The Rock of Offense

Introduction

Prior to reading our passage this morning I would like to provide some important information about Who John the Baptist was and the situation he was in so that we know exactly what is going on as we read our passage.

Who was John the Baptist? John the Baptist was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth who had them at their old age. He was also a Relative of Jesus.

The Gospels foretell the The birth of John the baptist, which should lead us to believe He was an important part of Jesus’ mission and He was. (Luke 1: 11-18)

Scholars believe that Jesus and John grew up together as children since both were around a similar age and were family

If you recall Mary goes to Elizabeth’s house while she is pregnant, which tells us she was extremely comfortable with Elizabeth and establishes close ties before their births

As a result of Mary visiting Elizabeth John in the womb leaps and they are both filled with the Holy spirit

As John grew older he establishes his reputation as a preacher of truth. A man who lived in the wilderness of Judea, who wore clothes made from camel’s hair and whose diet consisted of locusts and wild honey

He was a man who sacrificed his life to fulfill his purpose, which was to prepare the way for Jesus. He achieved this by baptizing people for the repentance of their sins and then baptizing Jesus in the Jordan

John the baptist was also best known for reproving Herod a sub-king of Galilee under the Roman Empire for divorcing his wife and unlawfully taking Herodias, the wife of his brother Herod Philip I. His price, imprisonment, for standing for truth.

We can safely conclude that John the Baptist was a preacher of truth, completely committed for the Gospel and an intimate relative and friend of Jesus.

Now that we know who John was and his situation (imprisoned) we can pick up the story in (Luke 7: 18)

Doubt

READ- (Luke 7: 18) What things were reported to John? John had been receiving reports of Jesus performing miracles. Specifically, if you read earlier in the chapter, he received reports of the centurion’s servant being healed despite being extremely ill, and of the widows dead son being raised form the dead.

These were miraculous reports and evidence of Jesus’ ministry and who He was (the promised one)

And it should have been affirmation to John but lets continue reading and see what happens

READ- (Luke 7: 19- 20) we now see John the Baptist tell His disciples to go and ask Jesus if he is the one or if they should look for another

Why does John ask his disciples to ask Jesus this question? He is questioning whether Jesus is the Messiah or not.

John was having doubts He had always believed that Jesus was the Christ, but suddenly he was not so sure. He began to wonder whether perhaps he had baptized the wrong person

The Bible does not tell us why John was entertaining these doubts, or why he asked Jesus to confirm that he was the Christ but it is quite possible that being in prison had something to do with it. Or maybe he expected Jesus to do perform a specific miracle like overthrowing the roman government by coming with judgement, after-all this was the predominant thought in Israel that the Messiah would free them from the Roman rule and bring judgment. As a matter of fact it was John that after all said:

Luke 3:9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Although Jesus will come with judgement it was not yet the hour to do so AND we know the early church struggled with thinking the end times were coming sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, His situation or what he expected could have led to John’s doubts

Application

And the truth is we all have our doubts. We have doubts of the future, about relationships, about health, about purpose, about life, and even about God.

I am sure there are times we have all wondered whether God is really there. We seem to wonder if he is even hearing our prayers and if he is why is he not answering them?

We ask questions such as: Is He upset with me? As he forsaken me? As he forgotten me? Have i not been faithful? And you begin asking the questions that never seemed to get answered.

Where do these doubts come from? Sometimes they come from Satan, who distorts God’s word or tempts us not to believe what God has said in his Word. Sometimes they come when we are bored, or tired, or suffering from physical weakness. Sometimes they come when we are grieving the sickness or death of someone we love. Sometimes they come when we are under spiritual attack, or when we have given in to sin and are no longer able to think clearly.

Often the doubts come when we are disappointed with God. We thought we knew what God would do for us; we had expectations but when God fails to grant us the healing for ourselves or loved one, when God fails to save our spouse or children, or when God fails to answer the prayers we have fervently prayed for, we are tempted to doubt whether he really is the God he claims to be.

And that is exactly what we see here happening to John. John the baptist whom from the time was in his mothers womb knew Jesus and was filled with the holy Spirit but he came to a point in His life where he questioned if he had baptized the messiah or just an ordinary man.

The man who had sacrificed his entire life to preach the Gospel, to prepare the way for the Messiah, who did not have nice clothes, did not eat good meals, never tasted wine, who stood up to tyrants like Herod all for the sake of the Gospel was now having His doubts.

Expectancy

What does this mean for us? it means that if John the Baptist had his doubts so will we. It also means that doubt comes from expectancy

Expectancy- the state of thinking or hoping that something, especially something pleasant, will happen or be the case.

We all want to be hopeful, we all want and expect good things to happen to us. There is not one person in this room or online that is going to say “I want bad things to happen to me or to the people I love. Or God you don’t have to rescue me or the person I love for the sake of your glory. No! none of us want that! We all want and hope for good things. We all want for God to rescue us and those we love! We all want God to answer our prayers! We expect it as children! And when they don’t happen we question Jesus.

Are you really who you say you are? Will you answer me? Let’s take a look at how quickly Jesus answers John’ s disciples

(Luke 7:21) Picking up in verse 21 we know that John’s disciples had already posed the question to Jesus (Are you the one, or should we look to another?) And Jesus does not answer them right away. They didn’t get a reply from him immediately like you would expect it. Instead, He continues healing many people of diseases and plagues.

Let’s think about this for a moment. The disciples were followers of John the Baptist, the guy who baptized the messiah. If anyone was going to get an immediate response and affirmation it was him. And as disciples, I am sure they had heard stories from John about Jesus and how close they were and how great He was and Basically, when they pose there question for Jesus’ relative, he does not answer them but continues doing the work that they had already heard reports about, which we read in Luke 7: 18. Nothing different, more miracles for others but not for John. More answered prayers for others but not for John. Affirmation of requests that had been heard but not John’s.

How frustrating and discouraging must have this been? Not for John, but for His disciples. People who followed him and loved Him. John wasn’t alone He had people that God had put around him. People who visited him in prison, kept him connected with the outside world and reported all they would see.

I am not sure if you are aware of this but people in prison typically will always tell you about so called friends or family that would always tell them I will always be here for you but abandon them in the time of need(like when they are in prison).But these men did not abandon John and those around you real brothers and sisters will go through the struggle with you this is Gods extension of love and grace. Don’t push them away and seclude yourself in the prison. They are their to provide comfort as Godly agents so lean on them! Don’t allow your pride to get in the way

Let’s see what happens in the next verses when Jesus is done working and decides to answer Johns Disciples

READ (Luke 7: 22-23) He answered Not by trying to meet John’s expectations, or giving in to the demand to change his ministry by suddenly performing mighty acts of judgment, but simply by continuing to do the work God the Father had called him to do. His will! His purpose! And i think this is where most people have an issue with God

Here is where most people find disappointment with God

We expect God to stop what He’s doing to tend to us, to stop His work because we need His help, but have we paused for a moment to ask the question and think maybe the situation we are in is part of the work?

Perhaps, the thing we dread the most is what God will use to work out for His good? And good here does not mean for our favor or what we expect but for His will, his purpose, His plan of redemption

ILLUSTRATION

Rachel Joy Scott was a Christian who was picked on and bullied in school. She was also the first fatality of the Columbine High School massacre, in which a total of 13 people were murdered. Some believe the 2 boys targeted her for being a Christian but that is not what even makes her story interesting.

The story is that Rachel always thought and had a feeling she would die young, as a matter of fact Darrell said Rachel told close friends she was going to die young, even writing these words a year before the Columbine shooting in her journal: "This will be my last year Lord, I have gotten what I can, thank you." “She wrote that she would die young but she also wrote that her life would reach millions of lives and the drawing of her hands—‘these hands will touch the hearts of millions of people.’ That's happened."Rachel's funeral was broadcasted on CNN and watched by millions of people. Many of those people cried as they heard story after story about detailing how Rachel went out of her way at school, reaching out to special needs students, new students, and students who were picked on. 

Six weeks later, a remarkable thing happened when a man from Cincinnati named Frank Amedia called. Darrell still remembers the conversation.

“Mr. Scott, I have something that’s happened to me over the last two weeks that I can’t explain,” is how Darrell remembers the conversation starting. “I've had a recurring dream. The same dream night after night and I’ve told my family about it. I don't know why I’m having this dream but I wanted to talk to someone in Rachel’s family to see if it meant something.”

The man in Cincinnati described Rachel’s eyes and said there were tears falling from her eyes and tears watering something coming out of the ground. 

“I told him, ‘Sorry, Frank, that doesn’t mean anything.’ He said you could you please write my name and number down if it ever does.”

It was a week later when the Scott family got a call from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office that they had Rachel's backpack ready to be picked up. “I took out some of her school books. And there at the bottom was her final diary. I wanted to see the last thing she had written," Darrell said.

“I was just stunned. Think about it, you get a call from a man who says he has a dream and he describes exactly what I’m looking at on the last page of my daughter’s diary,” Darrell recalled. “I counted the clear tear drops and there's 13 clear tears and then they turn to dark drops and they were watering a rose with her eyes on top. Suddenly it dawned on me there were 13 people killed at Columbine.”

Later, Darrell learned that’s what Rachel drew the morning just before she was killed while sitting in her class.

Darrell talked to the teacher about the drawing. He said she remembers Rachel answered the following when she asked what she had drawn.

“Mrs. Caruthers, I'm going to have an impact on the world.”

God did not rescue her from being slaughtered, no He used what evil people meant for Bad and used it for His good. This family could have easily became disappointed with God but they understood that their daughter was used for God’s purpose in a similar fashion that God the father used God the son for the ultimate good of mankind.

God does not promise to rescue us from every situation, he promises that every situation is meant to conform us to the image of the son and part of his grander plan of redemption

Let’s read Luke 7: 23 one more time- Blessed is He who is not offended by me

Offended- σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō). A verb that means to cause to stumble, to give offence, to fall away. Refers to the experience of being offended or tripped up that could cause falling away from the right path

In other words, Jesus does not answer Johns question with a miracle, or with judgement on the government that had imprisoned him, he does not answer His question of whether He is the one or not. He simply tells Him The facts speak for themselves. I have healed many people of diseases, plagues and evil spirits, many were blind and now they see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them

Jesus’ words came straight out of the Old Testament, from the promises of Isaiah. Isaiah said, “Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise” (Isa. 26:19), and, “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” (Isa. 35:5–6; cf. 29:18). Isaiah also prophesied, “the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor” (Isa. 61:1). By echoing these words, Jesus was giving John a biblical and practical proof that he was the Christ. As he performed his miracles and preached his gospel, Jesus was doing the very things the Bible promised that the Savior would do.

Although, Jesus was not answering His request specifically or how He expected , Jesus provided Him with the Word He needed to trust in the one who had already come and not to look to another. Faith that would be able to sustain him in His prison. And he ends His statement by saying blessed are those who

Application

How difficult is it to see others getting their prayers answered but yours are not. How discouraging must that be? Yet, when you are in that prison, you tend to doubt, you tend to become extremely short sighted and forget of all the times you were on the receiving side of the miracles and others were not. You seem to disregard the fact that God saving you is more than enough because we all deserve eternal judgement and damnation for being sinners.

Everyone in this room has been there at some point or another perhaps in a different way then your situation, The worst thing we can do is begin to look around and compare our situation with others, our faithfulness with others, and then come to the conclusion that our prayers should be answered based on those factors.

If you look at the story, Jesus was healing others, and it was not based on their faithfulness or performance. If that was the case John would have won

The Rock of Offense

Luke 7: 24- 35 Jesus did and said these things because he loved John. But he also wanted to make sure that people did not get the wrong idea about John. Yes, John was having his doubts, but he was still a great prophet, and God used his ministry to help people come to Christ. So Jesus made this comment on John’s ministry: “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’ ” (Luke 7:24–25).

John was none of these things. He was hardly a reed, blown about by the latest winds of public opinion. No, John was more like a mighty oak tree, standing firm against the opposition. He did not live in a palace wearing fancy clothes and eating rich food. Everyone knew that John wore a camel skin around his waist and that his diet consisted almost entirely of locusts and wild honey. John the Baptist was one of the most popular teachers in Israel, but it was not because he told people what they wanted to hear or because he lived the lifestyle of the rich and famous.

Application

So what was the meaning of John’s ministry? Why did people go to hear him preach? Jesus said, “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.’ I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John” (Luke 7:26–28).

Johns ministry was to fulfill His purpose. To preach the good news and prepare the way of the Messiah

And that is our purpose as well. Our purpose in this world is to preach the good tidings of the Gospel and to know that even though Jesus does nto audibly whisper it on our ear, He thinks highly of us and gives us praise as He did to John.

What made John great was not his own personal identity, but his special calling to prepare the way for salvation. What made John important was who Jesus was. Since Jesus was the Messiah, John was more than just another prophet; he was the man promised to serve as the Messiah’s messenger (Mal. 3:1).

And what makes you special is not who your are but your identity in Christ. It is your calling to continue preaching the good news and preparing the way for Christ to others even when you seem to be imprisoned in your darkest hours.

Even when it seems that God is far way, that others are receiving their miracles, that others dont seem to be as faithful as you not of that matters because our faithfulness is based on the faithfulness of Christ

Blessed is he who is not offended by me in Isaiah 8: 14 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

Too many who reject Christ He will be their rock of offense; their stumbling block. A stone in which will cause them to stumble further away from the truth

For the believer Do not let your situation become a stumbling block that leads to disappointment, doubt or anger. On the contrary, meditate on the Gospel (Death Burial and Resurrection) to build up your faith

Psalm 1: 1-3 Blessed- happy, blessed is he who; highly favored or fortunate is the one who meditates day and night in the law the word the gospel.

The gospel is a reminder that Jesus became an offense by taking on our sin so that he would be forsaken and left alone for that moment in time when God the father turned away from Him when he bore all of ur sins.

He did that so that you would never have to be forsaken by God the father again. Instead, you could now become a friend, a family a beloved. God would now hear your prayers, see your tears and provide the word that you need to sustain you where you are.

God never promised to deliver you from every prison, He promised to sustain you. John the baptist was eventually beheaded by King Herod, but he lived out His purpose, His call and what the enemy meant for evil God used for His good. The same way that He did not spare His son for the sake of redeeming the world He may not spare you from this one, but you must trust that His plan and outcome will be for redemption and BLESSED IS HE WHO IS NOT OFFENDED BY ME!