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And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.' Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”(Matthew 11:2–11)
Jesus asked the crowd, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments?”
What did the people see? They did not see a preacher wearing a $1,500 suit. They did not see a preacher who has followed the advice of a successful image seminar. Instead, John was dressed in animal skins and camel's hair. He wore a leather belt around his waist. John was not a man dressed in soft clothing.
What did the people see? They did not see a clean cut preacher living in luxury. Instead, John ate locusts and wild honey. I have a picture of a guy who needs a hair cut.
What did the people see? They did not see a television camera. They did not see any rock band. They did not see an auditorium. They did not see a table full of autographed books and CD's for sale. Instead, they saw a dry desert. The wilderness was John's pulpit.
Sometimes our ways are not God's ways, and God's ways are not our ways. Sometimes what we expect from God is not what God has promised. We find God in the most unusual places — a word, water, a wafer, and a sip from the chalice.
What message did the people hear? They did not hear a message of prosperity. They did not hear a message which made them feel good. They did not hear a message of tolerance. They did not hear a message which was guided by the political polls. Instead, they heard a message of truth. John spoke with conviction and courage. He was not like a reed shaken by the wind.
What message did the people hear? John was not afraid to preach the law. He was not afraid to convict his audience of sin. And so he called them to repentance. He said, “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” John was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.” John told his audience to renounce the old way of life and to turn from their sin because a new era of salvation is present. John not only preached the stark law revealing sin, but he also preached the sweet Gospel for the forgiveness of sins.
And sure enough, some people confessed their sins and were baptized. They believed that the promised Messiah was on the horizon.
But others rejected John's message, and they did not submit to John's baptism because they thought that they had no need for the forgiveness of sin. To the unrepentant, John called them a “brood of vipers”, and he warned them of the wrath to come. He called them to bear fruits worthy of repentance. He also warned them saying, “The ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore, if you do not bear good fruit, you will be cut down and will be thrown into the fire of God's wrath” (Matthew 3:10). John went on to talk about the coming Messiah who will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12). In other words, all believers in Christ will be gathered into eternal life, but the unrighteous will be sent to a place of unquenchable fire.
Well, as time when on, Jesus appeared on the scene. The time for His ministry began and so He stood in line to be baptized. “Next,” John said, and there comes Jesus standing in the water to be baptized. John recognizes Jesus, but John also recognizes his own sinfulness. He says that he needs to be baptized by Jesus. But in order to fulfill all righteousness and in order for Jesus to walk in our shoes, John baptized Jesus. The voice of the Father from heaven identified Jesus to be His beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus by means of a dove.
Who is Jesus? He is the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sin of the world. He is the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophesy. He is the Coming One who will fulfill the law in our place, and He will also die upon the cross in our place. The cross was His goal.
John once said, “I must decrease and He must increase.” In other words, John's ministry will now diminish, and Jesus' ministry will increase. John will eventually fade out of the scene, and the focus on Jesus will increase, and this is exactly what is taking place in our the Gospel reading for today.
John's ministry is diminishing. He is locked up in prison and about to die. He will eventually die a martyr's death. This is what the prophets before John went through, and this is what John himself will go through.
There he is in prison. All alone with plenty of time to think. Is Jesus the Coming One or not? Will Jesus cut down the wicked Pharisees and throw them into the fire of God's wrath or not? Will Jesus burn them up in the unquenchable fire or not?
Moses questioned God. He said, “O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all” (Exodus 5:22–23). At one time Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. He said to God, “I am the only prophet left and now they are trying to kill me too” (1 Kings 19:10). The prophet Jeremiah once said, “Cursed be the day I was born. Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?” (Jeremiah 20:14, 18).
Did the prophets of old — sinful as they are — doubt and question God? Yes! Did John, while in prison and sinful as he is, doubt and question Jesus? Yes! This does not mean that John has lost faith. Do we sinful as we are doubt and question God? Yes!
In times of trouble, we will ask, “Where are you God? Do you still love me? Why am I going through difficult times? For us to have anxiety, worry, or doubt does not mean that we have lost faith. It simply means that we have a sinful flesh.
What we need is the forgiveness of sins. What we need is the comfort of God's Word. What we need is Christ Himself — His body and His blood.
John questioned Jesus' purpose and ministry, and how does Jesus answer John? Jesus answered and said, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (v. 4–6). In other words, Isaiah chapters 35 and 61 are being fulfilled. The age of salvation is here. Jesus is the One who was to come. The purpose of Christ's coming is for mercy not for judgement.
Christ's mission on earth was not to administer judgement, but to put Himself under this judgement for our sake. Christ's mission on earth was not to administer wrath, but to put Himself under this wrath for our sake. Jesus came to pay for our sin by His righteous death upon the cross. Again, Jesus came for the sake of mercy and not for judgement. On the last day — the day of judgement — Jesus will clean out His threshing floor, and unbelief will be sent to the unquenchable fire, but until that day comes, the church calls the unrepentant to faith in the forgiveness of sins. The church administers mercy and not judgement.
Sometimes we want God to punish the wicked and to clean up America. We want God to do what we want Him to do, and furthermore, we don't want to have any problems in the church or in our own lives.
Do not doubt, for God is in control. If God can bring an Easter out of a Good Friday, then all things will work out together for your good. He does love you. He forgives you all your sin. But just as the Word brought comfort and peace to John even on his death bed, so also God's life giving Word brings comfort and peace to you.
The Good News is that, because of the cross and open tomb, our warfare with death is ended. Our iniquity is pardoned and we have received from the Lord's hand double grace for all our sin. Therefore, we are comforted, yes, comforted with a peace which the world cannot give.
So, is Jesus really the Christ or do we look elsewhere? Don't look elsewhere. Jesus is the Christ, true God and true man. He is the only one you need.
Jesus is still the “Coming One”. He comes to you today. His Gospel removes your doubts and fills you with faith. He gives your troubled lives peace. And He replaces your hopeless spirit with comfort. The sacrificed Lamb even comes to take away your sins by giving you His true body and blood. In this meal, you will be refreshed. You will be given pardon and peace — a peace which the world cannot give.
So why did you come here this morning? If you came to hear about a Savior born in Bethlehem, then you came to the right place. If you came to hear about Jesus — the lamb of God who died for your sin, who bore the wrath of God in your place, and who rose on Easter morn — then you've come to the right place.
Why do you come here Sunday after Sunday? You come in repentance, confessing your sins and receiving God's forgiveness. You come to be fed with God's Word. You come to hear not only God's law but also about God's love in Christ Jesus. The Good News is that the guilt of your sin was paid for by the shedding of Christ's blood upon the cross. You come to receive Christ's body and blood for the remission of all your sin. You come to thank our Lord through Word and song for all that He has done. You come to receive comfort and strength.
And so, dearly beloved, rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Rejoice, your Lord is at hand! Blessed is He who comes, even now, in the name of the Lord. Amen.
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