Is Jesus…Jesus? Anwering John the Baptist’s Question

Luke 7:18-35

Each Sunday afternoon, John Tesnow (who is the pastor of Sturgis Christian Church in Sturgis) and I share the gospel with the inmates at the Meade County Jail. From 2p-4p we open the Bible, share the gospel, share our own stories/testimonies, and pray with them over the situations, their families/friends, and that they would see God beckoning them even while they sat in their pods. We witness some who are dismissive and unengaged, just using this time to be out of their pod. Others, we have seen sit and listen, leaning in to what the Bible is teaching them. There are those who will engage in conversations, even posing questions about various Biblical truths, who God is, and who Jesus is. Listening to these inmates, many are “good with God,” but stumble when the conversations turns to Christ. Whether they verbalize them or not, they have questions.

The reality? So many others have questions about Jesus—even professed believers. Whether out of rebellion, whether out of weakness and despair, or whether out of ignorance—questions about come up. Thinking about your life—what you have or are experiencing, even in how you were raised, questions have come up.

Is it wrong to have questions? No—-honest questions never disappoint God—only rebellion is judged by Him. One inmate this past Sunday asked questions which told me He was far from God, but was curious about God. He was encouraged to keep asking and keep seeking the right answers. Why? Because God will meet and answer any honest question posed by a hurting and needful person.

This was the case with John the Baptist. The last we read about JTB, he was put in prison by Herod;

Luke 3:19–20 “But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.”

It was during this time that John was hearing of all what Jesus was doing. He would have been curious. Why? Because He was Jesus’ frontrunner, the “voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.” (Luke 3:4).

John himself was in despair. He was locked up, incarcerated by Herod by speaking truth. His life was in the balance, at the time, not knowing whether he would live of die. It is only natural that John would have questions, that he would have a moment of wondering. “Is all of this true?” “Is Jesus the true Messiah I was sent to prepare the way for?”

In John’s question we can see the questions of so many other people:

“Is Jesus really who the Bible says He is?”

“Can He really save me from my sins and give me eternal life?”

“Does He really care about me and know my hurts, habits, and hangups?”

Jesus will answer John’s question. And the Bible answers our questions: about God, about Jesus, and the Holy Spirit; answers about salvation, life, and what our purpose is. We just need to open it up, read it, and trust and obey what He says:

(READ LUKE 7:18-35)

I. (v.18-20) John hears of Jesus’ works in prison

Luke 7:18–20 “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?’ ””

John heard all about Jesus’ ministry (His serving and ministering to others)—all that was taking place:

How Jesus was healing people of their sicknesses and diseases, how He was healing those who couldn’t walk, talk, or see

How Jesus was casting out demons, cleansing lepers, and raising people from the dead (He just accomplished this Luke 7:11-17)

How the message of Jesus was effecting the region

John, however, was only hearing of 1/2 of the prophecies the Messiah would fulfill—the 1/2 dealing with ministry. He was not hearing about

Righteousness and judgment

John, then, was puzzled and he needed assurance; so he sent two disciples to question Jesus’ Messiahship—to gain assurance and make sure “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

(CONNECTION to YOU AND ME)

Think about these questions:

What happens when you read the Bible?

What happens when you and I come across stories like that in Genesis 1?

What happens when you and I come across verses like John 3:16, Romans 5:8, or Romans 8:1? Or what about the account of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection?

What happens when you hear the stories of others and their subtle or dynamic encounters with God or Jesus Christ?

What comes to mind?

Did these events actually happen?

Does God actually exist and does He actually love me like the Bible says?

Did Jesus actually come to this world and did He really die on a cross for me?

Can I have the joy and peace the Bible talks about?

God, if you are as real the Bible says and I am made in Your image and likeness, is salvation for me also?

God, can I know you more intimately?

What we need to know is this:

These questions are not offensive to God, nor does He dismiss questions like these. These are not questions of ignorance or rejection, but questions that God longs to answer, so a person can know and walk in true, abundant like—that they can have assurance & confidence as they go through life

NOTE: When we read how God answered people in the Bible, we can ourselves develop a desire to say, “Wow, I wish God would answer me like He did Abraham, Moses, or others.”

The truth is—There’s nothing subtle when God intercedes in our lives. While it may not be like, “a Damascus Road,” experience, listen to what God’s Word says about the power of His Word:

1 Kings 19:11–12 “And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.”

“Given the location at Mount Sinai, it was perhaps surprising that the Lord was not in the wind, earthquake, and fire, since theSe were precisely the markers of His appearance on the mountain in Exodus 19. The Lord was showing that He is not only present in the magnificent manifestations of Sinai, where no one can mistake His appearing, but He is just as present in the smallest things of life and often accomplishes His purposes through ordinary, unobtrusive means.” (Albert Mohler Jr.)

Questions come during all seasons of life:

Gideon

We must learn:

To listen

(Psalm 46:10 ““Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!””

To cast aside our divided minds

(Philippians 4:6–7“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

To cast aside what hinders and corrupts

Psalm 51:1 “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.”

Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

To simply ask:

Matthew 7:7–11 ““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

It’s the not asking, the not seeking, the dismissing of seeking answers to these questions which harm and hurt people & keep them from the truth and living in liberty

II. (v.21-23) Jesus’ ministry and message proves He’s the Messiah

Luke 7:21–23 “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. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.””

(CONTEXT) Four Assurances given to John

Jesus demonstrated the power and works of the Messiah and in curing many and giving sight to many, He provided an example for John’s disciple’s of what His ministry was truly about

In Jesus ministering the people for about an hour, He was not merely professing to be the Messiah, He was proving it

Jesus, in essence was sending a message to JTB to not just “hear” what He was claiming, but to look at what He was doing and judge Him what He was doing for the people

He was demonstrating His power to override laws of nature, healing the sick, mending the lame, and giving sight to the blind

He was demonstrating God’s love and care for man—and had made a way of escape for people to be saved and delivered forever

Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah

Remember JTB was questioning the Messiahship of Jesus:

He had heard nothing of Jesus mobilizing a great army

He had heard nothing of Jesus’ great strategy to free Israel from Roman rule and domination

Jesus preached the gospel of the Messiah

“…the poor have good news…”—this refers to those who are, “poor in spirit,” who have acknowledged their spiritual bankruptcy and need of Jesus (the reach of the gospel is not physical poverty—the reach of the gospel is for spiritual poverty)

Jesus promised both the blessing and judgment of the Messiah

Matthew 11:6 “And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.””

The area of blessing is the blessing of salvation, the Holy Spirit, God’s care and love for people

The are of judgment is the fire & wrath which Christ will fulfill when He returns (Rev 6-19)

(CONNECTION to YOU AND ME)

Mankind needs an eternal perspective when it comes to Christ and His purpose.

Sadly, for most of the world, if they desire anything from God, it’s a quick fix rather than permanent change

Sadly, for most of the world, they are like so many of the Jewish people in Ancient Times—wanting earthly and worldly kingdoms, rather than a heavenly and spiritual kingdom

Sadly, for most of the world, they limit themselves to merely hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, but not accepting the good news of Jesus Christ

Mankind needs the eternal perspective, that they wrestle not against flesh and blood—but against sin

Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Mankind needs to see the true purpose for which Christ came

Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.””

John 3:17 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

We must realize, that in looking back at Scripture and seeing all the works that Christ accomplished, all point and direct to His greatest work

The cross, and

The empty tomb

God’s Word is our assurance and promise that God has looked upon us with compassion, “like sheep without a shepherd,” and has sent His only begotten Son to do something about our sin and it’s wages

Trusting & believing in God’s Word allows us to experience all that God’s Word has assured and promised us

For the unbeliever it is the promise of eternal life

For the believer it is the promise that we never walk alone

III. (v.24-27) JTB himself, proves Jesus is the Messiah

Luke 7:24–27 “When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning 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 are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’”

(CONTEXT) After JTB’s disciple’s leave, Jesus turns His attention to the crowd out of necessity. The crowd (some of them) having heard what had just happened, may have thought John had wavered in his faith—and would have soon questioned if he really was the prophet who was to pave the way for Jesus. If this talk spread—it could affect the crowed and those who had already believed

(This also shows how fickle people are and how easily people can forget a person’s real calling and strength—something that here Jesus was admonishing the crowd for)

Jesus reminded the crowd of John’s conviction and loyalty—he was not like a reed, easily shaken by the wind

John proved the Messiahship of Jesus, in his

Conviction that he was the forerunner for Christ

Conviction the Messiah was coming

Conviction Christ was the Lamb of God

Loyalty to stand up against religionists

Loyalty to stand up to Herod

John was man of self-denial and sacrifice

He was not puffed up, nor full of himself, rather he denied himself and sacrificed the things of this world in order to carry out the will of God

John was a prophet—a man sent on a specific mission—to proclaim the Word of God

He was the subject of prophecy as well as the messenger of it

He was the prophet who not only foretold of the coming Messiah, he was the prophet who had laid eyes on the Lamb of God

IV. (v.28) The Kingdom of God proves Jesus is the Messiah

Luke 7:28 “I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.””

(CONTEXT)

The period of history before Jesus came into this world is known as the, “age of promise,”

The period of history since Christ came into this world—in which man is living (even today) is the age of God’s kingdom

What does this teach us?

The least in the kingdom (those who are followers) are greater than greatest of prophets who lived in the age of promise. Why? Jesus Christ

Knowing Christ personally makes all the difference in the privileges of a person; citizens of heaven know the presence of Christ within their hearts and knows the active rule and reign of God in life

Those who lived in the age of promise only had the hope of the promise

(CONNECTION to YOU AND ME)

When we look back on the history of the Bible we can

See the great faith of Noah, of Abraham, of David.

We read about how God worked through men like Samuel and Jeremiah, Isaiah, Nehemiah and Ezra

We read about the many who had lived in such great faith, absent the permanent presence of the Holy Spirit

When we meditate on this and then think about the privilege we have today, that we can personally know Christ and be indwelt with the Holy Spirit,

How can we not recognize the truth of Christ as the Messiah?

How can we not live courageously and boldly in a broken and fallen world, knowing we are not alone, but have a divine Helper—guiding and conforming us, and see the Messiahship of Jesus Christ

How can we not see how our sin has been separated as far as the east is from the west—that God no longer deals with us according to our sins—-and realize that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah?

——

Sadly, through the lens of the next few verses, we see how people then and now react contrary to the message of Christ

I. (v.29-31) The two-fold reaction to John the Baptist (Common people and tax collectors accepted John and his ministry—but not the religionists)

Luke 7:29–31 “(When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.) “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?”

Considered a “class of betrayers,” tax collectors were a group all to themselves—and not a good one b/c they had forsaken the common people. They felt stings of rejection and even sensed their own need to repent for their sin(s)….these responded to John

It was the people who had “heard” Jesus who repented

The people who desired forgiveness of sins/sensing the need for repentance

The people who believed his message that the Messiah was coming

Religionists (Pharisees and lawyers) rejected the counsel of God

The evidence? They failed to repent, even being the very ones who should have repented—they failed

The telling point of whether or not a person believes and trusts the message of Christ, is if they repent of sinful/wayward/prodigal living and committing their lives to Christ—

If you see a committed repenter, you have seen a committed follower of Christ

II. (v.32) A Generation of childishness

Luke 7:32 “They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’”

Jesus was saying His own generation was a childish generation—which means perverse, Jesus was saying His generation was perverse,

They had turned away from what was right/good and turned to what was corruptible and brought defilement

They opposed what was right, reasonable, and acceptable

They were stubborn/obstinate in their opposition—mindless and contrary

They did not want truth—and made excuses for not receiving the truth

III. (v.33-34) An age of escapism

Luke 7:33–34“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’”

This speaks to a generation of people always seeking an excuse to escape personal responsibility

They were finding fault in whatever was being suggested—they could not accept anything that put restrictions on their loose living

John was either too conservative or too self-denying and Jesus was accused of license—of being too loose; that He was the very opposite of John

(CONNECTION to YOU AND ME)

Today’s generation is no different—so many people live a life of escapism and excuses

They escape into drugs & alcohol

They escape into technology and gaming

They escape into blame shifting/comparisons/or

They escape into adjusting God’s word to fit their circumstances, rather than adjusting their circumstances to God’s Word

IV. (v.35) An age with very few who are wise towards God

Luke 7:35 “Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.””

CLOSING/WORSHIP

The ministry and message of Jesus Christ is to bring life and assurance to the world. The life and assurance which Christ brings can be found only as a person believes and trusts in the Word of God—for contained in the Word of God is God’s plan of redemption, a plan rooted in His grace & mercy, His love and kindness, and His forgiveness of sin(s). God’s plan centers on His Son—Jesus Christ, whom He sent into this world not to improve us, or make us better versions of our old selves—-but to create us new—to regenerate us—and cause us to be born again. In order for this to happen:

Sin MUST be dealt with, and

Repentance/confession must be made

Most of the world struggles to understand and accept (1) that they are sinners in need of a Savior and (2) the means by which their sins are forgiven. Most of the world rejects the truth of the Christ and the cross—b/c it makes them accountable to how they are living and brings them to the reality of who they really are….depraved and wretched sinners who live in the darkness of sin and are lost to this world

For those who do, even then, so many stumble when it comes to Christ—that His way is the only way. Why? Christ’s way is the cross, but the life He commands is expressed in Luke 9:23 “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

We live in a world full of self-promotion rather than self-denial

We live in a world full of finding “life” in other places, instead of laying our lives down at the feet of Jesus

What about you? Where are you finding life and assurance? Yes—-this question even has a touch for the professed believer

Moses—in his sermon to the 2nd generation of Israelites (which is the book of Deuteronomy) has this to say in Deuteronomy 4:1–4

““And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal-peor, for the Lord your God destroyed from among you all the men who followed the Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to the Lord your God are all alive today.”

God’s Word contains the message and ministry of live and assurance—and God has given it to you, through His Son, Jesus Christ

God’s Word is perfectly sufficient to save you, sustain you, and secure you—from the moment of surrender—to the first glimpse of glory—and then into eternity

God’s Word, when obeyed and kept, brings about the reality of God’s grace, mercy, and provision—the reality of His love and compassion towards you

Gods’ Word reveals how He has defeated sin and death and that if you “lay hold of salvation” you live in assurance of one day living in glory in God’s presence

——

We all at some point have questions—maybe b/c of trials/tribulations—or maybe b/c of hardships and tough circumstances. The question God asks us—through Scripture—is will you believe and trust in His answer?