“Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: those who are blind receive sight and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is any person who does not take offense at Me.” [Matthew 11:3-6 (NASB)]
Having quoted from Isaiah when proclaiming the Messiah’s arrival, we know John knew Isaiah’s prophecies. The Messiah would “bind up the brokenhearted [and] proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners,” [61:1] but, after spending more than a year confined to a dark cell, John had neither liberty nor freedom. It’s no wonder he doubted.
While Jesus’ answer to the Baptizer’s question seems cryptic to us, it would have made perfect sense to John. By pointing to the facts, Jesus affirmed that the days of salvation had begun. Although he was using His Messianic power in a way John hadn’t envisioned, Jesus was fulfilling the Messianic promises of Isaiah 35, 42, and 61. Jesus was, indeed, the Christ! When John’s disciples returned with a report of Jesus’ words and actions, the Baptizer’s questions were answered and his doubts erased.
Encouraging John not to give in to despair or abandon his faith, Jesus added a blessing to His message: “And blessed is any person who does not take offense at Me.” Calling this the “forgotten Beatitude,” Vines Expository Bible Notes paraphrased His words as, “Blessed is the person who does not get upset by the way I [God] handle my business.”
What follows, however, is somewhat unexpected. Lest the people think less of John for his imprisonment and doubt, Jesus bore witness to the prophet and praised him. Declaring him to be a true prophet who spoke directly for God, Jesus affirmed that John was the returning Elijah, the one to announce the Day of the Lord, and the greatest of the Old Covenant’s prophets! Clearly, John’s doubt did not diminish Jesus’ respect and love for him!
While we probably aren’t languishing in a prison cell, we will have doubts. Things happen that make our confidence waver and we begin to question things we’ve come to believe. No matter how deep our faith or how long we’ve followed Jesus, doubts and questions will arise from time to time—especially when we’re in the dark places of pain, persecution, injustice, loss, disappointment, isolation, or failed expectations.
When we can’t see or understand God’s plan, like John, we tend to doubt Him. Doubt, however, is not the same as unbelief because, like John, doubt seeks an answer when unbelief doesn’t. The Psalmists certainly weren’t shy about expressing their feelings and asking God questions. “Why do You stand far away, Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” [10:1] “How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” [13:1] “Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?” [44:24] “Lord, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?” [88:14]
When we have questions, we must do what the Psalmists, Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Job, John, and the rest of Scripture’s doubters did—trust the Lord enough to share our uncertainty, express our anxiety, and ask our questions. Let us remember the question Jesus asked while hanging on the cross: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Jesus’ words tell us that He knows what it’s like to feel abandoned by God and they give us permission to confront God with our troubling questions in the midst of our trials and despair.
To ask is to believe that somewhere there is an answer….Far from faith excluding questions, questions testify to faith….We ask, not because we doubt, but because we believe. [Rabbi Jonathan Sacks]
Most of us probably spent Saturday preparing for Easter. We may have done last minute grocery shopping, prepped for Easter dinner, purchased an Easter lily, decorated eggs, assembled Easter baskets, snacked on jelly beans, or hidden plastic eggs around the yard. The previous day’s service on Good Friday had been a somber one but we knew the following day’s worship would be one of joy and celebration. While we may have sung “Were you There When They Crucified My Lord?” on Friday, we knew that we’d be singing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” on Sunday.
After pointing out Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” some of John the Baptizer’s disciples left John to follow Jesus. Later, John’s remaining disciples reported that Jesus was baptizing (it actually was His disciples) and wanted to know whose purification ritual of baptism was valid. With many turning from John to Jesus, the Baptizer’s disciples were confused, concerned, and probably a little envious. Apparently, they forgot that John’s original mission was that of forerunner—the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah and point the way to the Lamb of God. Knowing that he wasn’t the bridegroom but only His friend, the Baptizer humbly affirmed his position by telling his disciples that Jesus must become more prominent while he became less and less important. J.C. Ryle likened the Baptizer’s role to that of a star growing paler and paler as the sun rises until the star completely disappears in the light of the sun. John clearly understood that he was to fade in the light of the Son.
A century of dike-building, agricultural development, and population growth has destroyed much of Florida’s wetlands and threatened the survival of dozens of animals like Florida panthers, Snail Kites, and Wood Storks. The White Ibis, however, is an exception. Having adapted to the new urban landscape, large groups of ibis happily graze the lawns of subdivisions, parks, and golf courses. They’ve found it easier to poke at the soil for a predictable buffet of grubs, earthworms, and insects than to forage in the remaining wetlands for aquatic prey like small fish, frogs, and crayfish. Once wary of humans, these urbanized ibis pay little or no attention to people as they follow one another across our lawns.
I read a devotion that suggested substituting our own personal anxieties and concerns for the troubles listed by Paul in Romans 8. Perhaps your version would read: “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate me from God’s love. Neither old age nor loss of loved ones, neither cancer nor dementia, neither my anxiety about my wayward child nor my reservations about finances—not even the powers of terrorism and hate can separate me from God’s love. No hurricanes, earthquakes, pandemics, or wars—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate me from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“He’d always looked at religion as a crutch for people who were too scared to do life by themselves,” is the way author Chris Fabry described a character in his book June Bug. That description made me think of Karl Marx’s frequently paraphrased statement: “Religion is the opium of the people.” Sigmund Freud had an equally low opinion of religion and described it as a form of wish fulfillment. Thinking of religion as little more than a man-made coping mechanism for dealing with the harsh realities of life, Fabray’s character, Marx, and Freud disparaged it along with things like crutches and pain relievers.
Devotions of the Heart 