Where is God? That’s a question many ask when things don’t turn out as they think they should. The assumption is that if God were present, then things simply wouldn’t be as they are. If God were here, then surely your child wouldn’t be suffering as she is, you wouldn’t be losing your house, or your parents wouldn’t be divorcing. That is, the question is asked against the backdrop of certain expectations that the reality that God is here should mean that certain things simply don’t happen or certain things must happen. And for many, when those expectations aren’t met, then belief is abandoned, commitment to Christ is given up, and the Scriptures move from being an authoritative and true revelation of God to something that is now an object of judgment and scorn.
I’ve seen this even among my own friends. Someone who was influential in my life during my college years, albeit from a distance, suffered through his wife having a late-term miscarriage and decided that the Christian faith was no longer something he wanted to hold to. Another, after years of pleading to the Lord for her husband to change while witnessing no movement in her husband’s heart at all decided that she could not walk in obedience before a God who would not hear and answer those prayers as she hoped.
In fact, it may well be that one of the greatest threats to our perseverance in the faith is wrong presuppositions and wrong expectations we bring to the table when we consider what it means that God exists, that he loves us, that he sent his Son to redeem us, and that he is in control. In the minds of many, when each of those elements is added to the other, the sum is that if God is with us then certain (good) things must accompany our lives and other (bad) things must never come into play.
This problem is not unique to the twenty-first century, however. In Matthew 11:1-19 we come to a text where John the Baptist is in prison for having proclaimed God’s Word, and he’s wondering something similar. He’s not necessarily asking, “Where is God?” as he looks at his life and wonders why this is happening. But he is asking, “If Jesus is the Messiah, why are things not different?” Consequently, he sends some of his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come [i.e. the Messiah], or shall we look for another?” (v. 3). And all that Jesus says in answer to John as well as in his teaching that follows is instructive for us in understanding how it is in this world that we can say that Jesus reigns, that his kingdom is here, and yet we encounter great suffering and sometimes even persecution at the hands of God’s enemies. I mean, if Jesus really reigns over the universe, then why are men in the Middle East allowed to line up a group of believers and cut their heads off? If all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to our Lord Jesus Christ, then why do we read stories of men being allowed to commit such violent actions on a daily basis with absolutely no repercussion whatsoever? If Jesus’ death dealt a death blow to Satan and even death itself, then why does Jesus seemingly continue to allow death to cause us pain again and again as we watch our loved ones die?
If those questions have lingered in your heart for any time, then Jesus’ response to John’s question sent from prison is something that I believe you’re going to find very helpful. And what I want to do this morning is note four truths that we can see in Jesus’ answer. The first of which is this:
As I’ve mentioned, I think that John sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he really is the Messiah because there were clear promises that when God came to his people he would save them in large measure by bringing vengeance upon their enemies. Let me show this to you in two texts in Isaiah. First, in Isaiah 35, the prophet speaks of the day when God will come to his people, and he says in verses 3-4, “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then, in Isaiah 61, the prophet is speaking of the Messiah that will come to his people. And he writes in verses 1-2, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God.”
In both texts from Isaiah, it’s clear that when the Lord comes to his people in the form of the Messiah it is a day when the Lord will save them by bringing vengeance upon their enemies. In the words of Isaiah, he will “come with vengeance” on “the day of vengeance of our God.” And John has declared that Jesus is this promised one. He is the Lord’s anointed Messiah, God with us. Yet, John is sitting in prison, being held by Herod (an enemy of God), Jesus is doing nothing to bring vengeance against Herod and save John, and it looks like John is about to be killed (as he eventually is). So, you can understand John’s question: “Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another?”
Jesus’ answer is interesting. He says, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (vv. 4-6).
Interestingly, what Jesus does is not simply say, “Tell John I’m doing some pretty impressive things out here.” Rather, he is quoting what Isaiah 35 and 61 promised God would do when he came in the person of the Messiah. Earlier, I read Isaiah 35:4 in which Isaiah said the Lord would come with vengeance, but the very next two verses say, “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” (35:5-6). And we did read earlier in Isaiah 61 about the Messiah preaching the gospel to the poor.
What Jesus is saying is, “Tell John that I’m doing the very things that God promised would happen when he came to his people in the person of the Son.” But Jesus also adds that John will be blessed if he isn’t offended, meaning if he doesn’t get caught up in the kingdom not looking like he thought it would.
You see, what Jesus is showing is that what John and many others thought when they read these promises from texts like Isaiah 35 and 61 is that the Lord would bring salvation and judgment in one moment – at his coming. However, what the Lord is doing instead is bringing it in two stages. Yes, he has come to his people, he has come to save them, his kingdom is here, and he reigns over all the earth. However, he has delayed judgment until he comes again and establishes his kingdom fully. This was what John had missed, and this is what he needed to understand.
And it is something we need to understand as well. Many people walk away from the Lord, failing to persevere, because they, like John the Baptist, have certain wrong presuppositions about the kingdom. Yes, the kingdom came with Jesus, but it’s not here fully. He’ll not bring judgment until he comes again. That means that until Jesus returns, we’ll still face death, we’ll see find ourselves tormented by Christ’s enemies, and we’ll even see Christ’s enemies kill the Lord’s people and face no recompense for that in this life. But it doesn’t mean that our Lord isn’t with us, isn’t reigning, and isn’t the sovereign king of all. It simply means that he’s delaying judgment until the second coming. And we’re blessed if we don’t stumble over that point, allowing it to push us away from faith in Christ.
Second, Jesus teaches us:
Jesus actually says something in this text about you and me. Right after John had sent word about his doubt, questions, and confusion about Jesus, Jesus turns to the crowd and praises John. And this makes sense. After all, some in the crowd may have overheard these questions from John and thought, “Ah, he’s just a fickle man, like a read shaken by the wind. One minute he says Jesus is the Christ, and now he doubts.” But Jesus won’t let that thought linger. He makes clear that John is not only a prophet but is himself the fulfillment of prophecy.
He turns to the crowds and concerning John says, “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 wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 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’” (vv. 7-10). That is, John is not only a prophet, but he’s the fulfillment of the prophecy from Malachi 3:1 that God would send a forerunner before the Messiah, one like Elijah. John is that one.
But Jesus continues his praise of John, saying, “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. . . . For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (vv. 11-15).
Now, let’s answer two questions. First, why does Jesus think John is so great? And, second, why is the one least in the kingdom greater than John? Well, about John’s greatness, Jesus says that John is great (greater than all who came before him) because the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, who is the immediate forerunner to the Messiah.
That is, the reason John is great is because the Lord privileged him to get to be the last of the prophets. For years men had come before John and prophesied of the coming Messiah. The book of the law and the books of the prophets all prophesied to this end, saying that the Messiah would come. John got the blessed privilege of being the last in that long line, being able to point with his finger and say, “And here he is,” as he said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John’s greatness is wrapped up in being able to say, “I can show you the person and tell you the name of the one all the others prophesied about. It is he, Jesus of Nazareth.” What a blessed privilege!
What then does Jesus mean when he says that the least in the kingdom is greater than John? What I think he means is that when Jesus goes to the cross, dies, is raised from the dead, and says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (meaning that he is the Lord’s exalted king, reigning over God’s kingdom), those who are living and trusting in Christ as their Lord then will be in an even more privileged position than John.
What then does Jesus mean when he says that the least in the kingdom is greater than John? What I think he means is that when Jesus goes to the cross, dies, is raised from the dead, and says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (meaning that he is the Lord’s exalted king, reigning over God’s kingdom), those who are living and trusting in Christ as their Lord then will be in an even more privileged position than John.
Consequently, Jesus’ teaching implies that as we wait for judgment, our task (and our great privilege) is to bear witness to Christ and his saving work. We are to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to our neighbors and the nations, knowing that the day of judgment is coming, that the delay of judgment is so that those who are Christ’s enemies might have time to repent, and that when judgment comes there will be no more opportunity for repentance and salvation. Therefore, until judgment comes, let us pray that the Lord will give us boldness to fulfill the great privilege of bearing witness to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and his life, death, and resurrection from the dead.
However, Jesus reminds us of one more thing – a continued lesson from what we say last week.
These next few chapters in Matthew (11-13) will be about what the kingdom looks like (defying our expectations perhaps) and the opposition that it will bring. Jesus starts that lesson here. First, he shows us that in this time that the kingdom is here and God’s reign is advancing as people come to bow the knee to the risen King and Lord, Jesus Christ, the kingdom will also suffer violent attack.
Earlier I skipped over verse 12 in noting Jesus’ teaching about John, but I want to go back to it now. Jesus says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.” This verse has caused confusion among many. And one reason is because you could understand it in a positive way, a negative way, or a little of both. Some have taken these two references to violence as positive declarations. That is, Jesus is saying that the kingdom has been coming violently and those who violently and forcefully press into it will be blessed. But I think that this runs into some difficulty in terms of accurate translation and it doesn’t fit with Jesus later saying that those who enter his kingdom will rest, find that his yoke is easy, and discover that his burden is light.
Some have then said that maybe the first half is positive and the second half negative. That is, yes, the kingdom is forcefully advancing, but many violent men will fight against it with force. But this view too runs into some difficult translation issues when trying to make the first half of the statement positive.
The simplest way to take it is to see each of these negative, I think. That is, Jesus is saying that though the kingdom is here and advancing as people bow the knee to Christ across the globe, don’t be deceived, it will suffer violent attack as violent men attempt to push back at the expansion of the Lord’s kingdom. That is, Herod imprisoning John shouldn’t be surprising. Christians being lined up and decapitated should not be shocking. Satan himself seeking whom he may devour should not surprise us. The kingdom is here, it’s advancing, but until the day of judgment, violent enemies of Christ will continually be found fighting against it. And we see that now.
Moreover, in the midst of this violent attack, as we faithfully bear witness to Christ, many will reject our gospel message. Jesus notes this in verses 16-19. He says, “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
What Jesus is saying is that his message is being rejected by many, but it’s not simply because they haven’t heard it in the right way or from the right person. He compares them to children sitting in the market place playing a game. Some play the flute and say dance, but they won’t. Perhaps then they’re simply not happy and don’t want to dance. So, the children sing a dirge and say, “Mourn.” But they don’t want to do that either. That is, the problem wasn’t that they weren’t appealing to your mood. The problem was that you were rejecting their message regardless of what they did.
And the same is true with John and Jesus. In many ways, they couldn’t be more different. John and his disciples fasted, John lived a very ascetic lifestyle, had a weird diet, had a weird wardrobe, and abstained from wine. Jesus told his disciples not to fast, ate and drank with tax collectors, had a robe that was so nice they didn’t want to divide it at his death, seemingly had a normal diet, and drank wine. And they said John had a demon and Jesus was a glutton and drunkard.
And Jesus notes that wisdom is justified by her deeds. Now, by that he means that wisdom in the OT which tells us how to live is justified in both the deeds that John did and that Jesus did. They may have both looked different, but they were both living out divine wisdom. Their deeds, though different, were both wise. Luke will say in his gospel about this same issue that wisdom is justified by her children, meaning that both John and Jesus, though different, were children of wisdom.
The point being, the problem isn’t with John or Jesus. They were drastically different presentations of wisdom. The problem was that people simply have hearts that will reject the message no matter how it comes to them.
It’s a reminder to us as we go forth with the gospel that many will reject our message, but they will not be able to say on the day of judgment, “I would have accepted if only it came in a different form, dressed up a little differently.” The reality is that they’re rejecting God’s gospel message because they’re in moral rebellion against God.
Therefore, keep this in mind as we see these things around us. Many will reject the gospel. Many will even attack the kingdom, even persecuting and killing Christians. And judgment will not fall from heaven on these people immediately. But this doesn’t mean that God is not with us. It doesn’t mean that Christ isn’t reigning. It simply means that he’s decided to delay judgment until he comes again. And one reason that he’s delayed judgment is so that some will hear the good news and repent. And you and I are privileged, being greater than John or anyone in the OT to bear witness to Jesus Christ, telling others that he lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and was raised from the dead on the third day for our justification. Then, as we are privileged to speak that good news, though many reject and some attack, some will hear and believe. They will bow the knee to Jesus Christ, and we’ll see God’s kingdom advancing in those moments, and it’ll be a reminder that one day it’ll be here fully when Revelation 11:15 becomes a reality and it is finally declared, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” May that day come quickly, and may we be found faithful witnesses as we await that sure and certain day. Amen.