Matthew 11:1-6 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
John the Baptist taught repentance, a disciplined life dedicated to Jehovah. In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 1:1-3) The Jewish culture of his day was rooted in their religion, but in some ways the people walked in “cultural deism," believing in a God, but not living according to the Old Testament’s standards. Even the religious activity in the temple had been contaminated by consumerism, led by the temple leaders, the Sadducees, who did not believe in an afterlife. Therefore, the people lived under a semblance of Judaism but lacked the understanding that God is real and demands something from their lives. John warned that God was ready to judge the Israelites for their lack of commitment to the One who called them out of slavery in Egypt, an act of separating them from the world’s way of living, an approach based on serving self, exploiting others for one’s own benefit. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” (Luke 3:9-14) John’s teaching was so direct and accusatory that even the worst in society came to hear him not only speak but to be baptized. The people were repenting of their self-oriented lifestyle, their lack of dedication to the God who showered them with love and mercy, setting them apart to be his special people. Now the Jews were chaffing under the rule of the Romans, discontented about having to pay taxes, tribute, in subservience to the Pharaohs of their lifetime, the Roman emperors. They disliked that they lived for the benefit of others. The Jews were supposed to be God’s people, chosen out of all nations; yet their knees bowed to the rulers in Rome. Consequently, they were ready to hear John’s message of deliverance: the kingdom of heaven has come near. In a sense, John’s voice spawned a revival of turning to God. He prepared the way for the Messiah, the deliverer of the Jews and all who were chained by the bondage of sin and death. The Messiah’s death and resurrection, the plan of God, would bring salvation to the whole world, not just to the Jewish people. The yoke of the Romans would not be thrown off because of his coming, but the yoke of sin would never again hold people in its grip without an escape. As an angel said at Jesus’ birth: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for ALL the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:9-11) John, now in prison, asks Jesus to confirm what he has been telling people about the kingdom of God being near. Jesus tells his disciple, Go back and report to John what you hear and see. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Jesus’ deeds confirmed the prophecy of Isaiah.
Jesus lived a gregarious life, associating with people freely, saints and sinners alike. He drank wine, wore ordinary clothes, and ate with anyone who would eat with him. He ate and drank with the outcasts and the sinners of society and with the Pharisees He often attacked. He called Matthew as his disciple, a tax collector hated by the Jews. Jesus mingled with the society. He fed the people, gave the people his best by healing them and teaching them. Jesus was a people person. John’s disciples emulated John’s lifestyle, his way of addressing the immoral aspects of the Jewish society. In Jesus they saw a man seemingly comfortable within the Jewish society. So Jesus says, Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me. Otherwise, do not gauge my work on what I do, but on God’s work through me. Of course, Jesus’ teachings were powerful, but the miracles He performed validated that He was sent from God—truly the one John had been foretelling: the Messiah. But Jesus knew the Pharisees whose own lifestyles set them apart from their community were criticizing him. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. (Matthew 23:23-24) The Pharisees could give John some license for speaking about God, for he was a strange man who had set himself apart from society. John was paying the price for his piety. Even though John attacked the priests fiercely, they appreciated him more than Jesus because he was living life as the prophets of old lived. But Jesus was a different matter, living and talking with people often rejected by the religious elite of the Jewish society. Consequently, He was criticized much by the religious leaders. But Jesus knew that they had hardened their hearts against John’s message and his as well. It was not the messenger they disliked or favored, it was the message of repentance and turning to God they rejected. “For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’” (Luke 7:33-34) John’s own disciples could better understand the Pharisee’s lifestyle than they could Jesus’ lifestyle. But Jesus wanted them to go back to John and tell him about his wondrous deeds, the works that John had heard about Jesus. These miraculous works were really true. Of course, their account of Jesus’ activity in the realm of healing and caring of people would assure John that his own ministry had been led by God. John would soon face death by execution, but the Lord God allowed him to know that Jesus was the Messiah.
John wanted to know, Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? Jesus came to deliver the world from the tenor of the world’s self-orientation. Jesus came performing miracles and wonders to open mankind to a new way of living. Of course, transformation fundamentally leads to life eternal, but believers are obligated to bring the kingdom of God to people. As new creatures with the kingdom of God within us, we should display the Good News to the unsaved. Before the great flood, God saw sin producing violence on Earth. Every man and woman went his or her own way, leading to conflict, disharmony, and chaos. When God started with a new environment, nothing changed. Violence, hate, conflict, and disharmony remained. A Savior, a Messiah, was needed to change people on the inside—the heart, creating harmony with God and man and leading to eternal life. But, we must still display the works of God and his nature instead of the old fleshly nature while we live on Earth. Jesus’ teaching on love and kindness extended not only to our relatives, friends, ethnic group, and the like but to our enemies, strangers, and to the “others” in our lives. We are to love and care for people who are different from us and people who are against us. We are to bring the kingdom of God near, for the kingdom of God is resident in us. We are not to be disharmonious, self-willed, self-oriented people—seeking power for ourselves or our group. The world is full of people who are considerate or kind to those who will reciprocate in the same way, but when people do not consider our goodness as something worthy to be respected, we still should reach out to them. We should not be cursing or criticizing them, for as James says, we are hypocrites when we do. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (James 3:9-12) John asked if Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus let John’s disciples know He was doing the miraculous works of God, so they should report that message. But Jesus was also telling people to change the direction of their lives, telling them to image God. If they did, they would be displaying the wisdom of God. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:17-18) We are God’s ambassadors, displaying his wisdom in this world. Let us be peacemakers, lovers of our enemies, providers for those who cannot help themselves. Through our lives, good news is proclaimed to the poor. The world is poor; the Jewish community during Jesus’ time was poor. But God brought comfort to them through his message of everlasting life for all who are made in God’s image and accept his Son. We stand in faith, believing in God’s desire to change people. As Isaiah encouraged the people of Judah to stand, believing in the God who rescues his own people from evil powers, we must stand firmly, believing in the Messiah’s works. Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm. (Isaiah 7:9) Stand firm by faith in Jesus today and you will not stumble.
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