Matthew 11:2–11

² Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples ³ and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

⁷ As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is he of whom it is written,

“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, 
who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹ “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What do you do when it appears as though God isn’t interested in what’s happening in the world? What do you do when God doesn’t act the way you expect Him to or just doesn’t seem to care? Today’s Gospel text helps us in the midst of those kinds of questions.

John the Baptizer – that camel hair wearing, locust eating, outspoken prophet in the wilderness – is a combination of a biker gang member, wilderness survivalist, and street-corner preacher. Even before he was born, John was excited about Jesus, leaping in his mother’s womb (Lk. 1:39-44). From the time of his birth, John’s parents knew that he was the one who would prepare the way of the Messiah (Lk. 1:76), and that’s what he did. He pointed people to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He baptized hordes from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan (Mt. 3:5). John comforted with the Gospel, but he also boldly called people to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mt. 3:5). He rightly called the religious leaders of his day a brood of vipers (Mt. 3:7). Like a good preacher of God’s Word, John rebuked political leaders like Herod who had married his brother’s wife (Lk. 3:19-20). And that is why John is in prison when we meet him here. For his whole life, John had been a faithful steward of the mysteries of God’s Word (1 Cor. 4:1-2).

In our Gospel reading (Mt. 11:2-22), John will soon be executed. He sits in a dank, dark prison cell. In that solitary, lonely dungeon, the devil does to John what he often does to those in isolation. He whispers lies and tries to cast doubt. John’s mind begins to wonder if his whole life’s work had been a sham. John knew the Scriptures taught that the Messiah would give sight to the blind, mobility to the lame, cleansing to the lepers, hearing to the deaf, and life to the dead, and Jesus certainly was doing that. But John also knew that the Messiah would bring prisoners out from the dungeon (Is. 42:7), that bonds would be loosed (Is. 52:2), that captives would be set free (Is. 49:9).

Because of the devil’s whispering and his current situation John starts to question: “Jesus, You’re checking all of the boxes except the one that matters most to me right now. What gives? Why am I here, stuck in this prison? Do You even know I’m in this situation?” No matter how many times God proves faithful in keeping His promises, it can feel as though God has abandoned you when some of His promises to you still lie in the future.

Instead of letting those questions fester and cause more and more doubt, John does exactly the right thing. He goes to God’s Word. John sends two of his disciples to ask Jesus, who is the Word made flesh (Jn. 1:14). “Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for another?” And Jesus, in typical Jesus fashion, doesn’t give a simple, “Yes,” or, “No.” Instead, Jesus responds: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.”

It’s easy for us to fall into the temptation of thinking that God isn’t active in creation when we experience trials and tribulations like John is. Even when God is making good on all of His other promises, if only one of our own boxes is still unchecked, we start to think that something is off. In those moments, it is easy to forget that God is active in and through our suffering. It’s easy to forget that even your suffering has a holy purpose (2 Cor. 1:8-9).

All the evil that the devil and the world tries to throw at you is turned into good by God. You are not at the whim of a god who may or may not care about you. You do not face a devil who is equal in power with God leaving your outcome in question. Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers, told his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God used it for good” (Gen. 50:19-20). Just as lifting weights is good exercise and builds up the muscles of your body, the suffering you endure in this world is good for your soul and faith, making it stronger.

The fact that Jesus suffered, died, and rose again is proof that God uses even the wickedness of this world and the suffering caused by evil men for your salvation. I’m not saying that it is an easy thing to believe. What I am saying is that Scripture is clear that suffering is not opposed to the Gospel. When God became a creature, He endured suffering so you can live with Him forever. Jesus saved you through His suffering, and He can and does use your suffering to bring about good because God is still active in His creation.

Jesus is the head of the Church, and you, believer, are His body (Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18). Among other things, that means whatever you do in this world, Christ, the Head, is acting through you, His body. When you do what your boss tells you, you are God’s body being active in creation, and God blesses what you do. Kids, when you do your homework, you are God’s body being active in creation and preparing for the tasks God has for you in your future. As you are faithful in the things God puts in front of you to do, God is acting in you and through you to benefit your neighbor and creation. Be faithful in those things. Our Epistle lesson (1 Cor. 4:1-5) is an important reminder that the most important measure of what we do isn’t success or numbers that can be measured by others. We stewards shouldn’t care what others think. We shouldn’t even try to judge our own success. We are simply called to be faithful (1 Cor. 4:2-3).

But even as you are faithful, you will face suffering like John did. So, instead of falling into despair when you face suffering, God would have you rejoice in your suffering because suffering produces endurance, which produces character, which produces hope (Ro. 5:3-5). When you suffer, go back to God’s Word. Hear His promises. Hold on to those because God has not and will not fail in delivering you from suffering in this fallen and broken world.

Jesus is coming. He is not just coming sometime in the future. He is the constantly coming One. He has come once, He is coming still, and He will come again in the future. So, be bold and confident that the coming One is still active in His creation. Believer, you can have joy because Jesus has come and saved you.

Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness and sadness cannot coexist, but joy and sadness can. Joy is not the absence of sadness. Instead, joy is confidence and contentment that God is in control and is taking care of things. Even when everything in this world seems dark and fading, God is in control. He has come. He is coming again. And He comes now to give you His Body and Blood which He gave and shed for the forgiveness of all your sins.

Christian, rejoice in the Lord always. Your Lord is coming. In fact, He is at hand now. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.