Back to the Bible: Matthew 11:1-19

Jesus gave instructions to His disciples and then went to teach Himself.

John sent to ask Jesus if He was the promised One or if they needed to look for someone else. Perhaps John, in prison, wasn’t sure things were working out how they were supposed to. Jesus said to tell John what was happening– healings, raisings, and poor hearing the gospel! He was citing Isaiah 35:5 and 61:1 which looked forward to the coming One. Jesus was the One, indeed. He also said that it was a blessing not to be offended at Him. That is, don’t stumble because Jesus wasn’t what you expected.

Some might have lowered their conception of John given his question. But, Jesus explained. He wasn’t wishy-washy or used to only comfortable circumstances. He was a prophet of God! More than that, He was preparing the way for the coming of the Lord (the messenger Malachi had prophesied about)!

In fact, Jesus said that there wasn’t anybody who exceeded John’s status. Well, except for even the least of those who had come under God’s reign. That is no denigration of John, but a description of the glorious blessing of being under the reign of God’s King.

Despite their position of honor, citizens of the kingdom would suffer persecution.

John was the beginning of a new era. In fact, John was the promised Elijah who was to come (see Mal. 4:5-6). If they had ears, they needed to be paying attention.

But, they couldn’t be satisfied. They were like bratty children who don’t want to play no matter how much other kids try to include them. They accused John of demon possession and Jesus of over-indulgence. They played different tunes, but the religious leaders didn’t want to dance.

However, the effects on those who responded to John and Jesus would illustrate that God’s way is the way of wisdom.

Lessons to Learn:

Even great people of faith have questions. God does not call us to perfect understanding, but to trust and loyalty. We don’t have all the answers regarding why things are going the way they are, but let’s not stumble. Jesus is the King. Know His way is best.

See the great value of kingdom citizenship. It’s not wrong to pursue greatness, but we want the right kind. Real greatness is being under the reign of Christ. It may come with earthly suffering. Still, choose kingdom greatness.

Don’t make Jesus fit your bill. Often the Jesus we serve is one we have invented in our mind, accepting us just as we are, never calling us to any changes, and never doing something that I couldn’t tolerate or understand. That is not the way it works. He is Lord, I am not.

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