Wrestling With the Truth of Jesus

If J the B could have doubts, who knew from the beginning his own role in preparing the way for the Messiah, who then saw and heard God’s declaration about Jesus at his baptism, who himself declared Jesus to be the Messiah (who baptizes with the Spirit and with fire), telling others to follow him, and who boldly and humbly proclaimed that he himself must decrease but that Jesus must increase… If he can have doubt, it will most certainly befall us all.

We don’t do ourselves or others any favors by pretending that Christians can’t or don’t have doubts. Our young people become adults and cave under the crushing weight of opposing viewpoints or societal peer pressure, or of simply finding it easier to live life not feeling obligated to order it under God’s authority and expectations.

If we never learn how to wrestle with the truth, then we don’t know what to do with our doubts and disappointments and attacks on our worldview. We pretend they don’t exist... until our doubts have their way.

In our text for today (Luke 7:18-35), the Holy Spirit, through the viewpoint of Luke’s careful research and own language and personality, does us a monstrous favor in giving us a lesson in dealing with doubt that comes from the experience of John and right from the mouth of Jesus.

(Let’s look then at how…)

John the Baptizer Deals with Doubt

It is quite clear that John was genuinely seeking confirmation about Jesus and needed reassurance of his ministry.

(Likely due to…)

Difficult Trials and Unrealized Expectations (vv. 18-19)

Remember, John has been imprisoned by Herod for boldly declaring to his face the sinfulness of his marriage to Herodias, among other things (Luke 3:19-20). It is almost certain that it is in prison where John gets report from his disciples about how things are proceeding with the Messiah—what Jesus is doing and saying.

Again, we do ourselves a disservice to elevate John on a pedestal and act like he was too pious to have had real doubt here. In fact, based on what seems obvious in the text, and considering John’s own ministry emphasis, we can all but guarantee that John’s expectations for the Messiah are not being met. -John expected Jesus to bring judgment, not realizing that judgment is the emphasis of Christ’s second coming, while the purpose of this first coming is to sacrifice himself and offer a way of salvation.

(And for us...)

Pretending we don’t have doubts or just ignoring them (for now) will undoubtedly backfire.

What happens when the little disciples in our homes are asked to think for themselves, pressured by our society with the perspective that what they believe is in fact wrong because it infringes upon the freedoms of others? What happens when they grow older and face real hardship with no simple answers? What happens when their expectations aren’t met, when it’s harder to be a growing and abiding Christian than they realized? (And this isn’t only for the younger in faith. It’s for all of us.)

We must teach our young people to wrestle with truth, giving God a fair hearing on this own terms. (Sometimes there is tension in the truth, and that is right and good, but we have to admit it and own it… not try to explain it away.)

So, we have doubts. What do we do with them? How should we handle them?

Where to Go With Doubt (v. 20)

It’s hard to imagine John doing anything else, but he certainly does the right thing. He takes his doubt directly to Jesus.

-With our doubts, we should go directly to the source, with a heart submissive to God. (more on what I mean by this in just a minute…)

In John’s defense, he had had very little ongoing personal contact with Jesus (for whatever reason, even before his imprisonment, perhaps by no fault of his own, John didn’t have much personal interaction with Jesus as far as we can tell). And also in John’s defense, Jesus didn’t come out publicly identifying himself to be the Messiah.

But we see in Jesus’ way of answering that the evidence still speaks for itself that he is indeed the Messiah. Such is how Jesus gives John…

Getting Confirmation of Truth (vv. 21-23)

Jesus’ answer is essentially this: Go tell John that the evidence shows fulfillment of OT prophecy concerning the Messiah. - Isaiah 35:5-6a. (understood by Rabbi’s and devout Jews to be clearly messianic)

Isaiah 35:5–6a ESV

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 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;

Go to the source to receive confirmation.

Where should we go with our doubts? We should go the source, to the nearest and best resource that offers answers to our questions. - For us, that means to pour over the scriptures with a heart of submission to God. In other words, read the Bible on His terms and not our own.

- Allow the Scripture to speak for itself. (Side note: Stop being lazy! Search out the truth, mine for it as for hidden treasure.)

- LISTEN to the answer on God’s terms and not your own.

- And we need the balance (to help us) of other Christians walking in submission to the Spirit.

(Jesus now turns from responding to John to address the crowd about John.)

The Greatness of John and the Greater Blessing of the Believer

In order to get the flow and the force of this, we have to stay in v. 23 for a second. I’ve included this here because of the importance of its connection to the second half of v. 28, as we will see.

Blessed is the one is not offended (tripped up) by Jesus—in other words, “who refuses to accept Jesus’ claims or to draw near to him.” (Bock, 669) This is applies to John and to each individual.

Jesus himself is the issue. (v. 23) - Each one must wrestle with the truth concerning Jesus.

So when you struggle with doubt, go back to the basic question, Who is Jesus Christ? Read the Old Testament prophecies. Read the Gospels. Could He have been a charlatan? Or do His life and teaching ring true? In John 6, Jesus taught some difficult things and as a result, many who had been following Him withdrew. Jesus asked the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Peter gave the great reply, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69). When you struggle with doubt, look to the person and work of Jesus Christ Himself. (Steve Cole)

Jesus defends John’s ministry: The evidence speaks for itself. (vv. 24-27)

As with Jesus, in John’s own life and ministry, the evidence speak for itself.

***

Then too in v. 27 Jesus applies the same rules concerning fulfillment of prophecy to the life of John: John embodied a consistent ministry that clearly reflects his prophetic role as supported by Scripture. - Specifically, he connects John to the eschatological forerunner in Mal 3:1.

Malachi 3:1 ESV

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

John is indeed a great prophet, and greater than a prophet as the bridge-figure, the forerunner announcing the Messiah’s coming, preparing the way. Among those born of women there is none greater than John (v. 28a).

(And yet the next statement is striking! - 28b)

In accepting Jesus there is great reward! (v. 28)

Why does Jesus say that the least in the kingdom is yet greater than John?

Why? Some have said that it was because John had wavered, if but for a moment, in his faith. It was not that. It was because John marked a dividing line in history. Since John’s proclamation had been made, Jesus had come; eternity had invaded time; heaven had invaded earth; God had arrived in Jesus; life could never be the same again. We date all time as before Christ and after Christ—B.C. and A.D. Jesus is the dividing line. Therefore, all who come after him and who receive him are of necessity granted a greater blessing than all who went before. The entry of Jesus into the world divided all time into two; and it divided all life in two. If any man be in Christ he is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). -(William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible, Luke [Westminster Press], p. 90)

Contrasting Reactions to John (vv. 29-30)

-Some respond to Jesus’ defense of John’s ministry with gladness because they had humbly submitted to said ministry in terms of their need for repentance and were baptized by him.

-To reject John is to reject the purpose of God because John’s ministry was to prepare people for Jesus. So if they don’t listen to John, they won’t listen to Jesus, and they will miss the way of salvation. (That leads us to the final section.)

The Parable of the Spoiled Brats

Jesus rebukes those who have rejected both John and him. (v. 31)

-Rather than wrestling with the evidence concerning Jesus, they have responded with outright rejection.

Some will respond like spoiled brats, unhappy no matter what form the ministry takes. (v. 32)

Both forms of ministry were legitimate, but the religious elite aren’t happy with either. (vv. 33-34)

I love the final proverb, especially with it’s poignant irony in contrasting the response of these spoiled brat children…

Wisdom is proven by what she produces. (v. 35)

In this case, wisdom’s children are those who have responded rightly to John and to Jesus.

Conclusion: Are You Uncertain, or Unyielding?

Is this really about having doubts for which you are carefully searching in God’s Word and with God’s people for answers, or are you actually betraying a spirit that refuses to submit to God enough to let him show you the truth of who he is.

- Doubt can cause us to seek confirmation of the Gospel, yielding to the truth we find in God’s Word; or doubt might merely be serving our own purpose as “a smokescreen for a heart that wants to play by its own rules” (Steve Cole).

- Be sure that as you explore the answers, that your heart is in fact willing to submit to God.

- To those who have confessed Jesus as Lord, asking him to save you and rule over your life and lead you into eternity with God... Here’s a final reminder that is critical to our dealing with doubt: An abiding and growing relationship with Jesus is the key. Our certainty grows as Jesus proves himself to us and in us again and again.