John believed that the coming Messianic age would usher in a time of salvation for the righteous and judgment for the wicked. Some of his emphasis fell strongly on judgment.
“Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 4.10).
Jesus appeared to be quite generous with God’s love and acceptance. He dined with tax collectors and sinners, which was not only offensive to the religious authorities but also to John.
A perfect example of sinners was King Herod, who, instead of being judged by the Messiah, was able to keep John in prison. For this and possibly other reasons, John wondered if Jesus was the Messiah, or if there was to be another to take his place.
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?” (Matthew 11.2-3).
Jesus responded by describing the activities during his ministry.
Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them” (Matthew 11.4-5).
The six items that Jesus recounted to John are paralleled in the Messianic passages found in the book of Isaiah.
(1) The deaf hear and the blind see.
On that day the deaf shall hear
the words of a scroll,
and freed from gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind shall see. Isaiah 29:18
(2) The lame walk.
Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. Isaiah 35:6
(3) The lepers are found amid a general statement on healing.
Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases,
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:4
(4) The dead are raised.
Your dead shall live; their corpses shall rise.
Those who dwell in the dust will awake and shout for joy! Isaiah 26:19
(5) The poor have the good news brought to them.
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners. Isaiah 61:1
When considering the good news given to the poor, let’s recall Jesus’s first words in the Sermon on the Mount.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5.3).
When Jesus called ordinary humans to follow Him, when He welcomed tax collectors and sinners into the family of God, when He touched lepers and allowed women who were ritually unclean to touch Him, He was demonstrating that the Kingdom of God had come for the “poor in spirit.”
Don’t Stumble
Jesus’ concluding words indicate that not everything will work out the way John expected: “And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me” (Matthew 11.6).
If Jesus is the Messiah, he is not the kind of Messiah awaited by John and the populace at large. Some will be offended by the nature of his Messiahship and even of the Kingdom of God.
If we look at the list of those who were touched by Jesus’ ministry and compare them to what we find on social media today, most of them would not be there.
Our world is filled with the powerful, the rich, the beautiful, and the successful. They’re the ones held up as important.
Jesus turns the world upside down, and He is engaged, like a good physician, with those who are sick and in need of His care.
If we see things His way and follow His example.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 