Are You The One - Luke 7:18-35

Reflection Question:

Luke 7:18–19 NIV

John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Reflection Question: When do I doubt that Jesus is God?

FCF: We often experience a "crisis of expectation" where our personal suffering or the world's brokenness doesn't align with our view of how a powerful God should act.

Sermon Opening:

Have you ever ordered something online that looked amazing in the photos, but when it arrived, it was completely different?

The “expectation vs. reality” meme is funny when it’s a cheap sweater, but it’s devastating when it’s your faith. We often have a “form” for how God should save us, and when He doesn't fit that form, we start looking for “another.”

Text Opening:

Today we will be in Luke 7:18-23.

Our text is about John the Baptist. In October, we saw John as the fearless preacher who called even King Herod to repent.

Because of that boldness, John is now in prison. From that cell, his "expectation" is hitting a wall of "reality." He expected a Messiah who would bring the axe to the root and overthrow tyrants like Herod. So John asks the most difficult question of his life: “Are you really the one?”

Here’s the text from Luke 7.

Point 1:

Luke 7:18–23 NIV

John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’ ” At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: 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.”

Explain:

In the 1st Century, people expected a Messiah who would overthrow Rome. When Jesus arrived and started healing instead of throwing, it was 'strange and weird' to them.

John is in prison because of Herod—the very ruler he expected the Messiah to replace. That's why he's asking: 'Are you the one?

John is experiencing real doubt and questions whether Jesus, in whom he originally believed, truly was the Christ, the savior because Jesus was so unlike what John expected.

John’s disciples bring John news of Jesus' miracles, but John needs more than news; he needs confirmation.

In light of John’s doubt, Jesus doesn’t give a lecture on theology; He points to the works of mercy as evidence:

The blind receive sight

The lame walk

The lepers are cleansed

The deaf hear

The dead are raised

The poor have good news

and Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.

This is my first point:

Point 1: Jesus Delivers Evidence

The word stumble in our text, comes from the Greek word σκανδαλίζω (skandalizo, scandalize) - it means to cause to sin.

What does Jesus mean by scandalizo

There are people who are offended because of their preconceived notions about who Jesus should love and heal, they will miss out on the blessing that Jesus has for them.

Those who are not scandalized, those who don’t stumble because of preconceived ideas about Jesus but instead judge based on what they see, they will know that Jesus is the promised one and they will be blessed.

Don’t let your preconceived notions of what Jesus should be doing, cause you to miss what He is doing.

There is an invitation here for us today, whatever you think you know about God or Jesus, leave it at the door, and take a look around at what he’s doing here.

Here at Riverside, I don’t know if the blind have received their sight back. But I know addicts who have recieved their families back.

I don’t know if the lame walk here, but I see prodigal sons walking home.

I don’t know if we’re curing leprosy but I see broken hearts cured made whole.

I don’t know if the deaf hear, but I hear God answering prayers

I don’t know a lot of thing, let me tell you what I do know.

I do know that HERE the dead are raised. Jesus did not come to make bad people good, but to make dead people live. Here at Riverside Friends the dead come back to life.

I do know that the poor, those who have no hope, have the good news preached to them and find hope is here.

That’s how Jesus answered John.

Apply:

John was in prison.

When you doubt if Jesus is "the One" because He hasn't fixed your immediate problem, look at the evidence around you.

Don't be "offended," don’t be scandalized, and don’t stumble because His timing is different than yours.

Take your question, your doubts, your prison to Jesus.

Jesus wasn’t offended at John’s question.

In fact, Jesus is about to speak well about John.

Point 2:

Luke 7:24–30 NIV

After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

Explain:

He begins by asking the crowd questions about John.

Did you go into the wilderness (where John was) to see a reed blowing in the wind.

This can be understand as asking was going to see John a common thing, like looking at a blade of grass. The implication of the question is not about John, but about if the crowd went to see somebody so ordinary.

Was he dressed in fine clothes?

Jesus is asking did you go to a fashion show? Of course not, those people don’t live in the desert but in palaces.

If not a common blade of grass or a fashion show, what did you go see?

A prophet? Yes, but more. The greatest prophet to ever live. Of all the people ever born, John is the greatest.

But,

Jesus declares that the "least" in God’s Kingdom is greater than John.

Greatness is found in pointing to Christ, not in personal comfort

This is my second Point:

Point 2: Jesus Defines Greatness

Jesus Delivered Evidence to John, now he Defined Greatness around John.

Jesus declares that the "least" in God’s Kingdom is greater than John. This isn't a question against John’s salvation; it’s about a shift in eras.

Because of the Cross and the New Covenant, even the simplest believer today has a fuller view of God’s grace than the greatest prophet of the Old.

In verse 29-30 we see it is a radical reversal: outcasts like tax collectors "acknowledged God’s justice," while the religious elite rejected God’s purpose for them.

Illustrate:

Let me put it like this:

Think of the difference between a pioneer and a resident. A pioneer is brave, rugged, and endures incredible hardship to map out a new territory. They are "great" in the eyes of history. But the smallest child born into that new territory, living in a finished house with running water and a warm bed, has a life that the pioneer only dreamed of. John was the pioneer; he lived in the "wilderness" of the Old Covenant, pushing the boundary of the map by making a way for us and Jesus. We are the residents; we live in the "finished house" of the New Covenant because of what Jesus did on the cross.

Apply:

We spend so much time trying to be "great" by the world's standards—having the right clothes, the right status, or the right influence. But Jesus says the "least" in His Kingdom is greater than the greatest man who ever lived outside of it.

Stop seeking status and start seeking your identity. If you are in Christ, you are already "greater" than the most powerful person on earth who doesn't know Him.

Acknowledge God’s way. Don't be like the Pharisees who "rejected God’s purpose for themselves" because it didn't look prestigious enough. Accept the "lowly" path of following Jesus, because being the lowest member of God’s family is better than being the king of your own lonely island.

Jesus just defined greatness as being part of the Kingdom, but now He shows us the heart of those who refuse to enter it.

Point 3:

Luke 7:31–35 NIV

Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “ ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ 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.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

Explain:

Now Jesus continues talking to the crowd about themselves, though no longer behind the pretext of John.

He starts with a question how do I compare this generation.

When Jesus uses the term this generation, he means, the people who oppose Jesus and stand in contrast to him.

He uses the idea of two groups of children playing in a marketplace. The first group are Jesus and John calling out to the second group of kids, the pharisees, saying hey come play with us. Their calling is rejected.

He uses two images, playing a pipe - a flute. That was common at weddings. So Jesus is saying I played the flute, and you didn’t dance at the wedding. You sulked off to the side. It’s a wedding, you’re supposed to dance and you didn’t.

He uses a second image. We sang a dirge. A dirge the saddest song you’ve ever heard, and it’s sung at a funeral. Jesus says we sang the funeral song and you didn’t mourn.

He’s describing how John and himself have been rejected.

He says John was rejected because he was ascetic, he didn’t feast. The pharisees, the religious leaders said, John had a demon because he didn’t feast.

Jesus, the son of man, came eating and drinking and Jesus is rejected because he was nonascetic, because he did feast. The pharisees called him a drunk and a glutton, a friend of tax collectors and even a friend of sinners.

Jesus is pointing out to the crowd that this generation would always find a reason to reject Jesus and John even if those reasons countered each other.

They rejected John for being too "fasting-focused" and rejected Jesus for being a "glutton and a drunkard."

Jesus is saying that his generation was discontent.

This is my third

Point 3: Jesus Diagnoses the Discontent.

We’ve seen that Jesus Delivers Evidence and Defines greatness, now he Diagnoses the Discontent.

They rejected John’s "sad song" of fasting by calling him demon-possessed, and they rejected Jesus’ "happy song" of feasting by calling Him a glutton.

Their problem wasn't the "style" of the ministry; it was a heart that refused to be satisfied.

They would always find a reason to say "no" because they wanted to be in control of the music.

Jesus concludes that "wisdom is proved right by her children"—the ultimate proof of truth isn't found in our opinions, but in the fruit of a transformed life.

We started this message with a word from John asking if Jesus was really the one to come.

Luke wants us to compare John and his doubt, with the pharisees and their certainty.

Jesus wasn’t the messiah the people hoped for, he didn’t overthrow Roman rule.

The pharisees rejected Jesus and his message of loving your neighbor and forgiving those who hurt you.

They rejected the Word because it was too hard and they rejected Grace because it was too soft.

Illustrate:

The pharisees are like a person who hates the sun because it’s too bright and hates the rain because it’s too wet.

They don’t want the weather, they want to be the weatherman.

Apply:

There are some of us in here who want a soft word and a hard grace.

You want me to gloss over your sin and tell you how wrong those other people are.

You want me to tell you how right you are and how good it will be when you cut those people out of your life.

I’m not here to give you a soft word and a hard grace. I’m here to give you a hard word and soft grace. The hard word is that your sin is no different than the Pharisees'. The soft grace is that Jesus is a friend of sinners—and that includes you.

Don't reject the "One" just because He doesn't dance to your tune. Look at the "children" of His wisdom—the lives being healed and restored right here at Riverside—and follow Him.

Closing:

We have seen John’s honest struggle with doubt and Jesus’ compassionate evidence. We have seen that greatness is found in pointing to Christ, not in personal comfort. And finally, we have seen the danger of having a "fickle heart" that rejects God's wisdom because it doesn't fit our preferences.

Closing Application:

Now, I want you to identify the "prison" where you are currently doubting God's presence or goodness.

I think for many of us its relationships. We want something else but can’t trust that God is enough.

Instead of looking for "another" solution—another hobby, another relationship, or another distraction—take your questions directly to Jesus in the Word.

His word is hard and his grace is soft. It is hard and demands you forgive and his grace is soft and welcomes those who wrong you.

Even when we want his word to be soft and his grace hard.

Look at His "works" in the Gospel. Stop demanding that He dance to your tune and start walking to the beat of His grace. He is "the One." You don't need to look for another.