TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7th
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 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.
– Matthew 11:2-5
Should We Look For Another?
Matthew 11:2-5 documents John the Baptist’s questioning of whether Jesus is the long-awaited Christ. As John sits in prison and hears of Jesus of Nazareth, he sends his disciples to figure out if Jesus is the Messiah or whether they should look for another. It’s worth noting that even John the Baptist, the forerunner for Christ, the one who Jesus said is the greatest among men, has doubts about the person and work of Jesus. Here are some questions John the Baptist might have been thinking?
- Is this Jesus really the way to God?
- Is this Jesus really worth laying down my preferences for?
- Is this Jesus really God in the flesh like the Old Testament promised?
- Is this Jesus really going to establish heaven on earth one day?
- Is this Jesus worth following, even if it costs me?
I think if we’re honest, we’ve considered similar things and had similar doubts. We wonder if Jesus is the real deal or if we’ve been tricked into believing something that just isn’t true.
Jesus’s response to these questions is beautiful. He says, Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 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.
What Jesus is saying is that the overflow of Jesus’ ministry is life-changing power. The blind…given sight. The lame….walk. Lepers…cleansed. The deaf….hear. The dead…raised. The poor…Good news. This is the fruit of Jesus’ life. It’s fantastic that Jesus doesn’t actually answer John’s question.
Jesus never TELLS John the Baptist that he is the Messiah, instead He SHOWS him.
John the Baptist and his disciples need to look no further for the Messiah because he before them, as evidenced by those who come into contact with Jesus, are forever changed. Jesus’ words in verse 4 and 5 were current realities and they also paint a picture for our glorious future…That Jesus is going to bring heaven to earth in which there will be no more disease, death, or evil. He will wipe away every tear and we will be made new!
We don’t need to look any further for what matters most in life, Jesus Christ is before us.
PRAYER
Our Father,
Thank you for your Word. We pray that by your Spirit, Matthew 11:2-5 would change us into the likeness of Christ. We acknowledge you as the one who changes everything. Thank you that in our doubts, you SHOW us that you are the one our hearts were made for. We believe, Lord, help us in our unbelief. Father, we pray this now through The Son and By the Spirit. Amen.
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