Matthew 11

Our Lord indicates in His actions and in His words that He came, not only to display great signs of miraculous kingdom power, but also to preach and teach regarding the kingdom. Despite all of His preaching and teaching, it appears that very few people were able to understand either the kingdom that He was representing or His own unique role in that kingdom as both the King and the Sacrifice by which the subjects of the kingdom would themselves be counted as sons of God.

While we might have expected that there would be many people who would not understand the Old Testament testimony regarding the coming Messiah, if we had to pick one of Jesus’ contemporaries who we would have guessed to be the most aware of what the Lord was doing, it would have been John the Baptist. He clearly knew that Jesus of Nazareth was to be highly exalted as one far superior to himself, and he also was very aware that Jesus would be the real sacrificial lamb. Despite his awareness of these very important facts, John sent messengers from his prison cell to the disciples of Jesus to ask this important question: “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” What was his confusion? John seems to have anticipated an almost immediate judgment and the full establishment of the kingdom of God. Instead, he hears of great deeds of mercy being performed by the Messiah, and he wonders. . . .

Our Lord sends a reassuring message back to John, who is about to be beheaded. He points to the actions that are being fulfilled through His ministry, as was prophesied in Isaiah concerning the coming Messiah. The God who was to come in vengeance, the God whom John expected, according to Isaiah 35:5-6, would demonstrate who He was by fulfilling these words: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.” This is what Jesus was doing. The timing of His vengeance would be in accord with the will of God. It would be the duty of all who would be His followers to trust Him on these matters, rather than to be offended that He had not yet destroyed the ungodly.

Though John may have had some points of confusion concerning the matter of the timing of kingdom judgment, our Lord indicated publicly that this great prophet had fulfilled his ministry well. He was not meant to be a pampered prince or a spokesman for God who tried to figure out what everyone wanted to hear. He was a bold representative for the Almighty, the expected Elijah, who would prepare the way for the coming of the God-Man Messiah. This made Him superior to all the prophets who came before Him, yet inferior to those who would live in the Age of the Gospel after the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. It was time now for those who would hear the word of truth to take heaven by the force of godly prayer and holy living, even if they would have to suffer at the hands of evil men.

Though there would be many who would want to criticize John for being too much of an ascetic, and others who might want to criticize Jesus for doing too much celebrating, it is a fact that those who were being called to a new life of kingdom wisdom would be able to receive John’s ministry as one of preparation characterized by heartfelt repentance, and Jesus’ ministry as the coming of a new age of glorious life. Many rejected both men, even those who saw dramatic miraculous signs and who were unwilling to respond with true repentance and faith. They would have to answer on the Day of Judgment for their rejection of the Word of God spoken by both of these extraordinary men.

Yes, many great people would miss the facts of the kingdom entirely. Some were unwilling to let the Age of the Law come to a perfect fulfillment in the obedience of Christ and His death on the cross as the longed-for holy Lamb of God. Others were great and intelligent philosophers but had no place in their minds for a powerful Savior who would display His greatness in the weakness of the cross. Yet to those who were known and loved by the Father and the Son, the Son would be revealed as the only Savior of Sinners, as Jesus, the wisdom and power of God and the true Lord of heaven and earth.

It is still the wisest action, for all sorts of people, to come to this one Savior. It is in Him alone that we can find rest for our souls. If we would work our way to the afterlife with imagined good deeds and the approval of men, we will live a life that is an unworkably heavy burden. We will be crushed by the weight of our own intentions, and more importantly by the true burden of the Law of God that we must keep if we are to have fellowship with the Almighty. Yet Christ provides a far better way of peace and rest. The One who is gentle and lowly in heart knows our weakness, and He has a plan for us that will yield the fullest rest for our tired souls. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. It is ours simply to believe in Him and to follow. He is present with us to strengthen and to forgive.