Answering John's Question
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
The little boy cried out over and over, “Mom where are you?!”
He was walking back and forth in the front of the store.
People with shopping carts full of milk, bread, fruit, and other household items rattled past the frantic boy as they raced to wait in line for a check out spot.
The boy decided to stop yelling and just look.
So he walked to the front of each aisle and peered down the long trek to see if his mother and her cart were present.
He went to the first aisle and saw nothing but potato chips and an old man in an automatic shopping cart.
He went to aisle two were three college kids were arguing over who would pay for the stuff in the cart...
But no mom.
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As he walked to the third aisle he began to wonder what had happened.
He had just come from aisle three.
That's where all the fruit snacks were.
He was looking at them and then she was gone.
He looked down the aisle and she wasn't there either.
The little boy got another pain in his stomach.
It felt like bees were flying in his stomach and were trying to get out.
He started to cry a little more.
“Mom where are you,” he questioningly cried out as he looked down aisle four.
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Had she left him at the store all by himself?
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Had she decided he was too much trouble to feed... all he had asked for was fruit snacks!?
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Had she left the store to head home and forgot all about him?
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He felt sad.
He felt scared.
He felt a little angry.
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Just as he reached aisle five he noticed a man in a blue vest putting cans onto a shelf.
He walked silently up to the man who obviously worked at the store.
Who else would be putting cans on the shelf instead of taking them off?
The little boy walked up to him and just as he approached the man looked down.
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“I think my mom left me at the store or got abducted by aliens or something,” the boy said to the can stacking wizard of aisle five.
The man looked down at the boy with one eye brow cocked higher than the other.
The little boy started to cry a little.
His mom was gone and he couldn't find her.
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“Now what makes you think that?” he asked as he knelt down in the middle of pallets of canned peas.
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“Well,” the boy answered, “I was looking at fruit snacks and then she was gone.
I asked her if we could get some and then she just was gone.”
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The man in the blue vest slowly got up from his kneeling position.
Ever so slowly.
The boy heard him grunt a little as he came to his feet.
“Let's see if we can find her.”
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“We won't find her,” the little boy said right away, “I have looked all over the world and she is just plain gone.”
The little boy pointed back the way he came.
“She's not anywhere.”
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The man in the blue vest took the little boy by the hand and headed towards aisle six.
There were in fact twenty aisles in this grocery store warehouse.
“So what makes you think that your mom left without you?”
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“Because I don't see her.”
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“Has she ever accidentally left you anywhere before” the man asked.
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“No.”
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“Has she ever been abducted by aliens before,” the man asked as they passed aisle seven.
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“Not that I know of.”
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“So why would you doubt her now?
I am sure she is here and we just have to find her,” the man said as he walked up to a small stand at aisle ten.
He talked with a super tall man with a bushy mustache who also had on a blue vest, but had a huge button on it with all kinds of stickers.
The guy also had a radio the size of a dictionary attached to his belt.
After a minute, an announcement came over the store that echoed down the aisles.
It sounded crackly and garbled.
He thought he heard... “boy... lost... ten...”
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Just as the announcement was blasting over the store... announcing to the world that his mother had left him to fend for himself with nothing but a box of fruit snacks to eat... his mother appeared with her full cart around the corner of aisle fifteen.
His baby sister was bouncing up and down in the seat of the cart sucking on a bottle and sporting a different outfit than she had on when they entered the store.
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“Mom!” the little boy cried out and sprinted down the four aisles to meet his mother.
“Mom I thought you left without me” the little boy said as he hugged his mom beside the cart.
The man in the blue vest walked up then too.
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“Honey I asked you to follow me to the bathroom so I could change your sister,” his mother looked down and hugged him.
“I thought you heard me.
I looked around after I changed her and didn't see you.
I went to the fruit snack aisle and you weren't there.”
His mom smiled.
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“I forgot,” the boy said.
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“See,” the man with the blue vest said, “there was no reason to doubt.
Here she is and all is well.”
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“Honey I have never left you anywhere before... have I,” his mother asked.
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“No.”
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“Well then I hope you learned something about me today,” his mother said as she looked down at her now non-frantic son.
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His mom thanked the man in the blue vest as he began to walk away.
The tall man with the mustache and the huge radio also got some thanks from her.
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“Hey mom,” the little boy asked, “can we get some fruit snacks?”
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This tale that we just covered...
It is an example of how doubt can creep into our minds...
Often times that doubt comes about in a time of stress and anxiety....
That doubt corresponds to a particular situation we find ourselves in...
Like when John the Baptist found himself in jail...
He too struggles with doubt despite being g the forerunner of the Messiah...
And that is why He took his doubts to Christ Himself and sought our His reassurance.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 7 and focus on verses 18 through 23.
Our message this morning is titled, “Answering John's Question”
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This message today will focus on the question John the Baptist has for Jesus...
We will explore why that question came up...
And we will witness the answer Jesus gives to John.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
The Question...
The Answer...
And...
The Blessing.
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
The Alpha and Omega!
The First and the Last!
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Thank You for allowing us to gather to worship You...
Thank You for being patient in our times of confusion and doubt...
And thank You for clarifying all the facts...
And for giving us much assurance in who You are and Your truth.
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Watch over us as we are engaging in intense spiritual warfare...
Equip us to be ready at all time for battle...
And teach us all we are meant to learn will going through our Christian walk.
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Forgive us for the times we are weak in faith...
Help us to grow stronger and stronger so we are more dependent on You everyday!
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John,
19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ”
21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.
22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.
23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Question
1) The Question
Verses 18-20: The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ”
First off, it is important too note that although Luke here did not tell us where John was at this time...
We know he was in prison due to the parallel account of this event found in Matthew 11:2 which says:
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples
Additionally, Luke did not feel the need to mention that John was in prison in this particular passage as he already mentioned John’s imprisonment back in Luke 3:20 which says:
20 added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
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Another point to consider is the phrase “all these things” which refers to both the events in Luke 7:11–17 which we covered last Sunday in our study...
And it refers to Jesus’ other reported teachings and healings found in Luke 4–6 which we have been covering for many weeks.
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At this moment, Luke is recording the fact that John sends two disciples to Jesus...
There is a reason that John would have selected two disciples as they would have acted as witnesses...
This reflects the teaching found in Deuteronomy 19:15 which says:
15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.
So, then the truthfulness of the witnesses’ report given back to John the Baptist will be considered official and legitimate.
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Regarding John’s question, the ESV Study Bible says:
“For some reason, Jesus did not seem to be exactly the kind of Messiah John was expecting, perhaps because it did not appear that Jesus was going to overthrow the Roman rulers, and probably also because Jesus was not immediately bringing judgment on evildoers.
John’s concern was probably aggravated by his being in prison.”
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Furthermore, the New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says it like this:
“He had expected that Christ would speedily destroy the powers of darkness and judge the unrighteous.
But instead of doing this, He leaves him, His forerunner, helpless in prison; and it is clear to John that even the Jewish people did not follow Him on a great scale and did not believe in Him.
All these things make John impatient and dissatisfied, and even cast shadows of doubt over his mind.
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Because John was a fallible man, he could quite well entertain these questionings even after all the former clear signs and proofs of Jesus’ divine Messiahship that had been given to him by God.”
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Pastor John MacArthur has this great insight for us to consider:
“John’s doubt, like Job’s, arose in part from his inability to understand why God had allowed his negative circumstances, since he rightly perceived himself as a loyal, sacrificial servant of the Lord.
His situation was the opposite of that of the repentant thief on the cross, who freely acknowledged that his terrible circumstances were exactly what he deserved.
Every situation that believers find themselves in is subject to the sovereign purpose of God whether it is perceived as deserved or undeserved.
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A second cause of John’s doubt was popular influence. He was in part a victim of current misconceptions about the Messiah.
Contemporary Judaism ignored the prophecies of the suffering and sin-bearing work of the Messiah, focusing instead on His coming to crush Israel’s enemies and establish His glorious kingdom.
Illegitimate, unbiblical expectations can only lead to doubt and loss of joy when they are not met.
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The final and perhaps most significant reason for John’s doubt was his wrong expectation.
John was a fiery preacher, warning of God’s impending judgment and calling for repentance.
His warning of judgment picked up where the Old Testament ended, and John expected the Messiah to execute that judgment on the wicked when He arrived.
But Jesus, instead of bringing destruction and judgment upon unbelievers, brought to them healing and compassion.
The Day of the Lord with all its fury and judgment of the wicked, had not arrived.
That did not make sense to John, who had called for sinners to repent in order to avoid Messiah’s soon and sudden judgment.”
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So, despite that many amazing signs and miracles that Jesus performed...
Some of which John the Baptist was a witness...
Doubt found a way into his mind...
Just like that opening tale we discussed with the boy who was searching for his mother...
His mother never left him in the past...
There was no reason to think she would now...
But doubt consumed him none the less.
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John the Baptist is not the only man of faith in the Bible to struggle with this...
Remember the words of Thomas as found in John 20:25 which says:
25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Three years he served under Jesus...
He saw the extraordinary...
He heard Jesus’ teachings...
Yet, he doubted the appearance of the Lord after His death.
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Jesus rebukes two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus for their doubt as recorded in Luke 24:22-27:
22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,
23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.
24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Even when Jesus gathered His followers right before He ascended...
Some worshiped Him but still other doubted...
For that records just look at Matthew 28:16-17 which says:
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
Doubt may be a normal response...
Especially when things are not going according to our plan and expectations...
But we are to take that doubt captive...
And we are to turn to the Lord and the Word of God for assurance.
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As the MacArthur Study Bible says:
“With so many unexpected turns of events—John in prison, Christ encountering unbelief and hostility—John wanted reassurance from Christ Himself.
That is precisely what Jesus gave him.”
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Likewise, the New American Commentary on Luke says:
“John experienced real doubt and questioning about whether Jesus, in whom he had originally believed, truly was the Christ because Jesus was so unlike what he had expected.
This is the best interpretation and is in fact quite understandable.
John, as well as the Twelve, had difficulty adjusting their preconceptions of what the Messiah was to be like with what they saw in Jesus’ ministry.
Thus he experienced a period of real doubt.
Jesus’ reply in Luke 7:22–23, however, erases these doubts.”
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So, let’s take a look at what Jesus has to say to the doubts that John the Baptist raised...
And this takes us to our next point.
2) The Answer
2) The Answer
Verses 21-22: In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.
John did the right thing when he was starting to feel doubt...
He went to Jesus...
And Jesus responded by at that very hour performing many miracles that prove He is who He says He is.
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Again the MacArthur Study Bible has a great note fro us to consider:
“He sent John’s disciples back as eyewitnesses of many miracles.
Evidently He performed these miracles in their presence just so that they could report back to John that they had personally seen proof that He was indeed the Messiah.”
So, rather than answering John’s question directly...
Jesus points to His works that fulfill Isaiah’s prophecies related to the Messiah...
You see Beloved...
Verses 22 and 23 of our passage are quotes from Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61...
Specifically, Isaiah 35:5–6 which says:
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 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;
And Isaiah 61:1 which says:
1 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;
So, Jesus is pointing out to John that He is fulfilling all that the prophets have spoken of the coming Messiah because He is that Messiah.
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Jesus made this connection previously in our study as recorded in Luke 4:17–21:
17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
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All through out the Gospel accounts we witness the common testimony that Jesus performed all kinds of miracles...
Take a look with me a just a handful of those records...
For example, take a look at what it says in Matthew 4:23–24:
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.
Additionally, Matthew 8:16 says:
16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.
Furthermore, passages like Matthew 15:29–31 give a detailed account of the kind of work Jesus was doing:
29 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there.
30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them,
31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
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These amazing displays of power and authority were so commonly associated with Jesus that our Lord and Savior said that they can be looked at to show proof that He was sent by the Father as He says in John 10:38:
38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
That same truth is reiterated in John 14:11 which says:
11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
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Even the people came to understand that that amount of miracles...
And the kinds of miracles...
And the way those miracles came to be accomplished proved that Jesus was far more than a typical prophet...
John 7:31 says as much when it states:
31 Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”
Likewise, John 6:14–15 says:
14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
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In fact, John the Beloved wrote in his Gospel account that he recorded all these amazing acts of Jesus so that we may believe in Jesus as the true Christ and Son of God...
Just look at what John 20:30–31 says:
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
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So, Jesus ends His answer to John the Baptist by reminding Him that these is a blessing for those who are not offended by Him...
And this takes us to our third and last point.
3) The Blessing
3) The Blessing
Verses 23: And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
So, Jesus is basically saying to John the Baptist that he needs to rise above his personal tragedy...
He needs to rise above the popular views of the day...
He needs to rise above his wrong expectations...
And he needs to put his complete faith and trust in the convincing evidence that Jesus is the one and only Messiah!
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Let us consider this note from the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament on Luke:
“Jesus offers a general beatitude that includes John, but goes beyond him.
Jesus makes a call to faith that is focused only on himself.
Anyone not offended by Jesus is blessed.
It functions as a call, not only to John, but to all who encounter Jesus’ remark, including Luke’s readers.
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The key to this beatitude is its personal focus on Jesus.
He is the issue, and those who will deal with what God is doing must deal with him.
Those who doubt are called to trust in him.
It may well be that the absence of a direct word of judgment in Jesus’ teaching is part of what threw John off the track.
For John, the ax lay at the foot of the tree.
Such judgment is implied in Jesus’ teaching, but it is not the focus of his early public message.
John’s question is, ‘Where is the great apocalyptic judge and deliverer?’
Jesus’ reply shows that his current focus is more a ‘missionary’ concern, since he stresses reaching out to people with good news.
This does not mean that judgment is absent; judgment for those who reject will emerge later, especially in Luke 11–13.
In fact, judgment is present all the time, since for some to be blessed means that others are not blessed.
When Jesus faces the Jewish leadership’s rejection of him, the consequences of that rejection and how Jesus will deal with it will be clear.”
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So, Jesus is fully aware that His message is difficult for some to accept...
It is not an easy message that will comfort those with misplaced priorities...
That is because Jesus did not fulfill the messianic expectations of His day...
Most people were hoping for a ruler who would overthrow Rome...
Most people were concerned about their earthly material life...
Sadly, not much has changed in our day!
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As George Whitefield, one of the primary voices of the First Great Awakening, once said:
“It is a poor sermon that gives no offense; that neither makes the hearer displeased with himself nor with the preacher.”
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The Gospel message can be so offensive to our natural minds...
What God commands and how He goes about doing His will may shock so of us...
That is because as God himself says in Isaiah 55:8-9:
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
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New Testament scholar Robert H. Stein puts it this way:
“Those who are not scandalized by preconceived ideas of the messianic task but instead judge by what they see happening will know that Jesus is indeed the Promised One and will as a result be blessed.
Those, however, who are offended because of their preconceived notions and by what they do not see happening (such as the judgment of the nations, or the restoration of political independence and greatness for Israel) will miss out on this blessing.
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Although the beatitude is addressed in the original setting to John the Baptist (note the singular tense of the verbs), it is so worded that it also is applicable for Luke’s original readers and present-day readers as well.
As in Jesus’ day, Luke’s time, and today, the final eschatological verdict is dependent upon people’s attitude toward Jesus.
In the final judgment they will stand or fall based upon whether they are his followers.”
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This was to be expected, Church...
We already covered this earlier in our study...
The words of Simeon found in Luke 2:34 which says:
34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed
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As Romans 9:33 says:
33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
The truth of Jesus and the Word of God will not be accepted by all...
To many His truth will lead them to stumble...
To the blessed it will give life...
Eternal life.
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John the Baptist may have had his doubts but ultimately he did the right thing by going to Christ...
After receiving Jesus’ answer John would have been satisfied...
Eventually paying with his life for standing on God’s truth.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this that I came across in my study:
Most evangelistic appeals today pitch the gospel as the way to have an abundant life.
“Jesus came to offer you abundant life.
Trust in Him and He will give you peace, joy, and a truly happy life.”
While all of those claims are true if properly defined, what the salesman hasn’t told the potential customer is that your problems may grow much worse after you have trusted in Christ.
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When we pitch Jesus as a better way to self-fulfillment, we’re promoting an Americanized message that is not identical with the biblical gospel.
What if the potential convert is from a Muslim background?
Will his life be one of trouble-free happiness if he trusts in Christ?
His family will disown him and possibly kill him because he converted to Christianity.
What if he is from China?
He may lose his job or be sent to a labor camp on account of his Christian faith.
In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul says:
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
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We had better present a gospel that is worth suffering for!
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IF YOU WANT A COMFORTABLE LIFE, STAY AWAY FROM JESUS.
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The choice is yours, Beloved...
Do you want comfort?
Do you want an easy life were you don’t have to change a single thing in your life?
The world will offer you that.
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But if you want the truth be prepared to be persecuted!
If you want to follow Christ then you need to deny yourself!
I guarantee you, to be in Christ is worth it!
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.