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.
John the Baptizer, you know him. You love him. 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. John preached, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He announced that Jesus was coming after him, and John said he wasn’t worthy to stoop down and untie Christ’s sandals (Mk. 1:7). Scripture tells us that the people of Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan were going to be baptized by John (Mt. 3:5). John came to bear witness to Jesus as the true Light who gives light to everyone (Jn. 1:6-9). And he pointed people to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29ff).
John preached the Gospel, but he also preached the Law. He would call out the Pharisees and Sadducees, calling them a brood of vipers (Mt. 3:7). And when Herod the tetrarch married his brother’s wife, John spoke out against this evil thing (Lk. 3:19-20). That is why John is in prison when we meet him here. (Just a side note: Yes, there are times that a preacher should call out the evil things politicians do.) For his whole life, John had been a faithful steward of the mysteries of God’s Word (1 Cor. 4:1-2).
But here, in this text, John is nearing the end of his life and is soon to be executed. He is in a dank, dark prison cell. He probably had no heat or light, wasn’t being fed well, and was shackled in some way. But even though he is in prison, John was able to visit with his disciples. From that dark place, John sends his disciples to ask Jesus an important but surprising question, “Are You the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
The question, in and of itself, is a great question, but we should be surprised and utterly shocked at the source and originator of this question. John already knew the answer. On top of everything I’ve already mentioned about him, John is the one who baptized Jesus. After that baptism, John saw the Holy Spirit descend and remain on Jesus (Jn. 1:31-33). John heard God the Father say, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:17). And John publicly proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of God (Jn. 1:34).
But now, John asks Jesus, “Are You really the Messiah?” It’s shocking. So shocking, in fact, that after Jesus answers the question with all the proofs – the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up – Jesus then turns to the crowds and defends John for even asking this question and talks him up a bit. Christ basically says, “Listen, you didn’t go out in the wilderness to listen to a reed shaken by the wind or to see a guy dressed up funny clothes.” And, quite honestly, what Jesus says there is at least PG-13, just ask me after the service. Jesus goes on to say that John the Baptist is a prophet, and more than a prophet. He is the long-promised messenger who would prepare the way of the Messiah (Mal. 3:1). On top of that, Jesus says that John the Baptizer is the greatest of all men ever born. This is absolutely stunning.
Just think about this. According to Jesus, John is greater than Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. So, the question before us this morning is why does John ask Jesus, “Are You he one who is to come, or should we look for another?”?
Now, there are two schools of thought as to why John would ask this question. Some say that John is having legitimate doubts and is second-guessing his entire ministry of pointing people to Jesus, but others completely dismiss that possibility and say that John is asking this question to get his disciples to follow Jesus. But I don’t think we can simply dismiss the theory that John doubted. Here’s why.
Everything we know about John is that is he was direct and doesn’t beat around the bush. If he wanted his disciples to follow Jesus, he would have told them straight out, and we have passages of Scripture where John does exactly that (Jn. 1:26-30). Another reason to reject the theory that John is trying to get his disciples to follow Jesus is that Jesus doesn’t go along with the plan. Christ sends those disciples back to John to report what they hear and see. If John was trying to get his disciples to follow Jesus, you would think that Jesus would invite them to follow Him. But Jesus takes John’s question seriously. Finally, the speculation that John is trying to get his disciples to follow Jesus typically works under the assumption that Christians cannot or should not ever have serious doubts or difficulties. And that assumption is wrong.
All sorts of strong believers in Scripture went through times of struggle and doubt. Abraham, Jacob, Job, Moses, David, Elijah, Peter, and Paul all faced serious doubts – some of them more than once. Why wouldn’t John, even though he is the greatest man ever born, face that too?
Dear saints, even the greatest struggle in the faith. Just consider, for a moment: how many people did John minister to? How many did he point to Jesus when they faced temptation, guilt, pain, suffering, and struggles? But, now, as John is sitting in prison, he is the one who needs the ministry of the Gospel. He needs to be reminded. He needs to be pointed to the same Jesus he pointed others to as he travels down his own dark road. If John the Baptizer gets to that place, so will you, if you haven’t already.
So, I want to leave you with two thoughts, which should also be encouraging. First of all, there is a difference between John’s question here, where he is struggling and panicking a bit (I think we can categorize his question that way), there is a difference between that and real intellectual questions about Christianity, God, the resurrection, and other aspects of our faith. None of us are immune to the struggle that John is going through here. If even the greatest man ever born struggles in this way, expect that you will as well. So, when (not if but when) you face these spiritually dark times, don’t panic. Do as John does here and bring those questions to Jesus. Dive into Scripture and hear God’s promises again. Pull out the Psalms and see how often they deal with these spiritually low places. And know that I am here to help. I’m here to minister to you in those times, and so are all your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Now, there might be times where you have intellectual questions about the faith. That is a different thing entirely. If that’s the case, if you have a question about creation because of what you have heard in a science class that is teaching the theory of evolution, or a question about if the Resurrection of Jesus actually happened, or about Christianity in general, ask someone who knows more than you do. I can help answer a lot of those questions or I can help you search for and find the answers. Don’t be a fool and think there aren’t answers for those types of questions. You aren’t so smart that you have found a hole in our faith that hasn’t already been answered. Christianity is intellectually rigorous and can answer even your most difficult questions. So don’t be afraid to ask them. But remember that is a different thing than going through a dark, difficult time spiritually.
The second thing I want you to observe is how gently Jesus answers John’s question. Consider this question from Jesus’ perspective. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus hardly gets a break. He’s always teaching, healing, ministering. Even when Christ does try to get away from the crowds for a bit, He ends up being found and having to do more (Mk. 6:30-34), or Jesus will try to sit down to rest but ends up ministering to another lost soul (Jn. 4:6-26), or Christ tries to catch a quick nap and His disciples will wake Him up with their problems (Mt. 8:23-27). When this question comes from John, Jesus doesn’t throw up His hands, groan, and say, “What! John needs help too? Isn’t he supposed to be the greatest? I don’t have time for this.” No, Jesus answers John’s question kindly, softly, and without a single, solitary shred of impatience.
Jesus doesn’t rebuke John. He doesn’t complain about how busy and tired He is. Jesus simply says exactly what John needs to hear. Jesus is patient and gentle with John, and He is with you too.
I know this text of John the Baptizer sitting in prison and struggling in his faith doesn’t sound very Christmassy, but it is very practical, real life, and down to earth stuff. This can be a dark and lonely time of year. But the same Lord who loved John and gave him the encouragement he needed in the moment he needed it is here for you to speak peace to you and encourage you. Rejoice! He will see you through because He has promised. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Dear Lincoln, today you are Baptized. Today, God has given you the new birth of water and the Spirit (Jn. 3:5). Today in your Baptism, you have been joined to Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ro. 6:3-5) and have been clothed with Christ (Gal. 3:27). And Lincoln, Derek, Brittney, and all you saints, that means that today is a day to rejoice. Even as we see the grass wither, the flower fade, and creation crumble, we know that the Word of our God will stand forever. God continues to shower His blessings upon us through that Word. And His Word to us today, and every day of our Christian walk, is the Word of the Gospel which causes us to rejoice.
In Advent we are watching and waiting for the coming of our Savior and the end of our exile in this fallen, sinful world. Advent is the Christian life in a nutshell. We watch and we wait for the coming of our Lord. And as we wait, we are reminded that, whatever may happen to us in this veil of tears, the end is a joyful day for you whose citizenship is in heaven. As we wait, we remember that all the cares and sorrows of this world are temporary.
John was born and grew up as a Nazarite, so his hair was never cut. Imagine his big, bushy beard and his long, tattered hair. John preached out in the wilderness wearing clothes made of camel hair and leather belt. He had a peculiar diet of locusts and wild honey (Mk. 1:6). Imagine having locust breath – probably even worse than coffee breath. Matthew summarizes John’s preaching as this message: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:2). People would come out to the wilderness to hear him preach, and when he saw them he said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Mt. 3:7). He would preach about the axe that was laid to the root of every tree that would cut down each tree that didn’t bear fruit and throw it into the fire (Mt. 3:10). So, John was a preacher of the Law. But still all the country of Judea and Jerusalem was going out to John and being baptized and confessing their sins (Mk. 1:4-5).
John was anxious in prison knowing he was probably going to be executed for what he had preached. Probably, John was wondering if he had preached rightly. And Jesus’ response points John and you to the Scriptures. In particular, Jesus points John to Isaiah 35:4-6, and you have to hear the context of those verses because it shows how beautifully Jesus answers John’s question, “Are you the One who is to come?” Here it is Isaiah 35:4-6, “Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy….”
He opened the eyes of the blind. Christ made the deaf hear, the lame walk, and the mute to sing. All of that means that salvation has come to you who are anxious and poor in spirit. Rejoice.
At first blush, this seems simple enough. Just follow Dave Ramsey’s advice for getting rid of your loans, car payments, and mortgage. Then live your life humming the Beatles, “All you need is love. All you need is love. All you need is love, love, love. Love is all you need.”
So, as our text says, put on Christ. Clothe yourself in Him. Make His life, His obedience, His perfection your coat, your suit, your dress, your shirt, your shorts, your jeans, and your pajamas. How do you do that? Galatians 3:27 says, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
The only people who can be comforted are those who are troubled, afflicted, and uncomfortable. And God says, “Give them a double dose. Give them two shots of comfort.”
God’s anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning (Ps. 30:5). And even before the suffering begins God preaches comfort to His people.
Here is your hope, Christian. You have God’s comfort in all things. Heaven is on your side. Your warfare is ended. Your iniquity pardoned. And no one, not even God Himself, can charge you for your sins because His Word of comfort stands forever.
Pastorsamwise 
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