”
The darkness of the dungeon and the silence of Scriptures forbid us from
seeing John’s reaction to the news when the two disciples returned to tell John
what they had seen and heard. Did he smile? Did he laugh? Did he shed a tear?
Did he dance for joy? Or like Mary at the manger, did he quietly ponder all
these things in his heart?
Our Savior’s words and His Messiah miracles are meant for you, too. Don’t
stumble or be fooled. Don’t allow the devil to play with your mind. Don’t fall
away from your faith because Jesus doesn’t match your perceptions. What have
you seen and heard? We have seen and heard the unexpected! The infant made a
child of God through baptism at the font. The faithful who continue to commune.
The sinners who are forgiven. The hurting who are healed. The crushed who have
their prayers answered. The children who sing the Christ-Child’s praises. The
aged saint now dwelling in Jerusalem the Golden.
Maybe you are confused about Jesus because you are looking in the wrong
places and listening to the wrong teachings. What happens when you look
intently with the eyes of faith and listen closely with the ears of trust?
Beneath Jesus’ weakness is power almighty. Under His bruised heal is the
crushed head of the serpent. Under the wounds of His hands, His feet, His side
is the healing of the nations. Under His crown of thorns is the crown of glory.
In His blood is the forgiveness of humanity’s sins. In His dark grave is the
light of the resurrection.
Can you see it? Can you hear it? Do you believe it?
We all enjoy fantasizing about
quick solutions to our troubles – winning a big lottery, miraculous pills to
fix medical problems, a beautiful new car dropped off at the curb. You and I
know that those things rarely happen and we would be fools to count on them.
I’m not going to lie to you – it can be hard to keep believing in God when the
outlook on our lives often seem so dark and grim.
Though we see the damage he
has done, we cannot actually see Satan and his demons at work. But neither can
we see disasters that didn’t happen because of God’s many interventions. When
we pray about being broke, God’s answer might be to prevent our furnace from
breaking down. Or maybe there’s going to be layoffs at work, but then God turns
the economy around. Or perhaps we are complaining about not feeling well, and a
visit to the doctor results in them preventing something much more serious from
happening.
God may rescue us and bring us
into the light. Or He may allow us to be like John and remain in a prison of
darkness. Or He may allow us to be like Job in the darkness of sorrow because Satan
has taken everything from us. But no matter what, God is in control.
It’s like watching a movie
after you’ve read the book. When something bad happens, everyone else gasps at
the crisis on the screen. Not you. Why? You’ve read the book. You know how the
good guy gets out of the tight spot.
We can view our lives with the
same confidence. God has not only read the story of our lives, He wrote it. His
perspective is different and His purpose is clear. Possessions, freedom and
even family may be taken away, but God has given us so much more in His Son,
the One from whom demons cower, diseases shudder and death fears.
When you struggle in the darkness, go ahead and ask Jesus, “Are you the
One?” Jesus doesn’t chastise John or his disciples for their questions. Nor
does He criticize you for yours. He is glad to answer. “Yes, I am the One who
walked with Adam in the cool of the day. I am the One who spoke to Moses from
the burning bush. I am the One who protected the Israelites from the Pharaoh’s
forces and the Red Sea ’s waters. I am the One who fed Elijah on his long
journey. I am the One who is your Passover Lamb, Priest, Prophet, and Servant.
I am the One who makes the lame walk, the deaf hear, the blind see and the dead
alive. I am the One who shines the light of salvation into this dark valley of
the shadow of death.”
“I am the One who is to come so you don’t need to look for another.” Amen.
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