Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #35 Are You the Coming One?

We most recently witnessed Jesus raising up a young man from the dead! Following this, word about Jesus spread throughout all Judea and even further.

Luke 7:15-17
So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And he [Jesus] presented him to his mother [the widow of Nain].
Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.”
And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

God had visited His people by sending His Son to minister and heal them. Of course, this news would also reach John the Baptist, even in prison. John had already “prepared the way of the Lord” for all to see the salvation of God through Jesus Christ, and “made his path straight” as he preached repentance. [See Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #6 John the Baptist]

But at this time, John was shut up in a dank, dark hole at the fortress of Machaerus near the Dead Sea, within the compound of the palace of Herod Antipas. Yet while John endured the dreadful solitude of his imprisonment, he was at least allowed some of his faithful followers to meet with him. And they had brought him news of Jesus’ ministry.

Luke 7:18
Then the disciples of John reported to him [John] concerning all these things.

The conditions of John’s imprisonment surely would have weighed heavily on him for the past month or two. He was confined to a cell in darkness for days on end, with only glimmers of light, if any, through a small hole in the wall or locked door. It’s no wonder that this man began to doubt himself.

And John’s disciples were absolutely dedicated to his ministry. If they had believed in the one whom John had declared to be the Messiah, why had they not left John to follow Jesus? Only Christ could answer their questioning.

Matthew 11:2,3; Luke 7:19-21; (Matthew and Luke)
And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, calling two of his disciples, he sent them to Jesus. And when the men had come to Him, said to Him, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’”
And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.

John had heard about the works of Christ; John’s own disciples also knew of them and possibly had witnessed them as well. Did they need more proof that Jesus was the “Coming One”? Then Jesus supplied it: “He cured many…and gave sight to the blind.” He confirms his ministry as the coming one with the evidence of his works and his preaching of the gospel, answering their doubts about who he was.

Matthew 11:4-6; Luke 7:22,23 (Matthew and Luke)
Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see 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.”

The Amplified Bible version of verse 6 gives further insight:

Matthew 11:6 [AMP]
And blessed [joyful, favored by God] is he who does not take offense at Me [accepting Me as the Messiah and trusting confidently in My message of salvation].

Jesus’ reply to John referred the messengers to the evidence of his works that he indeed was the Messiah, the one. But then he also put the onus back upon John to either continue to doubt the truth, or to trust confidently in the gospel that Jesus, the true one, was preaching. We all have the same opportunity today—will we let our doubts lead us astray, or will we choose to trust confidently in the Word and works of our Lord Jesus Christ?

After John’s disciples leave, Jesus begins to truly describe John and his ministry. John did not dress or live as would have been expected of a “great man of God” in that day.

Matthew 11:7,8; Luke 7:24,25 (Matthew and Luke)
When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak 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 are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts.

Three times, Jesus asked the multitudes, “What went ye out to see?” The first was “a reed shaken with the wind?” Had John pandered to popular opinion, changing his message to bring in the crowds as a reed shaken by every wind of doctrine? Certainly he had not! He did not shape his message to the popular issues of the day. No, this man had great integrity and walked with God.

The second was “What did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment?” What had they expected to see in John, a man in fancy clothes living in luxury as so many of the political and religious ruling class did? Quite to the contrary, his dwelling place in the wilderness, his rough clothing of camel’s hair cinched in by a leather girdle, his food of locusts and wild honey—all revealed an austere lifestyle reflecting John’s humility and strength of purpose (Matthew 3:4).

Finally, Jesus asks the multitude, “What went ye out to see? A prophet?” What they saw and heard was “much more”.

Matthew 11:9,10; Luke 7:24-27 (Matthew and Luke)
But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’

Jesus reminds them of what they DID see: a prophet. And John was a great man, more than a prophet. He had prepared the way for the Lord’s Messiah, the Son of God!

Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28 (Matthew and Luke)
“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 [God] is greater than he.

No person other than Jesus was greater than John. This baptizer fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy as the messenger sent before the Messiah’s face. Yet all of us—even “he that is least in the kingdom of heaven”— can only have any entrée into that kingdom because of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. There truly is none greater than the only begotten Son of God who finished his course and redeemed us all out of the hand of the enemy.

Matthew 11:12-15
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Multitudes of people flocked to John, drawn to the powerful message he proclaimed. Every Old Testament prophet and all the truths in the law pointed toward the Messiah. And now the prophecy of Malachi (the last prophet in the Old Testament) about a coming “Elijah” was fulfilled in John the Baptist. Jesus said “Elijah” had come to announce the Christ. Only those who had “ears to hear” would accept this great truth.

Yet, John and his disciples were unsure. Had the kingdom of God actually arrived? Had the anticipated Messianic king, who would restore all rule to the God of Israel, really appeared? Crowds of people went out to see John from Jerusalem, all the land of Judea, and all the region round about Jordan (Matthew 3:5; Mark 1:5; Luke 3:7).

To imagine the “violent” taking the kingdom of heaven by force, picture a prosperous country bringing a great store of food to a neighboring country that had been suffering famine for many years. Can you see the hungry crowd “pressing into” the distribution center, almost violent in their desire to “take it by force”?

Upon their hearing John the Baptist preaching the kingdom of God, the multitudes stormed the gates of the kingdom to make their way into it by force. They aggressively sought God’s kingdom, which they thought would be the liberation of Israel from their enemies, and exaltation over them on earth. But the ministry of Christ would prove to be so much bigger than that, as we shall see.

Those who had heard John and repented listened to what Jesus said about the baptizer.

Luke 7:29,30
And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified [declared the righteousness of] God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.

What a marvelous word from God that Jesus spoke that day! Even the tax collectors, Jews who collected taxes from their own people for the Romans, recognized and acknowledged that Jesus spoke the truth about God, just as John had. They accepted both the Son of God and John the Baptist, Christ’s forerunner and herald. But some of the hearers flat out did not receive it.

Luke 7:30
But the Pharisees and lawyers [scribes] rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

Because of their refusal to humble themselves to God’s offer of righteousness through Jesus Christ, the Pharisees and lawyers continued in their own legalistic ways to establish their own righteousness. And they continued to lord over the people by imposing their own expanded version of the Mosaic law upon them. Jesus then compares these gainsayers to children.

Matthew 11:16,17; Luke 7:31,32 (Matthew and Luke)
And the Lord said, “But to what then shall I liken the men of this generation and what are they like? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, And you did not lament.’

The Jewish people of Jesus’ generation had a very nationalistic point of view regarding what the Messiah would accomplish for Israel. To refute this erroneous view of his mission, Jesus compares them first to children playing the flute in the marketplace. Their joyful music was in anticipation of Israel’s triumph over their enemies. But Jesus was not dancing to their music!

The children then mourned for help and deliverance from all the nation’s enemies. And yet this proclaimed “Savior” seemed to feel no pity nor inclination to help. In other words, the people generally, and in particular the religious leaders, were inclined to reject both John the Baptist and Jesus the Son of Man. They did not live up to their worldly expectations.

Matthew 11:18,19; Luke 7:33-35 (Matthew and Luke)
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and they (you) say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they (you) say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

John was preparing the way of the Lord, preparing the people of Israel for their savior by preaching the baptism of repentance. It was not a time of rejoicing. Yet the Pharisaic bunch criticized him as too ascetic. On the other hand, Jesus was condemned by them for having too good a time and with the wrong people! But truly he had only rejected their burdensome legalism, and brought love and light to the sinful.

Jesus showed John’s disciples that he was the Messiah as God worked mightily in His Son. What a joy and delight it is to live in a day when anyone anywhere can receive the fulness of the spirit, show forth its power, and live now and forever as sons and daughters of the one, true God—all through the finished work of the one true Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

NEXT: Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #36 The Woman Who Was a Sinner

PREVIOUS: Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #34 God Has Visited His People

(Note: All scriptures taken from the New King James Version)

Matthew 11:2-19
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 see 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. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
“But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

Luke 7:15-35
So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.
Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ” And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.
Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak 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 are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written:
‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.’ For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
We mourned to you, and you did not weep.’
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by all her children.”