Faltering Faith
John the Baptist and Jesus were cousins. John would have known Him well. Earlier John said of Jesus, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" He knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the Deliverer of the human race, and he knew that his role was to "prepare the way for His coming".
So, why now is John questioning Jesus? "Is He indeed the Messiah, or have we got it all wrong?" Why the falter of faith?
The clue is found in v.2. "John and Baptist, WHO WAS IN PRISON, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing (for everyone else - my implication)"
John was in prison for his faith! He preached hard truth against Herod and his sinful life, so Herod put him in jail! And, things weren't looking good for John, at all! At the same time, John is hearing about all the great and amazing miracles that Jesus is performing, and no doubt John is wondering...WHAT ABOUT ME? When is Jesus going to HELP ME? Ever been there?
One thing i find interesting that reveals to me that John isn't really questioning whether or not Jesus is truly the Israel's Messiah is that John sent his question and concern directly to Jesus Himself. If John truly questioned Jesus' authenticity and claim, then why would he send his question to Him? This makes me wonder if John's question wasn't much more personal like, "Are you the Messiah that I've been expecting, or should I be looking for someone else to "Deliver" me?" Again, I think that this is a cry for help! John is in a personal crisis, things aren't turning out the way HE thought or expected, and now he is questioning everything! Isn't this what all of us do when we find ourselves in similar situations?
We know who Jesus is...we've experienced His salvation personally...we know Him to be "the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world (and ours personally)." But then health problems hit, or loss of a job, or a loved one dies or suddenly bails...and, as life starts to turn out differently than we expected, we too ask ourselves the same type of questions as John did. "Jesus, are you really the Deliverer...MY DELIVERE? Or, should i look somewhere else for help?"
So, what does Jesus say to this faith faltering friend? 1) He reminds John of who He is (Healer of the blind, lame, lepers, deaf. Raiser of the dead, and preacher of the Good News among the poor). Basically, Jesus is reminding Him that, yes, I am the Messiah. And 2) He encourages him with a promise (Blessed is he who does not turn away because of Me). Jesus knew that John needed to focus on the eternal blessing that was to come if he stood firm in the faith!
Now, notice that Jesus doesn't say, "Tell John that I'll come and get him out of jail, set him free and make his life more comfortable! John has "put his time in", so he gets to retire and live on the beaches of Ceasarea!" Although John might have wanted that message, Jesus gives him a different promise. A better one, if he could have to see it...if we could have eyes to see it.
That was what Jesus wanted for John (and us) to hear. Now it would be up to John to stand firm in the faith.
But, notice what Jesus says about John once John's disciples leave. This information wasn't really for John to hear, but it is amazing encouragement about how Jesus saw John, even in his lapse of faith. Jesus said, "Of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist." Wow! This is sweet! John had no idea, but while his faith was being tested, while he was doubting and wrestling with his circumstances and where Jesus fit in to it all, Jesus' view of him was off the charts.
The same is true for you struggling saint! If you and i can receive it, even in the midst of our genuine struggles of faith...when life just doesn't seem to make sense...when we question Jesus and His claims compared with our difficult cirmcumstances, Jesus is speaking words of affirmation and love and blessing over us! This knowledge ought to help us drawn near to Him during our testing times. He is for us, not against us! And, He is who He is no matter what we are going through!
Created over 1 year ago
