Behold the King: Is He the ONE or not?

Matthew 11:1–6 KJV 1900

And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

John had some preconceived expectations about Jesus.

Within those preconceived expectations, John showed his human tendencies towards in Gospel ministry

Self-regarding Mindset

Inward looking John is showing how much like Elijah he is.

1 Kings 19:4 KJV 1900

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

Desperate, despondent, depressed due to the circumstances.

Not all doubt is equal. The agnostic would doubt which religion is right, and because there are so many religions in the world why bother searching at all. This is a lazy doubt! This doubt says I don’t know and even if I am given convincing evidence of truth I will not trust it because its too laborious to think through.

The skeptic doubts mainly due to their inability to see God and therefore cannot prove that He exists.

John’s doubt was neither of these kinds, his doubt was based upon the differences in style. John was a fire and brimstone preacher, and Jesus, up until this point had been more relational and personable.

Isaiah 55:8 KJV 1900

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

Once upon a time, a young preacher named G. Campbell Morgan faced doubts about the Bible. He was troubled by the writings of scientists and agnostics. Determined to find answers, he locked away his doubts, bought a new Bible, and approached it with an open mind.

To his surprise, the Bible spoke to his searching heart, providing him with newfound assurance. Inspired by this revelation, Morgan dedicated himself to preaching and teaching God's Word, knowing that Jesus offers greater assurance to doubters who trust Him.

In this story, doubt becomes a catalyst for growth and faith, reminding us to seek truth with an open mind. Like Morgan, we may find that the very thing we doubted becomes our source of greatest assurance.

Psalm 119:165 KJV 1900

Great peace have they which love thy law: And nothing shall offend them.

Welcomed The Question

Jesus does not shun the question, in fact He always welcomes heartfelt direct questions.

He welcomes questions from those who are greatly desire to know Him or know His ways.

There are some questions that might seem a bit ridiculous.

A young boy wrote to the Boston Globe with a question. His concern was that the vet. told him that his cat, which he loved, needed to go on a diet. The boy put the cat on a strict diet in hopes that the cat would loose weight. But to the boys horror, the cat gradually gained weight. After watching the cats movements for a few days the young man realized that the cat had been supplementing his diet with mice. So he wrote to the newspaper for help and this was his question. "I am nine years of age and have a cat that eats regularly and needs to go on a diet. He also eats mice when he is out. How many calories in a mouse?"

The Boston globe has put this down as one of the top ten unaswerable questions of the century.

Note: a mouse contains between 30-48 calories.

Jesus loves questions, earnest questions.

The pharisees asked him questions, the disciples of John asked him questions, Jesus’ own disciples asked him questions.

Philippians 4:6 KJV 1900

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Jesus answers Johns questions through a direct reference to Scripture.

Isaiah 35:4–6 KJV 1900

Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: Behold, your God will come with vengeance, Even God with a recompence; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, And the tongue of the dumb sing: For in the wilderness shall waters break out, And streams in the desert.

Jesus does not use insider Christianeze

Amplify Assurance

Jesus completely comfort’s John’s fearful concerns with promises from the One that Cannot lie. Jesus in a sense is saying “God says that when the Messiah comes, these miracles will happen, and so will judgment. I haven’t forgotten about the judgment.” then by the end of Matt 11 starts judging.

Increasing Your Bible knowledge

And reread

Isaiah 61:1–2 KJV 1900

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all that mourn;

Increase our Trust in Jesus’ plan

John 10:15 KJV 1900

As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

John 10:27 KJV 1900

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Empower our Testimony For Jesus

Jesus takes the next paragraph of Scripture to brag on John’s faith and importance. He uses John as a testimony of faithfulness. This testimony is God encouraging us to trust Jesus and go out into the world intent on glorifying God, living out the Gospel of Christ, and helping people with their Faithway journey.

Jeremiah 29:11 KJV 1900

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Conclusion:

John is still considered best-born-or-woman.

John shows doubt and helps us understand that when we doubt we should have a give Jesus the benefit of the doubt in our doubt.