Do You Hear What I See?

Scripture

Matthew 11:2–11 NRSV

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then 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, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Introduction

Things are not always what they seem are they? Many say that reality is found in one’s perception. For example one could totally believe that the President should be impeached, while another can say that he should not. These are matters of perception and opinion. What one person calls right another calls wrong. We are in a day in which there is no middle ground. Very often what we expect is not what we get and when things do not meet our expectations we feel cheated, let down, disappointed. Angry even.

Tell story of guy throwing quarters

One of the things Christians should practice in these matters is discernment. Discernment is about distinguishing between things and choosing the good. Sometimes the things might be good and bad, but often we have to make up our minds about choosing between two or more good things.

Discernment is “the capacity to recognize and respond to the presence of God—both in ordinary moments and the larger decisions of our lives.” Ruth Haley Barton in Pursuing God’s Will Together: A Discernment Practice for Leadership.

Why all this talk about discernment? Because this is precisely what John is doing.

Exegesis

I began this sermon by saying things are not always what they seem. This is John’s problem. He knew Jesus. He baptized Jesus, yet he is not sure who Jesus is. So he sends some disciples to see if what he hears is true. Hence, Do you hear what I see?

John’s disciples travel some hundred miles to where Jesus is ministering in Galilee just to ask him if he is the Messiah or not.

Jesus’ answer on the surface is odd. Why doesn’t he just say yes or no? Well, actions speak louder than words. Jesus points out specifics in prophecy, points out portions of the Jewish Bible that pertain to the activity of the Messiah.

Isaiah 35:5–6 NRSV

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

Isaiah 3:5–6 NRSV

The people will be oppressed, everyone by another and everyone by a neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the base to the honorable. Someone will even seize a relative, a member of the clan, saying, “You have a cloak; you shall be our leader, and this heap of ruins shall be under your rule.”

Isaiah 42:18 NRSV

Listen, you that are deaf; and you that are blind, look up and see!

As we learned last week John preached a gospel of divine holiness with divine destruction. That is judgement will be made by the one who is to come. Yet Jesus preached, taught, and exhibited a gospel of divine love and divine holiness.

This kind of Messiah was wholly unexpected by John. By everyone really. Many believe John was showing doubt in Jesus. I don’t think it was doubt at all. I think it was John being open to God doing something totally different then he thought, but wanting to discern if this is the case.

Of course we are not told what John’s reaction to what Jesus said. We do not know if John became a disciple of Jesus. But we do know that John prepared the way for Jesus, or pointed the way in the painting on the back of the bulletin.

However, for Matthew’s audience and us we have no such dilemma. It is easily discerned that Jesus is Messiah. We can easily recognize and respond to the presence and activity of God in Jesus of Nazareth.

Blessed and privileged are we to witness these things. We are challenged to stay firm in our relationship with Jesus. The word offended in verse 6 literally means to stumble or fall. You need to discern who Jesus is. You need to believe in the coming one or you may stumble and fall over God’s true revelation in Jesus Christ.

Jesus goes on to praise John. He rhetorically asks the crowd what they went to the wilderness to see. John most certainly was not a “reed shaken by the wind.” Today we would call that somone who is a waffler, or better just goes with which way the wind is blowing. They have no foundational values thus are swept away by what ever is “cool” or in style.

Jesus points out that John was the last of the OT prophets, a bridge if you will between the old covenant and the new covenant in Jesus. Jesus echoes what Matthew has earlier written that John was the one preparing the way.

But even as great as he was, it is even greater to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Application

We are privileged to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet, it is OK if you do not have it all figured out. John who preached with such conviction and power about the one who is to come, had his questions about him when he got there!

As convinced as we may about about our own agendas for what we believe to be the right way of doing God’s work, we need to possess the humility that allows God to do something different. John possessed this humility or he never would have enlisted his disciples to help him discern if Jesus was the one to come.

On scholar comments that Jesus’ reply of prophetic fulfillment, pointing the way to his messiahship, forced John to look at the facts of his ministry and adjust his expectations to fit God’s activity. I submit to you it was John’s humility that allowed him to consider that he might have been wrong in his expectations in the first place.

I like how its put by another writer here:

As convinced as we may be about our own agendas for what we believe to be the right way of doing God’s work, having a healthy personal humility allows room for God to adjust our agendas. The religious leaders and even the crowds missed, and even distorted, the message of both John and Jesus because of their stubborn refusal to hear God’s voice in their messages.

As we move closer to Jesus birth, we need to consider how Mary and Joseph had to be open to God doing a new thing.

A pregnancy created by the Holy Spirit in a 13 year old girl.

Having to make a strenuous journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, on foot, with your betrothed close to birth.

Your child,God incarnate, being born in a cave-stable. Shepherds, the lowest of the low paying a visit to adore the child.

Later the Magi coming to pay tribute.

Making a new home in Egypt and later in Nazareth.

Through out all of this Mary and Jospeh had to discern what God was doing, and they like John, did not have all the answers.

For John, he wanted to discern that what he heard is what is to be seen. Jesus says this,

Your child God incarnate being born in a cave-stable. Shepherds, the lowest of the low paying a visit to adore the child.

Later the magi coming to pay tribute.

For John, he wanted to discern that what he heard is what is to be seen. Jesus says this,

“Go and tell John what you hear and see . . .”

Do you hear what I see?

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy Do you hear what I hear Ringing through the sky shepherd boy Do you hear what I hear A song, a song High above the trees With a voice as big as the sea With a voice as big as the sea

Life does not pause. We are given in marriage. The rains come and go. The winds blow, the season change. There are wars and rumours of wars. Death, birth, natural disasters, and disease. Best of times worst of times. Life.

Life can certainly be messy.

But we listen for a song high above the trees. A new song, that we must be ready for. God is always doing a new thing and if we do not have the humility of John or the help of a community for discernment we might not ever see what John heard. The song may be high above the trees but we could never hear it, if we are not open to an incarnational God who is involved in our messy everyday world and lives, in totally unexpected ways.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the great American poet, wrote a poem on Christmas Day 1864 while the Civil War raged. Three years earlier, his beloved wife Fanny had died. His heart had been broken by her loss, and for some time he was unable to compose verse. But that year he wrote of an undying hope associated with Christmas in a poem originally called "Christmas Bells."In that poem he wrote of the war and the cannons drowning out the sound of "peace on earth, good will to men." But he ended the poem with these words: 

And in despair I bowed my head

'There is no peace on earth,' I said,

'For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.'

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

'God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men.'

Said the king to the people everywhere Listen to what I say Pray for peace people everywhere Listen to what I say The child, the child Sleeping in the night He will bring us goodness and light

Let us humbly open our hearts and minds to God doing a new thing. Let us pray for discernment so we do not miss what God is doing. A baby born in a stable rude. God comes incarnate into the world into the messiness of life. A messiah of hope, peace, and love in a world that desperately needs him.