Matthew 11:2-11

In the darkness of a Herodian prison, John the Baptist seems to have had some doubts about his cousin, Jesus of Nazareth. The man who John had declared was so far beyond him that he was unworthy to tie his sandals, was… well, doing what? Healing people? Eating with tax collectors and sinners? Wandering around preaching? Where was the kingdom that John expected to see change the world?

He was wondering what many of us have in times of trouble: where is Jesus when the need (our need) is deep and great?

Note: I will be quoting from the ESV unless otherwise noted.

Ancient Lens

What can we learn from the historical context?

Great Expectations

As discussed last week, the people of Israel were looking forward to national salvation—many in the form of a messiah, an “anointed one” who would bring about God’s kingdom. 2,000 years later, it’s easy to imagine that Jesus was the only contender. But the truth is, there were many pretenders to this title, each with their own flavor of what they would bring to Israel as the messiah.

There were expectations about what that messiah would look like. John had expectations, himself: 

I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier 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 and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. (Matt. 3:11-12)

The winnowing fork was a prophetic analogy (see Jer. 15:7) describing God’s judgment: separating the faithful from the wicked like the chaff from the wheat. But, as we just noted, it is easy to imagine that from John’s perspective, Jesus might not appear to be doing that at all. He’s spending time with the sinners, not tossing them headlong into “unquenchable fire.” Further, Jesus wasn’t ascetic (like John). He wasn’t fasting, he was feasting (see John’s disciples concern in Matthew 9:14). How could he demonstrate the cleansing and purification that God’s people needed if he was dining his way around Galilee (see Luke 7:34). And, as far as political restoration goes… well, Israel was still firmly in Roman hands and subject to that “brood of vipers” he had decried earlier.

We don’t know for sure which part had John troubled, but we can see how Jesus might not have been fulfilling the expectations placed on him—especially from the vantage point of prison. 

Jesus Lens

How do we point to Jesus?

What Do You Have to Say For Yourself?

John seems to have enough doubt to send his disciples to question Jesus. Indeed, it’s not the first time people in John’s circle have had questions (Matt. 9:14), when they ask Jesus about why he is not fasting. At that time, Jesus seems to be alluding to his messiahship:

And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. (Matt. 9:15)

Who could Jesus mean by the “bridegroom” other than the messiah?

But John had doubts, so his disciples asked. Jesus turns to Scripture, especially Isaiah 35 and 61. These each point to the role of the messiah as one who brings “good news” to the poor. Donald A. Hagner, in the Word Biblical Commentary series, connects each statement of Jesus with the prophetic text they fulfill:

τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέπουσιν, “the blind receive their sight” (cf almost the exact language in Isa 29:18; cf 42:18; 35:5; Matt 9:27–31); (2) χωλοὶ περιπατοῦσιν, “the lame walk” (cf Isa 35:6; Matt 9:1–8); (3) λεπροὶ καθαρίζονται, “lepers are cleansed” (not a specific OT expectation, but implied in general statements, eg, Isa 53:4; Matt 8:1–4); (4) κωφοὶ ἀκούουσιν, “the deaf hear” (nearly identical language in Isa 29:18; 35:5; cf 42:18; Matt 9:32–34, where, however, the κωφός is a mute man enabled to speak); 

(5) νεκροὶ ἐγείρονται, “the dead are raised” (similar language in Isa 26:19; Matt 9:18–26); and (6) πτωχοὶ εὐαγγελίζονται, “the poor hear the good news of salvation” (Isa 61:1; cf Matt 9:35). As the last mentioned item, the preaching of the gospel intentionally receives special emphasis, for this is ultimately the meaning of the preceding miracles. The Messiah brings the kingdom: that is the gospel. The “poor” (πτωχοί) are the same as those of 5:3, literally poor and hence poor in spirit.” [1]

The passages Jesus points to definitely accord with the traditional picture of the Messiah. But, at this point in his ministry, there were still some pretty significant items on the messianic to-do list remaining. 

The text doesn’t tell us John’s response to Jesus. Was he satisfied? John was human—did he still have misgivings?

But as we will see in the modern section, this is the same question that each of us face today. 

Jesus Comments on John’s Character

In contrast to our own day, there wasn’t a lot of privacy in 1st century Judea and Galilee. When John’s disciples asked their questions about Jesus’s messiahhood, he probably had plenty of people who heard and wanted to hear his answer. 

Jesus turns to them after defending his own mission and comments on John,

What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?  What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. (Matt 11:7-9)

Jesus describes John’s character. John is a force to be reckoned with, and so Jesus here is reminding the crowds that John is no pushover, and that his questions are legitimate. He has lived the life of a prophet, a hard life, lived in the wilderness, rejecting privilege and wealth. In effect, John has the right to ask these questions.

So there is a tension here where John is not fully a part of this new way that is being ushered in by Jesus. But this does not negate his ministry, which Jesus recognizes as critical to his own in these last words in Matthew about John:

This is he of whom it is written,

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

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. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matt. 11:10-12)

How is John so great, exactly? The Biblical commentator R.T. France offers a thoughtful answer:

John is thus the greatest of prophets, indeed of all men up to his time – great, that is, in his place in God’s purpose, not necessarily in his personal worth. But that purpose was leading to a new order, the kingdom of heaven, of which John was only the herald, and which is the fulfilment of all that went before. [2]

John ultimately plays one of the most important roles in world history by ushering in the coming of the son of God. Somewhat paradoxically, he will have to accept that his expectations for the messiah may differ from the reality.

Modern Lens

How does this touch my heart, life, emotions, thoughts and relationships today?

Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

When we locate something or someone, we rule out all the places they are not at. In this case, we’re not ruling out places, but roles that Jesus might play. We’re sifting through the “places” Jesus might be and ruling them out, hoping to find the real Jesus.

This isn’t just John the Baptist’s problem. If we acknowledge our fallen, imperfect understanding, ("For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." 1 Cor 13:12), then we should probably acknowledge that our picture of Jesus is necessarily incomplete, flawed, and perhaps even leading us to make significant mistakes about Jesus’ identity. 

You’ll find a great illustration from Kevin DeYoung below. It highlights our own remaking Jesus in our own image and to fit our expectations. 

We do this in many ways, though two easier ways to see it are by looking at the American church. Christians on the more conservative side often highlight the need for a personal, salvific relationship with God—but how often do we see the same Christians apparently downplaying the clear teaching to pursue justice and shalom in the world? On the other hand, more progressive Christians can focus on justice and shalom, but sometimes seem to downplay the demand for personal obedience to Jesus. One Jesus, two very different visions.

But, as the illustration from DeYoung points out, it goes far beyond just these two skewings of who Jesus is. Inviting your congregation to consider how their own desires, lifestyle, and preconceptions prevent them from seeing the fullness of who Jesus is an option for constructive introspection and conviction.

You might also remind your congregation of that scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when he has to pick the right grail out of a host of imitations (and the consequences of picking the wrong one are… unpleasant). 

A good test for whether you’ve got the real Jesus or one you’ve made up yourself is whether or not he puts any demands on you—whether he makes you a bit uncomfortable—whether he really requires you to pick up your cross and follow. If not, it’s a bad sign. 

When the Need is Deep and Great

It’s not just a matter of accuracy. We’re not insisting that people fully grasp what it meant for Jesus to be a first-century Jewish person and the cultural milieu that shaped him and weed out anachronisms.

The real Jesus matters, because the real Jesus saves. A Jesus made in our own image might make us feel good about ourselves, but when the need is deep and great, when we are in the dark, wondering where Jesus is, we want the real Jesus, not some cheap knock-off. We want that wild, unpredictable Jesus who doesn’t fit our expectations, who does the unexpected and can actually cleanse us and change us within.

If we want to locate Jesus vividly, not just in a book 2,000 years ago, we might ask ourselves if we allow the Holy Spirit to shape and form us in the image and likeness of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

References

1. Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1-13: World Biblical Commentary Vol. 33 (Thomas Nelson, 1993).

2. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (IVP Academic, 2008).