Reflection on Matthew 11:2-11

 

Matthew 11:2-11

2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 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. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

  7 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? 8 What, then, did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What, then, did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 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.’

11 “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.”

Reflection

“Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” John the Baptist asks from the dark pit of prison (Matthew 11:3).  That is what ancient prisons were after-all, dark, dank, underground pits that were often overcrowded and filled with despair.  From the depressing confines of the pit, John asks, “Are you the one…?”

Maybe he did not know that two blind men followed Jesus around just days before and cried out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” (Matthew 9:27).  After they caught up with him, Jesus asked, “Do you have faith that I can do this?” (Matthew 9:28).  They told Jesus that they did trust that he could heal them.  The scripture then says, “Their eyes were opened” (Matthew 9:30).  These two blind men had been healed, just as the prophet Isaiah promised: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened” (Isaiah 35:5).

Yet, John sits in prison and asks, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

Maybe he did not hear about the friends who carried a paralyzed man on a stretcher to Jesus, trusting that Jesus could do something about their friend.  As the story goes, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, child; your sins are forgiven’” (Matthew 9:2).  Then after some religious types scoffed at Jesus, Jesus declared to the man, “’Stand up, take your bed, and go to your home.’ And he stood up and went to his home” (Matthew 9:6-7).  The lame man was healed and he got up and walked.  This was just as the prophet Isaiah promised: “Then the lame shall leap like a deer” (Isaiah 35:6).

But, out of the depths of his despair John asks, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

Surely John knew about the man from early on in Jesus’ ministry who listened to the sermon that Jesus preached on the mountain, and caught Jesus on the way down the mountain, asking to have his skin disease healed.  “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean” he urged (Matthew 8:2).  After-all he had just heard Jesus preach that the kingdom of heaven was for people such as he.  Jesus responded, “I am willing.  Be made clean” (Matthew 8:3).  Stretching out his hand, Jesus cleansed the man of his skin disease immediately.  Surely, John heard about the man whose skin was restored and, thus, his life spent with friends and family was also restored.  This had to be a big deal!

Yet, John pleads his own disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

That is not to mention how Jesus healed the guy who could not talk because a demon had possessed him in Matthew 9:32-33, or better yet, the little girl whose story is found in Matthew 9:18-26.  She died while waiting for Jesus to arrive, yet Jesus “took her by the hand, and the girl got up” (Matthew 9:25).  A precious little girl who was dead was brought back to life! 

It is as if the promises of Isaiah 35 are materializing right there for everyone to see! 

“’He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy” (Isaiah 35:4-6).

It is as if the Lord had finally arrived, the path was made straight for him, and he followed the path right to his people.  The Bible tells us that he was “teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.  So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, people possessed by demons or having epilepsy or afflicted with paralysis, and he cured them.  And great crowd followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.” (Matthew 4:23-25). 

The kingdom of heaven had indeed come near in the very flesh and blood of Jesus, just as the Prophet Isaiah described.  Jesus had become a superstar of heavenly goodness, fame spreading everywhere, and all that John the Baptist can say in response to all of the goodness that was spreading throughout the land by the lips and hands of Jesus is asking him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Matthew 11:3).

I think I know why.  John is not receiving any of it.  He is in a pit, literally and figuratively.  He is literally in a prison pit, and his emotions are also in a pit of deep depression and despair.  Jesus may be saving his people, but John is apparently not one of them.  John is offended at Jesus’ lack of saving…him. 

Jesus has not shown up at the prison with an army to set him free.  Jesus has not overthrown the king that put John in prison for simply pointing out that maybe it would not be a good idea for Herod to marry his own brother’s wife. 

Jesus could take his rightful place as king and pardon John and set him free.  Jesus could have done any sort of thing to help John.  He could have sent a huge groundhog to dig a hole to secure John’s escape.  But has Jesus done that?  No!  Jesus has not done any of that.  Jesus has not sent fire from heaven to consume the retched and immoral leaders.  Jesus has not set John free. 

“Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Matthew 11:3).  It is a question that feels a lot like the question, “Don’t you care?”

“Don’t you care?”

I am reminded of the parable of the rabbi who threw a dinner party, invited a whole bunch of rich guests, and invited one poor man.  The poor man was seated next to the rabbi, and when the servants came out with the first course, they set the food in front of only the rabbi and the poor man.  The rich watched as the rabbi and the poor man ate, but out of respect they said nothing.  The same happened with the courses of bread and soup.  Then finally when the main course came out and only the rabbi and the poor man feasted, one of the rich guests finally spoke up out of frustration, maybe he was hangry, and he asked, “Where is our food?  Why are you dishonoring us like this!”

The rabbi looked at the guest and said, “This poor man starves every day, and for one night he gets to feast like he is rich.  Why can you not simply be happy for the goodness shown him?”

It is so easy to only think about ourselves.  It is so easy to miss all that God is doing for others.  It is so easy to be offended. 

Do you want to know who is not offended?  I know of a woman who has been crippled her entire life and has now resigned herself to live in a wheelchair.  She has never run a race.  She has never danced a proper dance.  She has never hiked to a beautiful mountain cliff or peak.  She has never done any of that.

Yet, when she reads in the Bible about how Jesus heals the paralytic, she does not wonder, “Why won’t he do that for me?”  Rather, she gets excited.  She says with a huge smile, “That man got to walk and dance!  I cannot wait for Jesus to do that for me when I get to heaven!  I am going to dance everywhere I go!  They are going to tell me to slow down a little up there and I am going to say, ‘No!  I have a lot of catching up to do!’”

Do you see what this deeply faithful woman has done?  She has not taken the man’s healing as a slight against her.  She is happy for the guy!  Rather, she takes the man’s healing and holds it close to her heart as a sign of hope. 

She knows that Jesus will heal her.  She trusts that Jesus will heal her.  She has the faith of those friends who know that Jesus will heal their paralyzed buddy.  She has the faith of the blind men who answer, “Yes Lord,” when asked by Jesus, “Do you have faith that I can do this?” (Matthew 9:28).  She has the faith of the man walking down the mountain with Jesus who simply states, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean” (Matthew 8:2).  And she knows that when she gets to stand in front of Jesus and ask if he is willing to heal her, she will hear an “I am willing” from the lips of her savior (Matthew 8:3). 

She trusts the promises of Jesus.  She does not take offense that others have found their healing, but she has not.  Rather, she finds hope and promise through their stories.

“Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me,” Jesus says (Matthew 11:6).

And I think that is why, as great as John the Baptist was, that Jesus says, “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” (Matthew 11:11).  John cannot trust.  He is stuck in his pit.  He is stuck staring at his coming death.  He is stuck.

But Jesus does not give up on him.  Jesus sends John’s disciples back with this message of good news: “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. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me” (Matthew 11:4-6).  Jesus provides him with the gift of hope.  He provides him with the gift of knowing that the Lord has arrived. 

Jesus does care.  Jesus simply does not save in the ways we expect.  John expects a king who sits on the throne and brings judgement.  Jesus’ throne is a cross and saves us all through sacrifice.  Jesus does care.  The Messiah has arrived.  Take no offense.  Have faith.  Trust.  Trust that Jesus knows what he is doing.  Trust that all will be made right and well.  Trust that you can dance all you want in heaven.  Trust that Jesus cares, because he does.

On the train taking him and other prisoners to their deaths in WWII era Germany, Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer saw the fear and hopelessness in his fellow passenger’s eyes and did what pastors know how to do: he led a service of scripture and prayer for his fellow prisoners.  And after providing a word of hope to those in the pit, his last words to his fellow prisoners were: “This is the end – for me, the beginning of life.”

We do not need to wait for another.  The Lord has come.  Jesus Christ is our light in dark pits.  Jesus Christ brings us all good news.  Jesus Christ shines in our hearts, even when the day seems dark.