The Weekend Word
Matthew 11:4-15
(Last week we left off with John sending his disciples to Jesus to ask the now famous question “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:
- Jesus, now in response will now be preaching to John / them.
- Preaching back to John what John was already been preaching himself.
- OR… was Jesus really playing the ying to John’s yang?
- And now John’s disciples now understand.
- Jesus also understood that Jesus is the Lamb unto God who is off to slaughter and John understands that he faces the same fate.
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.
- Come on John / them – pull out your scrolls / iPads and look up the Isaiah passages (29 & 35)
- Messianic passages and now we have seen all the activities come to life
- The poor = not the economically poor – but the Beatitudes type – the poor in spirit.
6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
- Blessed = not offended
- Many, if not outright offended are still either ashamed or timid to proclaim Christ as their Lord.
- We all need to have the gospel message repeatedly preached back to us because we tend to forget and wander away
- Just believe and do what Jesus says.
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
- After this Jesus goes off and praises John to others.
- Note that Jesus did not go off and rescue John – break him out of jail. He didn’t even go visit and answer John face to face.
- This is the thing with the promises to the church, Christians like soldiers may fall and die, but the church will be forever.
- Note here that Jesus is using a technique to draw the surrounding crowd in.
- He comes up with 3 engaging questions that he answers himself.
- “A reed shaken by the wind?” fickled – accommodating or weak in his ministry – does this sound like John?
8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
- Sarcasm or irony used by Jesus
- Was John dress as the wealthy in soft clothing? No!
- Such people live in a king’s palace – where does John live? I a king’s prison.
9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
- Was John a prophet? Yes in a way.
- But even to compare him to Yahweh’s prophet is to miss the importance of John.
- His ministry – and the times that have come upon Israel – and the world.
- For John is even greater than a prophet.
10 This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
- What were you looking for – A vending machine God? A Santa Claus God?
- Do we look for the God of the Bible or the God of our wants?
- John the Baptist was not a man to bend before Herod.
- It doesn’t matter who you were looking for – THIS is he of whom it is written in the Bible.
11 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.
- Jesus knows how to keep us on our toes with these strange sayings
- How do we become greater? Even the lowest of us?
- John is surpassed because he never got to see the resurrection, never got to be baptized in the triune name – never got to taste the body and the blood of his savior
- He never got to experience the full joy of the spirit as did Christians after Pentecost.
- He was the greatest of the OT, but never got to share the life in Christ like we do today.
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
- When is NOW? The time between John the Baptist and when Jesus is speaking?
- How about something that Matthew is interjecting in Jesus’ voice up to the time Matthew is writing?
- This whole verse – it does not get any tougher than this.
13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,
- The days of the prophet are coming to an end – or have already ended.
- John stands at a time of transition
14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
- Malachi passage – Mal 4: 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
- 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
- This was and is something very important to the Jews then and today
- Passover event – saving a seat for Elijah.
15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
- Proverbs 20:12 – The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both.
- Ears that don’t hear – eyes that don’t see?
“11 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.”
i appreciate (& agree) that John did not/could not enter into the Kingdom as our Lord had yet to establish it… but do Lutherans deny the new birth? i think so… not sure…
this second birth is greater than anything that could be bestowed on any man since the fall of Adam (& Eve)… even us simple minded evangelicals have this status- my question is… do we appreciate this fact?
i get too caught up in my imprisonment, my earthly constraints – like my toothache today
Em, sorry you aren’t feeling well. Praying for your tooth praying for you.
Em, “but do Lutherans deny the new birth? i think so… not sure…”
Curious question – why would you think Lutherans deny the new birth?
My 5th bullet under v.4 should read – “John also understood that Jesus is the Lamb unto God who is off to slaughter “
Back to last week 2 reasons why I think Jesus and John are using a teaching technique on John’s disciples;
1.) Jesus did not go to John and say something like “Cuz, what’s up? Don’t you remember all you learn, experienced and taught yourself?”
2.) The way he speaks with such confidence about how strong John is.
This is a great and seminal passage.
1. John is the offended one demonstrating that even he did not quite understand the kingdom. Jesus gives him a pretty sharp rebuke. Explaining the kingdom in terms of destroying the curse of death itself.
2. Jesus refuses to allow the offense of John to tarnish him in the eyes of others. He does not want them blinded by offense. This is the opposite of how we treat people in our day who misunderstand a matter and react badly. We want them destroyed lest we lose followers to them. Jesus will not allow it.
3. The passage about the kingdom suffering violence … very misunderstood and I am not sure I get it either. I think this is simply a statement that violence has come now that the kingdom is proclaimed. The kingdom of this world much react in violence and do everything possible to seize it away. We see elsewhere that Jesus withdraws to Galilee because it is not yet his time to suffer violence himself.
4. And yes John is Elijah and signals things to come.
thank you, dusty … prayers felt, it’s let up a bit – why do these things always on weekends? 🙂
#3- well, then, MLD i am confused… you do believe, do you not that anyone can “fall away” from acceptance of salvation and may or may not seek restoration?
if that is so, then is it the timing of the new birth (not in this life) or the definition of new birth, i.e., not the same as eternal life?
for my part if you are born again, it is an eternal life that you’ve gotten and that life is rooted and grounded in Christ in the here and now…
making allowances for all kinds of unsuccessful gestations as defined in the seed parables and the fact that some of us are rooted more deeply, accepting pruning and bearing fruit more bountifully…
but weak or strong, once that plant is established it is an eternal life begun now and headed for whatever God has prepared – now and forever…
perhaps, it’s just word pictures that confuse us… perhaps, those who fall away and are restored are seen by some as recipients of God’s faithful care, and by others as happily re-trying the walk… but it’s all by the grace of God …. dunno, tho – do i 🙂
at any rate, the question of John’s faith wavering? i don’t think so, he’s just confused at how things are playing out – and i see your point that Jesus did use the scenario as a great teaching tool for them and us, eh? interesting how little we avail ourselves of the teaching… how few we have today to teach us the walk… it is not a “seeker friendly” walk… hmmm that may have started out with the best of intentions to present the Faith as a friendly one available to all who will believe, but then degraded into presenting the prosperity gospel which too many may have bought into as a result of the recent prosperous times, which i think are behind us now…
FWIW – not much, but it makes the point:
i actually heard a pastor (yep a Calvary Chapel guy) on the radio one time extolling the virtue of his teenage daughter who’d forgone her regular trips to the beauty salon to serve south of the border… and he wasn’t joking
Em,
1.) we do believe in the new birth and do it exactly as Jesus said we gain that new birth – by water and the spirit (combined together, that equals Christian baptism.)
2.) Let’s look at the parable – “The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time.”
a.) you will see that the seed is given AND received – that is a big deal – but look at what it says next “they last only a short time.” We do not know what a short time is – it may be 40 yrs compared to eternity, but the point is that they last for a period of time – lasted at what? Salvation.
3.) What do you say to the warning passages and about those who have shipwrecked their faith? I think the language is simple enough to saying that some have fallen away and the warning is to believers (because you don’t need to warn an unbeliever not to fall away from something they do not have).
An add on point, I do not believe one can lose their salvation of have it taken away – for the one who believes, they cannot sin it away — not even Hitler if he ever had it. But people do walk away.
#9- yes, the seed is received – but is the seed the gospel or is it eternal life, itself? i think it is the gospel, they taste, but eventually it gives them indigestion – bad analogy
at any rate – good teaching again
God keep
Em,
I agree with you about John’s faith. I think his faith was strong. This is a guy who knows his OT and as it says in 11:2 “Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ…” I think the bells went off and (1) he is asking for confirmation and (2) he wants his disciples to hear it first hand from Jesus.
John heard of the works of Jesus and hearing that it lines up to what Isaiah has called for. John is one tough dude – remember what he is in prison for – telling President Trump he hasthe morals of an alley cat (sorry for the insult alley cats).
Em glad you have some relief. ..praying still that you can get in right away to get it looked at and fixed.
BTW loving your words of wisdom over the past few days. Gods best for you sweet lady.
Dixie bread said,” John is Elijah”
I did not know that! Will have to re-read this again maybe i knew and forgot…so good to stay fresh in the Bible!
“Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Jesus gives us insight into what he meant in chapter 13:16-17:
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
These are the disciples who are given to understand the parables that Jesus teaches. This doesn’t mean that John was not saved, along with other OT saints, but, like them he was only given the promise of the coming kingdom and did not share in it during his lifetime.
The issues of salvation, regeneration, new birth, OSAS are not at issue in this text. There is ample evidence to conclude John was saved.
In fact in John 14 Jesus says that we will do greater works than he did.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”