The One Has Come

Introduction

Someone comes up to you and asks, “How do you know that Jesus is the One.” What do you say? Well, first you will have to define what the person means be the One but beyond that, what do you say? Why do you follow the teachings of this man? Why do you follow the teachings of his Apostles’? Is it blind faith, as if you randomly decided to follow someone and Jesus seemed like a pretty good fit? Is it because you’ve always been a Christian and it seems like a pretty good belief system so you continue on with it? Or is there something more? What convinced and continues to convince you that Jesus is the Christ? What convinced you that, even if Jesus is the Messiah, that the Jewish Messiah holds all the hope in the world for you who are most likely not an ethnic Jew?

These questions are important for us to answer because we have to have a sure foundation for our faith if we are going to submit to that faith, live it, suffer for it, and even die for it. Christ calls us, as he called his first disciples, to follow him at all costs. Such a high and uncompromising calling needs more to substantiate your belief in it than simply you were brought up Christian.

The Scriptures recognize that we need this firm foundation, and reason is given to us. It is also not unusual or wrong for us to struggle with doubtful thoughts and ask tough questions. John the Baptist himself, after putting his neck on the line by declaring that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah whom he had been called to prepare the way for, knew his own disciples were in doubt of his message concerning Jesus. He sent his disciples, whom as we saw previously in chapter 9 had their own doubts, to ask this very question. Calvin says that it was not for John’s sake, but for the sake of his followers, that this question was asked. Whether John himself had doubts or not is not clear in the text, only that he wanted it to be perfectly and publicly clear who Jesus was. Jesus doesn’t rebuke them, nor does it appear from the following text that Jesus’ opinion of John was lowered. Instead, Jesus shows them plainly that all one could expect from the Saviour of the World was fulfilled right there before their own eyes.

Our text begins with Jesus ending his instructions given in chapter 10 with the twelve Apostles, after which he goes about doing as he had done before while his disciples were out doing the same thing, proclaiming the good news that the Kingdom of Heaven had come near, this being because the King Himself had come to establish his Kingdom in a way no one could have seen coming. Through the shedding of his own blood to ransom a people doomed to die in their sins so that they might be a redeemed people, a gathering of lost sheep, priests and princes in his new Kingdom, and through the preaching of the Gospel the Kingdom would spread in the hearts of men and women everywhere. This ministry hangs on one assumption: that Jesus is who he says he is. With that being the case, let us jump into this short discourse between Jesus and the disciples of John to see how Jesus turns around these doubts about him.

The Question: Is Jesus the One to Come?

The next three chapters of Matthew highlight a key theme. Up to this point, since the end of the sermon on the Mount, the key theme has been the authority of Jesus which proves that he is indeed the Messiah who has come to proclaim the Kingdom of God has finally come near. Not only that, but that he himself is the King of this Kingdom with the authority of God providing signs through miracles that show his authority. The expected response to this authority is to leave all behind and follow Christ. In chapter 10, Jesus gives this authority to his twelve Apostles and sends them as delagats of this Kingdom to the lost sheep of Israel. Now, the theme changes, and we will see that it builds on the previous theme. Although the Kingdom has come near, there is disappointment and opposition from many who hear of it, for it is not the kind of Kingdom they were looking for. This Kingdom is a future and spiritual Kingdom, the salvation is not from Romans but from sin, the restoration is not of Israel’s fabled glory in the days of old, the days of David and Solomon, but a spiritual restoration of people living in the darkness of their sin. This would lead to the rejection of the Messiah by most of the Jews, and eventually to Jesus’ death.

This begins with John sending two of his disciples (Luke 7:18) to Jesus. Now again, it is unclear whether John himself had doubts. It seems most modern commentators believe John did have doubts, but Calvin and Gill both say that this was not for John’s sake, but for the sake of his unbelieving disciples. I find this interpretation interesting because John had clearly declared that Jesus was the Christ, he saw the Spirit of God descend of Jesus like a dove, he had been the one who declared in John 1:32-34

John 1:32–34 ESV

And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

and a few verses later declared “Behold the Lamb of God.” After John was arrested for calling out the adulterous sin of King Herod, it doesn’t seem likely that John would all of a sudden suffer doubts, although it is possible. It seems more likely to me that Calvin and Gill are right. We know that John’s disciples had a problem with unbelief. In fact, the fact that they were still disciples of John and not of Jesus proves they did not really believe what John had been saying. So he takes two of his disciples to bear witness by going to Jesus and seeing for themselves. This is also confirmed by Jesus praising John’s ministry in later verses.

Once again, John fulfills his role by pointing people to Christ. He does not sit in his cell and argue through the iron bars with his disciples explaining to them all the reasons why Jesus is the Messiah, instead he essentially tells them, “go ask him yourself.”

John Calvin:

Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke Matthew 11:1–6; Luke 7:18–19, 21–23

Besides, the pastors of the Church are here reminded of their duty. They ought not to endeavour to bind and attach disciples to themselves, but to direct them to Christ, who is the only Teacher.

These unbelieving disciples are likely jealous of Jesus ministry, as is visible in John 3:26

John 3:26 ESV

And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”

John’s reply, of course, was famously given in John 3:30

John 3:30 ESV

He must increase, but I must decrease.”

So we understand that it was mainly for the sake of his unbelieving and jealous disciples that John sent them to Jesus so that they may see first hand whether Jesus is the Christ, the promised King of God’s people, or not.

Understanding the Question

The question they pose to Jesus is simple enough. “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” This shows the quagmire that the disciples of John were in. They had followed John until he was in prison, John whose role it was to welcome the coming Messiah. Now John is in prison and the one he pointed to is not who they expected. They expected a triumphant King who would throw down the Gentile oppressors and restore the former glory of the Davidic Kingdom. Jesus, by contrast, is preaching the coming of the Kingdom of God in Galilee, healing both Jews and Gentiles, declaring that the faith of a Gentile officer was the greatest faith he ever saw in Israel, and preaching a message that had more to do with introspective commitment to Him than it did with overthrowing the powers that be. On top of this, they see this King and his disciples eating with unwashed hands, eating with sinners, and declaring the forgiveness of sin. So they doubted, and they ask this question. Essentially, they mean, is Jesus the coming Christ, or is he merely another John the Baptist that is preparing the way for another that was to come and fulfill their glorious expectations.

What we have to realize, and what these disciples of John did not realize, is that if Jesus came as a conquering King the first time he came, he would have wiped out Israel for their unbelief as well as the Gentiles. Jesus needed to come first as a Saviour in order to restore the people of God to God before he could come as a physical liberator, which is what we look forward to in the Eschaton, the end of this world and the beginning of the next.

The One is a reference to Hab 2:3

Habakkuk 2:3 ESV

For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

That day when the Messiah would come was longed for by the Jews, so the question is: has that day come? When Jesus preached that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near, he was saying yes, the Scripture was fulfilled.

The Answer

But when Jesus answers these disciples, he gives them more than a word. He doesn’t tell them plainly, but rather invites them to look with their eyes, to study the evidence, and to come to their own conclusion. Jesus doesn’t act like an authoritarian when it comes to believing him. He doesn’t say, believe me or else… but rather, in absolute confidence of who he was, he simply allows them to look at the evidence and see what has happened, and that it is in line with Scripture.

What does Jesus point to? Two things, first he points to his miracles, and second he points to his message. Both of these are references to the Prophet Isaiah, whom some have termed as the fifth Gospel because of how often that prophet spoke of the coming Messiah.

The Miracles

First, Jesus points them to his miracles. Jesus tells the disciples of John to report what they have seen, to be eyewitnesses, the two of them, to the evidence of the work of the Christ. He gives this evidence in verse 5: “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up.” Why does Jesus point to this? After all, there were other miracle workers among the OT prophets, however none were as prolific as Jesus. Besides that, Jesus is pointing them to a sign of the Christ’s coming in:

Isaiah 35:5–6 ESV

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. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

Jesus adds to this that lepers are cleansed and the dead are raised. Each of these signs point to a spiritual reality. The Christ would come as a healer, not primarily of physical ailments, but through those healings He showed his ability to heal all of their spiritual maladies. The lepers were unclean under the law, and could not properly be part of the redeemed community because of their uncleanness. These Jesus cleansed as a sign that he would make those too filthy to come before God and be with His people clean and well, free from the sickness and corruption of sin. The dead are raised to display how He had come to raise those spiritually who were dead in sin. Eph 2:1

Ephesians 2:1 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

These Jesus would raise to newness of life through His own death on the cross, exchanging death for life and in His resurrection He would raise those dead in sin to be alive with Him in His life.

These were signs of the coming Messiah, and John’s disciples here bear witness. We ourselves bear witness of the same thing. We who were once unclean now approach God clothed in the righteousness of Christ as a free gift received by faith. We were once spiritually dead in the power of sin, but now have been brought to life. The reason we call those who die for the faith martyrs which means witness, is because we have witnessed this healing in our own lives. Likewise, our eyes have been opened to see the glory of God in Christ, our ears have been opened to hear the good news and accept it by faith. We who were crippled by the burden of guilt and shame now come before God’s throne of grace restored and able to come to him.

The Gospel Preached to the Poor

But beyond this, Jesus preached the Gospel to the poor, we see at the end of verse 5. This is in reference to:

Isaiah 61:1 ESV

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Jesus references this passage here, and in Luke he quotes this passage directly in the Synagogue as speaking about him.

The Good News

First, this is good news that is being preached. What is this news? From what we have seen in this Gospel, and what is clear in Mark 1, this good news is that the Kingdom of Heaven had come near. The coming of the Kingdom would be preceded by proclamation of its coming. This proclamation may have looked very different to the disciples of John than they expected. Perhaps they were looking for a royal messenger, with troops ready to wage war on the Gentiles and restore the fortunes of Israel’s former glory. Perhaps they had expected angelic messengers to proclaim far and wide before all that the Messiah had come to set up his earthly Kingdom. But despite how humble the proclamation seemed, a homeless Rabbi and his rag-tag team of disciples going into villages, they could not deny that the Kingdom was being proclaimed. If they had listened to any of Jesus’ teaching, they would know that Jesus preached a spiritual Kingdom where the citizens were pure in heart, accepting the truth in their souls, and living out the laws of this Kingdom from a heart that truly trusted God and sought to follow the King. It wasn’t a proclamation of political conquest, but rather a preaching of the reformation of the heart.

Many Christians today expect that the Kingdom of Heaven will come with great political and cultural victory for the Church. That the world will be transformed into a realm of Christian countries culminating in the physical reign of Christ. They think that more than the simple Gospel is to be preached, but moral, political, and cultural victory is to be proclaimed. But this doesn’t line up with Jesus’ ministry at all. Jesus didn’t seek to suplant the evil Roman government, nor did he seek to make Israel a politically Christian country. He preached the reformation of the heart, and in this way the Kingdom of God would be in their very midst, unseen on the political stages of the world, but nevertheless more powerful than any Kingdom on earth could ever hope to be. This is why Christianity is growing exponentially in countries where there is fierce persecution, because in spite of the evil kingdoms and governments that exist today, the Kingdom of Heaven takes over on a higher level, convicting souls and converting hearts.

Preached to the Poor

And who is this Gospel, this good news, preached to? The group is very specific. Jesus didn’t go straight to Jerusalem, to the palace of King Herod to preach. He didn’t mainly preach to the Pharisees, although he did when they would follow him around. This Gospel wasn’t for the proud, the powerful, the wise of this world; instead, it was for the poor. This is in line with Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners, saying that it was the sick who needed a doctor. This also reflects the Beatitude that it was the poor in spirit who would inherit this Kingdom.

Calvin:

But let us remember that none are accounted poor but those ... who lie low and overwhelmed by a conviction of their poverty.

As we’ve seen before, this is a spiritual poverty, one in which we are convinced of our great need for a Saviour. To be poor in Spirit means to be humbled by our sin and recognize that our good works are meaningless to the judge of all the earth. It is to these who are spiritually desperate for salvation from their sins, their poverty of heart, that are given the Kingdom to possess.

Blessed is the One Who Is Not Offended

We come to the last verse in our text, and it calls on us who are reading and contemplating the evidence that Jesus has brought forth to come to a conclusion. Is this enough for us? Can we look at what Jesus claims and the evidence of what Jesus has done and the power that has backed up his ministry, and came to the conclusion “yes, it is true, Jesus is who he says he is.”

But to those who are blind in their hearts, the message of Christ is offensive.

1 Peter 2:8 ESV

and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

It is offensive because, rather than saving us from our circumstances in this world, the Gospel saves us from our own sinful hearts and the condemnation that we have built up for ourselves in our sin. This is not the kind of salvation most people want. In fact, nobody wants it. We want to have our cake and eat it too. We want to be saved from the results of our sin, just as Israel wanted to be saved from the occupying forces that overtook them as God’s judgement but not from their own sinful hearts that brought about that judgement in the first place. What a sorry state we are in. It is only through the inward work of the Holy Spirit that we will receive this.

The cross is also offensive because it doesn’t look like salvation. In fact, it looks like utter defeat. To see our Lord, our Saviour, our King hung on a Roman cross is the most offensive thing imaginable. Imagine showing a Muslim a picture of Muhammad on a cross. You would deeply offend them and they would take offense understandably. How much more offensive is it for us to believe in a God who was hung on such a thing. Yet, the offense of the cross is our glory, for through it we obtain salvation from sins and the promise of eternal life. Jesus didn’t come to bring an attractive message, but an offensive one. Yet, to the one who does not take offense, they are blessed. They have eyes to see beyond the shame of the cross to the glory that it accomplished.

Conclusion: What is Our Response?

Everything you need the Christ to be is found in Jesus. You need him to be a Saviour from your sins, and that he is. You need him to be a merciful, kindhearted, and loving Saviour, and that he is. You need him to reveal himself in such a way that it is obvious for those who truly seek him that he is exactly whom you seek.

When you think of Jesus hung, naked and bleeding on a cross, are you ready to attach yourself to that kind of offense? Are you ready to take up your cross and follow him to such shame? Are you willing to bear the humiliation of following such a man? He proved his ministry was genuine through miracles and signs, the Scriptures bear witness as do our hearts that he is the Christ, the One who was to come and save us from our sins and the tyranny that it causes. We are not told what happened to these two disciples of John, but we need to turn our eyes inward and ask this serious question: what do I think of the man upon the cross? The man who spurned the passing glory of this world in order to achieve glory and immortality for all who believe on him? Are you offended by this message, or have you humbled yourself to embrace it. Blessed indeed is the one who is not offended by the Gospel, that Jesus died, according to the Scriptures, and was raised from the dead and glorified at the right hand of God the Father so that we might join him in that glory forever.