Matthew 11:2-11
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."
The Third Sunday of Advent
December 15, 2013
In
the days and weeks that past since he had been put in prison, John has had a
lot of time to think.
Where
had he gone wrong?
It
was not that long ago he was so sure that he was right – standing in the Jordan
River, calling people to repentance, proclaiming that the kingdom of God was
coming, and it was coming soon.
At
the time, it all seemed so clear. He was
not the Messiah (that much was clear), but he had a role to play in bringing
about the longed-for Messianic age. And
what a longed-for time it was. His
parents and grandparents had told him of God’s promises and prayed for them to
be fulfilled. Their parents and
grandparents had wondered if it would come in their lifetime. Generations upon generations had held up hope
that God would once again rule God’s people and peace would be abundant in the
land.
Could
it be that those promises would be fulfilled in John’s lifetime? A few months ago, there was no question. God’s kingdom was coming, and John knew the
man who was leading it. He had baptized
him like he had baptized so many others.
Only,
this one was different. There was
something special, something different about this one. It is hard to describe, but one just knows
when they are in the presence of the Holy.
And with Jesus, John knew. There
was no question. This was the one. This was he who would bring in God’s reign.
And
yet today, sitting in a dark and smelly prison cell, John is not so sure. What had seemed so right was no longer as
clear.
Jesus’
message was the same as his own – “repent – for the kingdom of heaven has come
near.” But that is where their
similarities start to depart. Since he
had been arrested, John had received reports about what Jesus was doing. Sure he was a great teacher and preacher –
many spoke well of his words, some even had heard them in person. But being a great teacher is not enough in
John’s mind. Palestine was full of
rabbis who could draw a crowd with their teaching on the Law.
And
yet, what really troubled John, was not what Jesus was teaching, but rather
what he was doing and what he was not doing.
Jesus
had gathered a group of disciples around him – that was to be expected. But Peter and Andrew? James and John? They are simple fishermen. They have no religious background, no formal
training. What qualifications do they
have to be disciples of the Messiah?
But
the one that really stuck in his craw was Matthew. How in the name of all that is good and holy
could Jesus choose Matthew? He is a tax
collector, after all. He is one of the
bad guys – he is in with Rome, the very symbol of Jewish oppression. And yet, there he is front and center with
the others, eating and drinking, sharing table fellowship with other
sinners. Even John’s own enemies find
this laughable. How could the Messiah be
so clumsy with choosing his follwers?
But
Jesus isn’t just teaching and carrying on with his disciples. There is the problem of what he is doing. Healing the sick, casting out demons, and
giving sight to the blind. It’s fine if
Jesus wants to be a teacher and a healer, but is this really the work of the
Messiah?
Besides,
there is the problem of who have been the beneficiaries of those wonders. A Roman soldier’s servant. A man from Genesaret (certainly not a good
Jew). A woman who was ritually unclean
who had the gall to touch him.
And
if you believe the reports coming back, all of these were done with compassion
and mercy. There was no call for repentance.
No call to conversion first. Just
the presentation of profound human needs being met by compassion.
Where
was the judgment? Where was the
separating the wheat from the chaff?
And
now, sitting in his cell, he hears that those twelve rag-tag followers are
being sent to do the same.
How
could this be the Messiah? How could
this be the one that generations of faithful Jews had placed their hopes?
And
so with deep resolve, John sends word to Jesus.
A direct question. There is no
getting around this one. A simple yes or
no will suffice.
“Are
you the one that is to come, or should we wait for another?”
Perhaps
I am being a little hard on John. But
you can hear the desperation in his voice.
There is a feeling of utter disappointment as doubt starts to creep in
and Jesus does not line up with John’s idea of what messiahship looks
like.
As
Jesus so often does, he does not answer John’s question directly. He instructs John’s disciples to tell him
what he already knows.
“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.”
Jesus
sees through John’s question and gets to the heart of what he is really
asking. The question is not, “Are you
really the Messiah?,” but rather, “Is this really what God’s kingdom looks
like?”.
And
in pointing John back to what he already knows of Jesus activity, as well as
gently reminding him of the promises made through the prophets, Jesus allows
John to answer that question for himself.
God’s kingdom does not break in through violence and force, but rather through grace, and mercy, and compassion. God cares about people, particularly those who find themselves separated from God and seeks to restore them to wholeness. God’s kingdom is about all people living life fully and as God intended it.
Perhaps
I am being a little hard on John. He did
not, after all, live to see the fullness of Jesus’ ministry. But as New Testament scholar, Arland Hultgren
puts it,
We are blessed and fortunate to be living on this side of Jesus’
resurrection and to be a part of his body, the church. We are not people adrift
in the world with uncertainty about who we are, how we should live, or where we
are going. We belong to his community of believers, dedicated to him, instructed
by him, and carrying out his ministry. As his disciples, and with mutual
support, we align ourselves with his ministry in our witness to the gospel and
in our works of mercy and our care for the world.[1]
This morning we remember that God’s kingdom has broken into
the world and that we have a place in that kingdom.
We are reminded that even when our expectations are not met,
it is ultimately God’s grace and mercy that we live and proclaim.
It is this community that, when we are at our best, bears witness
to the reality that God is a god who offers forgiveness and healing and the
support of the family of God.
And on this Third Sunday of Advent, we remember that we
prepare for a Messiah that comes to us daily encouraging us to be his disciples
– doing what he did – in the world.
Amen.
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