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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11, we return 
to our study in the gospel according to Matthew. Just a bit of review 
where we've been before we get to the new material this morning. 
Remember that the Lord Jesus starts his public ministry according 
to chapter 4, the first thing we see him engage in after some 
healing and preaching. The long block of material in 
chapters 5 to 7 is the Sermon on the Mount. And that sermon 
ends with a statement that the people were amazed because he 
taught them not as the scribes, but rather as one who had authority. And so the Lord Christ expresses 
or exhibits his authority in his preaching. And then chapters 
8 and 9 highlight the Lord's power and authority in his deeds. He goes about not only preaching, 
but he goes about healing, and helping, and serving, and exercising 
compassion and kindness to others. So in chapters 8 and 9, it's 
a demonstration of the Messiah's power with reference to his actions. Chapter 10 is when he appoints 
the twelve, and he delegates authority to them that they may 
then go and preach the gospel in other parts of Israel at the 
time. Chapter 11 verse 1 is a transition, 
a summary, and a transition statement. Now it came to pass when Jesus 
finished commanding his 12 disciples that he departed from there to 
teach and to preach in their cities. Christ appointed them, 
he commanded them, and he sent them on their mission. Now we 
start a block of narrative beginning in chapter 11 at verse 2 and 
going all the way to the end of chapter 12, where we see various 
responses to the Lord Jesus. Various responses to his person 
and to his work. Some people embraced him, they 
believed on him. Others, however, rejected him. 
The emphasis does fall upon this rising opposition that is starting 
here in the ministry, the public ministry of our Lord Jesus. For 
instance, in chapter 12, at verse 14, it says, the Pharisees went 
out and plotted against him how they might destroy him. And specifically 
here in chapter 11 what we find in terms of the various responses 
to Christ we see John the Baptist in prison beginning the chapter. We're going to spend our attention 
here this morning in verses 2 to 6. But after that, in verses 
7 to 15, the Lord gives his assessment of John the Baptist. And then 
in verses 16 to 19, he condemns Israel for their response to 
both himself and to John the Baptist. So chapter 11, verses 
1 to 19 is one long unit, but it is made up in three parts, 
and because there's so much going on, I thought it would be wise 
just to take that first part this morning. And then chapter 
11, 20 to 24 shows the unresponsiveness of towns in Galilee. And then 
the chapter ends by highlighting the fact that God has hidden 
these things from the wise and the prudent, but has revealed 
them unto babe. So that's a bit of a map as to 
where we're going. Chapters 11 and 12 certainly 
function together to form the background for the coming kingdom 
parables in chapter 13. Chapter 13 is a series of parables 
on the kingdom of heaven, chapters 11 and 12, already serve as the 
background as to how men either receive or do not receive that 
message of the kingdom. So that is a map of where we've 
been and where I hope to go. If you missed all of that, it 
was beneficial, at least for me. So just to kind of get us 
in the mindset. But let's just begin chapter 
11 at verse 2. I'll read to chapter 11, verse 
19. And then we'll take up this question posed by John the Baptist. 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. 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 mourn 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 wine-bibber, 
a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But wisdom is justified 
by her children. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we pray now that you would come with power through 
your word and spirit, and that you would speak to each of our 
hearts. We pray that you would forgive us for all of our sin 
and transgression, our lack of conformity unto your holy law. God, as believers, we look upon 
our lives and we see our willful lack of letting our conduct be 
worthy of your gospel. We pray that you would cleanse 
us and purify us afresh in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And our Father, we pray that 
the Spirit would do that work that is impossible with men today, 
that you would save sinners. We see our Lord Jesus Christ 
in this passage displaying His glory, His majesty, His excellence. We pray the Spirit would shine 
the light upon Him. We pray the Spirit would work 
conviction of sin in hearts. We pray the Spirit would bring 
forth sinners unto the Lord Christ, that they may have forgiveness 
of sin, they may have a righteousness that avails with you. God be 
with us now, we pray, and we ask through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. As I said, we're going to consider 
verses 2 to 6 this morning, the question posed by John the Baptist. We do need to keep in our minds, 
though, that this is one unit. The question posed, Jesus' assessment, 
and then Jesus' condemnation of Israel for the way that they 
have refused and rejected both the preaching of the Baptist 
and the preaching of the Lord Christ himself. There's a lot 
of controversy in terms of interpretation here in chapter 11. A lot of 
it turns on the nature of John's question as to whether he was 
doubtful, or whether he was disbelieving, or those sorts of things. I hope 
to deal with that this morning. Another difficulty in terms of 
interpretation, one commentator says the most difficult verse 
in the Bible could be a bit of hyperbole, but verse 12, of heaven 
suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." God willing, 
we'll look at that particular passage next Sunday morning. But as we consider the question 
posed by John the Baptist, I want to look at four things. First, 
the situation. Secondly, the question itself. 
Thirdly, the affirmation, and fourthly, the beatitude. So we 
have, first of all, the situation. John is in prison. John is in 
prison because he preached to Herod Antipas that it was not 
lawful for him to have his brother Philip's wife. So when we look 
at the Lord Jesus' commendation of John the Baptist, we need 
to keep this in consideration. What did you go out to see? Did 
you go out to see a reed shaken by the wind? Did you go out to 
see some soft, prissy effeminate bought and paid for court profit? 
No, rather you went out to see a voice crying in the wilderness. 
John the Baptist is a man who is convicted and is convinced 
that the God of Israel is true, that his law is abiding, and 
he refused to allow Herod to go unreproved and unrebuked for 
his sin of adultery. It is not lawful for you to have 
your brother's wife. And so Herod Antipas then puts 
him into prison, a fortress at a place called Machaerus. And 
while John is sitting in this prison cell, he is hearing. His 
disciples are reporting to him what is going on in Galilee, 
what is going on in connection to this man. Jesus of Nazareth, 
that John the Baptist himself had baptized. Remember in chapter 
3, Jesus comes to him for baptism. John says, I need to be baptized 
by you. And yet Jesus says, permit it 
for now, we must fulfill all righteousness. So John baptizes 
the Lord Christ when he comes up out of the water, the Spirit 
descends upon him like a dove, and the voice of the Father says, 
this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. So John the 
Baptist knows this man. John the Baptist has testified 
that this man must increase and I must decrease. So his disciples 
are bringing him word and this provokes him to ask this particular 
question. He dispatches, he sends his disciples, 
and that brings us to consider his question. Notice in verse 
2. 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? It's a big question, isn't it? Now, as France points out, the 
words or the phrase, coming one, wasn't necessarily a recognized 
title for the Messiah. Though there are some Old Testament 
hints with reference to this one that would come in the name 
of Yahweh to do the bidding, to do the will of the Father. 
Maybe by this time, coming one had taken on more significance 
in terms of this particular Messiah. But John has a legitimate query. John has this question, and he 
wants to find out information. Now, this is where I suspect 
there is a bit of controversy. What is John doing here? Does 
John doubt Jesus? Does John doubt Messiah? Does John doubt that the one 
he plunged into the waters of baptism is, in fact, the beloved 
of God, his son? I mean, have you ever thought 
about this? Here is this man who's not a 
reed shaken in the wind. Here is a man who is not a soft, 
effeminate, prissy, bought-and-paid-for preacher, but rather he is a 
man whose diet alone would probably kill most of us. is out in the 
wilderness preaching repentance for the kingdom of heaven is 
at hand. In other words, when we meet John the Baptist in Matthew 
chapter 3, he's clothed like Elijah. We find out, according 
to the prophet Malachi, he is Elijah. He comes in the spirit 
and the power of Elijah. This is a man who's austere. 
He eats honey. He eats locusts. He is not beholden 
to any man, to any crowd, to anybody. If the king is committing 
adultery, John the Baptist rears back on his feet and he says, 
it is not lawful for you to have your brother Philip's wife. And 
yet we meet him here in this prison cell in Macaris and he's 
asking this question. Are you the coming one or are 
we supposed to look for someone else? Have you ever put your 
mind into this question? Is the brother doubting Messiah? 
Is the brother off his rocker? Has the brother dropped the ball? 
There's essentially three different views as to what is going on 
here. The first view was developed in the early fathers, and it's 
usually the view of the older brothers. And I think Ryle best 
represents this particular view. And simply put, this view says 
that John was not doubting. John had no questions for himself. John was not wondering whatsoever, 
but for the benefit of his disciples, he dispatches them to Jesus, 
and they ask the question for their own benefit. In other words, 
John knows that he's probably going to die in this prison in 
Megareth. He knows that he's probably going 
to go the way of all flesh. He doesn't probably know at this 
time that it would be because of a sermon that would cost his 
head, but ultimately John knows, and so this interpretation goes, 
that John does not doubt whatsoever. John is a strong and fortified 
man. John sends his disciples so that 
they may in turn be instructed and so that they may be solidified 
in their pursuit of the Messiah of Israel. I don't think that's 
the particular view. First of all, the text itself 
does not give any credence to that whatsoever. I mean, just 
because we admire a particular man does not mean that we have 
to read into the text a particular interpretation. Now, the second 
view is that John did doubt. John doubted the person of the 
Lord Jesus. Did I baptize the wrong particular 
man? C.H. Spurgeon explains it this 
way. Now, if you have Spurgeon's commentary, 
he waffles a little bit. He says that John didn't doubt, 
but after the beatitude of verse 6, Spurgeon says this was a hint 
for John, and he suggests that John did, in fact, doubt. Let's 
just read this particular quote. It says, John was in prison. 
He did not make a good caged bird. He of the wilderness and 
the river in his faith began to fly. Spurgeon says, so some 
think. He doesn't believe that his faith 
in Messiah himself began to fly. It is difficult to maintain that 
John disbelieved, or John struggled with, or John doubted that Jesus 
was the Messiah in light of Matthew 3. In light of that reality, 
that he plunges Jesus into baptism, he comes up out of the water, 
the Spirit descends, and the Father says, this is my beloved 
Son. It seems incredulous to suppose 
that now John is completely doubtful over who the person of Jesus 
Christ really is. If you read John's Gospel, not 
this same John. John the Baptist is not John 
the Apostle. But if you read John's Gospel, 
you'll see again statements concerning the Lord Jesus Christ made by 
the Baptists that are truly stunning. In fact, it was John the Baptist 
who said, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of 
the world. He doesn't now suppose that that 
was wrong. I think thirdly, the third position, 
the third view, is that John did not doubt that Jesus was 
the Messiah, but I suppose that John was struggling with the 
messianic agenda. It wasn't with what Jesus was 
doing, it was what was Jesus not doing. And I'll explain this 
as we move along in just a moment. My view of this particular text, 
not just my view, is that John the Baptist was struggling, not 
with who Jesus was, but what was going on in terms of Jesus' 
ministry. He receives these reports. He 
hears these messages. He understands that Messiah, 
Christ, is going about doing all of these good things. And 
I suspect that this is the correct interpretation for four particular 
reasons. First, the Jewish expectation 
of a political messiah. The Jewish expectation of a political 
messiah. John shared that. You see, the 
idea set forth in the early first or in the first century was that 
when messiah comes, he's going to come with power. He's going 
to come with majesty. He's going to come extraordinarily 
and he is going to overwhelm our enemies. He is going to subdue 
the Romans under our feet. He is going to rule and reign 
from Jerusalem. And we will enjoy a geopolitical 
kingdom, world without end. Amen. No doubt John shared that. You see hints and traces of this 
thinking throughout the Gospel accounts. You see it in the unbelievers 
in John chapter 6. Jesus feeds the multitudes with 
fish and with loaves. What happens? Jesus perceives 
that they're going to try and take him by force to make him 
a king. What's the point? Men who give 
us fish, men who give us loaves, are men we want to rule. Like 
if they gave us free phones, or they gave us free money, or 
they gave us other things, we would vote them in. We want their 
power secured so that they would not go anywhere. Well, Jesus 
refused that and rejected that. In Acts chapter 1, even after 
the resurrection, the Lord Jesus with his disciples, what do they 
ask in chapter 1? Verse 6, Lord, is it at this 
time that you'll restore the kingdom to Israel? He says, don't 
trouble yourselves over that. That's God's dealings and God's 
doings. They had this mindset that there 
would be this political entity that wherein the Messiah would 
reign with overwhelming force and power. You see even the disciples 
sort of struggling bits and pieces along. In Matthew 17 at the transfiguration, 
remember when the three men went up there and they beheld Jesus 
shining brighter than light. I mean, brighter than a launderer 
could make garments. Jesus is transfigured before 
their eyes. Peter says, it's good for us 
to be here. Let me make three booths. Let me make one for Moses 
and for Elijah and for you, Lord. On that mount of transfiguration, 
they knew they had seen Malachi, servant of the Lord. They knew 
they had seen the Messiah. And so they then asked the question, 
Well, why did the scribes say that Elijah must come first? 
They thought there was a problem with the order. We've seen the 
one that Elijah testifies to, but we haven't seen Elijah. Well, 
they hadn't understood that John the Baptist was the forerunner. 
He was the Elijah, and that what they had seen was akin to Malachi's 
prophecy. I mean, when we get to Matthew 
17, and even within this passage, Jesus Christ's deity is conspicuous. His glory and his majesty and 
his excellence and his power. Secondly, the expectation that 
John himself had concerning the role of the Messiah. He's sitting in a prison cell 
currently. A wicked man has put him in the 
pokey. A wicked man has taken him out 
of commission. And I doubt that this prison 
cell had Xbox. I doubt that it had stereo. I doubt that he had a Wi-Fi connection 
or that he had a smartphone so that he could feed his soul at 
sermonaudio.com. Before we start bashing this 
man of God, let us realize that in the history of mankind, there 
has been one alone that never entertained a doubt. And it's 
the God-man, Christ. It's because of Him that we have 
everlasting life. So John is sitting in the poky. 
John has already preached this Messiah, and in Matthew chapter 
3 at verse 12, this is how he defines the messianic agenda. His winnowing fan is in his hand, 
and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor, and 
gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff 
with unquenchable fire. John preached a judging Messiah. John preached the refining Messiah. John preached this Messiah that 
would come in overwhelming power to destroy his enemies. John's 
sitting in Macareth. Perhaps he's thinking, why hasn't 
he overwhelmed my enemy? Why hasn't he taken care of Aaron 
Antipas? I have preached the judgment 
of the Savior. I have preached the judgment 
of the Messiah, and yet I'm not seeing it. It's not happening. He's not doubting who Jesus is. 
He just doesn't understand the agenda. He doesn't understand 
the progress. He doesn't understand the process. Chamberlain nails it this way. 
He says, to judge from his preaching as recorded in 3.10-12, John 
is not troubled by what Jesus is doing so much as by what he 
is not doing. He appears to be asking, if you 
are the coming one, where is the imminent and decisive judgment 
that I prophesy? Is not the whole nation to be 
refined at your hands and the unrighteous consumed in the fire? 
That's not happening. Add to that messianic passages 
such as Isaiah 61. When Jesus responds here in verses 
4 and 5, He's got Isaiah the prophet in His hand. You know 
how you've got study notes in your margins? You might have 
a particular verse, like verse 4 or verse 5, and then you look 
in the margin and it might point you to Isaiah 35, or it might 
point you to Isaiah 61. It's because we need pointing 
in that direction. The Baptist did it. When the 
Baptist heard this language of Isaiah being rehearsed by the 
Lord Jesus, his mind would naturally go there. His mind would naturally 
alight on those passages. Jesus is affirming his role as 
the servant of the Lord by highlighting the fulfillment of these prophetic 
passages. But all that to say, one of the 
interesting statements in Isaiah 61, verse 1, is that Jesus will 
release the captives. He will set the prisoner free. 
John's sitting as a prisoner. John's wondering what's going 
on. What's happening? I hear of these good works. I hear of what he's doing. I 
hear of his grace. I hear of his mercy. I hear of 
his kindness. I'm not hearing about his judgment. 
And certainly if his judgment was executed, he would free me 
from this prison. He would free me from Macarius. 
He'd put Herod Antipas down. He would refine those who are, 
or he would judge with overwhelming force those who oppose his glorious 
kingdom. A third line of evidence that 
I think confirms this interpretation is the response by Jesus to his 
question. Notice in verse 4, go and tell 
John, If John only sent these disciples to the Lord Jesus for 
their benefit, this is superfluous that Jesus says, go and tell 
John. Could just be literary, it just 
could be the way it goes, but it seems to me that Jesus is 
speaking specifically here via these disciples to his beloved 
friend, his cousin. Go and tell John. The fact that 
Jesus gently chides John in verse six, blessed are those, or blessed 
is he who is not offended because of me. Not a flat out rebuke, 
John, you're dead to me, but remember, blessed is he who is 
not scandalized because of me. And then the way that Jesus speaks 
concerning John in verses 7 to 15. He speaks glowingly. He speaks 
graciously. He speaks commendingly of this 
particular brother. So John is doubtful, not of who 
Christ is, but John is doubtful of this agenda that is being 
played out before his eyes. And then the fourth line of evidence 
that I think confirms this. John's Old Testament counterpart, 
Elijah the Tishmite. When you see Elijah engaged in 
that contest at Carmel in chapter 18, when you see Elijah mock 
those prophets of Baal, when you see those poor pathetic wretches 
cutting themselves, dancing around their altars, calling upon Baal 
to send fire, and it never happens, there is no voice, there is no 
word, there is nothing in response. And you see Elijah humbly offer 
up in complete confident faith, a prayer to Yahweh, and God sends 
down fire and consumes his sacrifice, don't we want to cheer? Don't 
we want to do one of these things? Because Elijah has been victorious 
in the name of Yahweh versus the prophets of Baal. It's glorious, 
isn't it? What's the whole point of the 
narrative? Choose you whom you will serve. If Baal is God, serve him. If 
Yahweh is God, serve him. How long can you halt between 
these two options? This whole contest is constructed 
to show the supremacy and glory of the God of Israel. And so 
this happens. And then Elijah executes the 
prophets of Baal. And then where do we find him? 
Seriously, where do we find him? You get mad at him? You say that's 
on becoming a prophet of the Lord? When he's sitting under 
the broom tree saying, God, it's enough, I want to die? What happened? He affirmed the glory and the 
majesty and the power of Yahweh of Israel. He struggled with 
the agenda. Lord, we've judged the false 
prophets, but I'm alone left, and they want to kill me. What's 
God's message to him? God says, I want you to look, 
Elijah. God the Lord, His glory and majesty 
is not in the wind. It's not in the earthquake and 
it's not in the fire. It's in the still, small voice. 
Maybe this New Testament Elijah is struggling because he expects 
fire. He expects wind. He expects earthquake. He expects an overwhelming display 
of power and raw energy. And all he hears is that Jesus 
is going from town to town preaching and healing. Are you the coming one? Or should 
we look for someone else? He's not doubting who Jesus is, 
he's struggling with what Jesus is and isn't doing. France says that John was slow 
to read the evidence. So on the one hand, we cannot 
put him into that category. As much as I love J.C. Ryle, 
I love that stream of interpreters, I must disagree that John is 
completely without fault in this passage. But I disagree as well 
that John is completely at fault for completely doubting the Messiahship 
of Christ. No, he's at fault because he 
doesn't understand the nature of Christ's kingdom. He doesn't 
understand the way it is to be fleshed out. He doesn't understand 
that holy decree. That's where John is faltering. So let's move on, thirdly, to 
the affirmation. John asks the question, 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. This is a great summary statement 
here. Verses four and five is a great 
summary statement of everything we have seen up to this point 
in the Gospel of Matthew. This is a perfect message, not 
perfect, but to get back into our study and exposition of this 
gospel according to Matthew. What Jesus says here encapsulates 
the previous chapters. Go and tell John the things which 
you hear and see. First, the blind see. Where do 
we read that? Where do we see that? Matthew 
chapter 9, verses 27 to 31. Those two blind men that Jesus 
gives sight to. This is a sign. This is a manifestation. This is an affirmation that the 
messianic age has come. This is what's in the prophet 
Isaiah 35, 5 and 6. This is what's in the prophet 
Isaiah 61. This is what's in the prophet 
in chapter 26 and 28. Again, the language that Jesus 
is answering with would remind the Baptists that this is, in 
fact, what Isaiah spoke concerning of. The blind see the lame walk, 
chapter 9, verse 1 to 8. Remember that paralytic? The 
place was so crowded, they opened up the roof and they lower that 
man down. And Jesus casts his eyes upon 
him and he says, Son, your sins are forgiven you. What's the 
response of the scribes and Pharisees? Who does this man think he is? 
God alone forgives sin. Jesus says, which is easier to 
say to the paralytic? Your sins are forgiven or rise 
and take up your mat and walk? Well, it's easier to say your 
sins are forgiven because we don't know if that's actually 
happening. He says, but that you may know that the Son of 
Man has authority to forgive sin on earth. He says to the 
paralytic, rise, take up your mat and walk. What's the point? 
When that man rises and he takes up his mat and he walks, it proves 
that Jesus has the authority to forgive his sins. We're amazed 
by the fact that this formerly lame man now walks. We ought to be amazed at the 
fact that this formerly hell-bound sinner is forgiven of his sin. The messianic age arrives. in and through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. He says, the lepers are cleansed. Chapter 8, verses 1 to 4. Remember 
that poor specimen of a man? Lord, if you are willing, you 
can make me clean. Remember that? Not if you are 
willing, you can make me healthy. Not if you are willing, you can 
cure my ills. But Lord, if you are willing, 
you can make me clean. Sure, leprosy hurt. Leprosy disfigured 
the body. Leprosy probably wasn't a comfortable 
disease, as far as diseases go, to have. But what was the biggest 
issue for the leper? What's that mean? According to 
Leviticus, the leper was sent out. He could not live among 
the people. He couldn't enjoy converse. He 
couldn't enjoy society. He couldn't enjoy family or friends. So when he alights upon the Savior, 
what is his request? If you are willing, you can make 
me cleansed. Jesus cleanses him. He returns 
either to his family, his job, his society. Christ is Messiah. He says, the deaf hear, verses 
32 and 33 of Matthew 9. There the man is described as 
a mute. What we saw there, however, is 
that muteness and dumbness, or deafness rather, go hand in hand. They're associated. They're both 
under the same great word. To be deaf was to be mute. To be mute was to be deaf. In 
that particular instance, it was because of demon possession. Again, the prophet Isaiah, 35, 
5 and 6, is behind the scenes here. And then notice how Jesus 
ends this display of himself. The debtor raised, and we saw 
that in chapter 9, verses 18 to 26. Remember, Jairus' daughter. Remember that instance? In the 
midst of him traveling to Jairus' house, that woman who had a flow 
of blood comes and touches him. He heals her on the way, and 
then he goes and he puts everybody out, and he says, little girl, 
arise. What's the response according to the gospel writers? There's 
giggling. There's derision. There's a chuckle. There's a 
tongue in cheek. Doesn't he know she's dead? What's 
he saying to a corpse? Little girl, arise and walk. 
You don't wander up to the cemetery and say, I want you to rise and 
walk. I want you to get up out of your 
grave. We don't because we're not Messiah. We don't because 
we're not Jesus Christ. We don't because we're not the 
second person of the triune God. When Jesus says, little girl, 
arise, what happens? She comes out. And everybody 
goes, wow. He says, make sure she gets something 
to eat. It's intriguing, isn't it? You rise from the dead. It's 
time to eat. I'm ravenous. I gotta eat. I've 
been dead. You see what he says here? Go 
tell John everything we've been studying up to this point. Go 
tell John that Isaiah's servant of the Lord is here. Do not doubt 
that I'm the coming one. Do not doubt my agenda. Do not 
doubt my doing. Do not doubt my plan. The last thing that he says in 
terms of his deeds And doctrine concerns his doctrine. And the 
poor have the gospel preached to them. That is going to outshine, 
that is going to pale those other healing elements. By the time 
that we get to the Great Commission, the apostles have been affirmed, 
the apostles have been authenticated, the great signs and wonders that 
these men do in the early church will ultimately give way to only 
preaching the gospel. That's it. And in this instance, 
he says, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. I love 
Spurgeon here. He says, these two wonders are 
placed side by side. The resurrection from the dead 
and the poor having the gospel preached to them. These two wonders 
are placed side by side. This is something, what he says 
now, I think the church needs to embrace. There is as much 
of the miraculous in the poor man's gospel as in the dead man's 
resurrection. There is as much of the miraculous 
in the poor man's gospel as in the dead man's resurrection. There are certain wings within 
professing Christianity. that stress signs and wonders. They stress healing. They stress 
tongues. They stress prophesying. Us poor slobs that miss that 
and just emphasize the preaching of the gospel really aren't preaching 
the full gospel. We really don't have the genuine 
power of the Spirit. I mean, we're good in as far 
as it goes, but don't you realize there's a wealth of power, there's 
a wealth of resource, there's a wealth within the Spirit Himself 
that ought to cause you to seek the Spirit for those supernatural 
raisings from the dead, healings from disease and difficulty. There is as much of the miraculous 
in the salvation of a sinner as there is in the resurrection 
from the dead. If a sinner under God gets converted 
in the preaching of the Word, if a sinner under God gets converted 
by reading the Word, it is as wonderful as if he had been flattened 
by a truck and then was dead and got up to live in Tel Aviv. 
I don't think we believe that. I think we might affirm that. 
I didn't say we. I know that sounds like guilt manipulation. 
I don't mean you guys. You guys are great. There's just always this drive. 
We've got to have more of the spirit. I agree. We've got to 
have more of the spirit to fall upon the preaching of the gospel 
to save sinners. I hope you pray that way every 
Lord's Day. I hope you pray every Sunday 
morning, every Saturday night, every Sunday afternoon, and after 
the fact on Sunday night, cause the spirit to fall. Not so that 
we cannot limp, not so that we cannot have colonitis, or whatever 
it is, or colon issues. Those are good. God can do that. 
I'm not saying He can't. I'm not saying God can't heal. I'm not saying God can't take 
tumors off your brains. I am saying that the church's 
emphasis must be rather on the fact that the Son of Man has 
authority on Earth to forgive sins. When we set ourselves up 
and tell the people to bring their wheelchairs in, and we'll 
cause them to leave them, and trumpet on our... What's the 
word? Lope all the way home. We're 
misdirecting them. We're misguiding them. I hope 
that makes sense. There is as much of the miraculous 
in the poor man's gospel as in the dead man's resurrection. 
Interesting. In the background. As I've already 
mentioned, in Isaiah 35, 5 and 6, Isaiah 61, verse 1, these 
passages that are prescriptive of what Messiah will do when 
He comes, judgment is in those passages. I don't want to get 
too subtle, I don't want to get too below the surface, but maybe 
Jesus is suggesting that John go back to these messianic passages 
to realize that it's not just this overwhelming judgment and 
the refining that's going to take place, but Messiah's ministry 
is also about healing, saving, raising, causing blind men to 
see. Isaiah 35.4, behold, your God 
will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will 
come and save you. Isaiah 61.2, to proclaim the 
acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God. 
You see, this is what I think is troubling. This dear man, 
this good man, this godly man. And fourthly and finally, note 
the beatitude. Blessed is he who is not offended 
because of me. Remember earlier I quoted C. 
H. Spurgeon, who says, so some think, concerning the view that 
John had doubts. On this verse, and I'm not pointing 
this out, some of this passage is difficult. Some of it's tough. 
I think Spurgeon nails it here. He says, with reference to this 
beatitude, and blessed is he, remember a beatitude is a pronouncement 
of happiness or blessedness. It first arises in Matthew 5. 
We call it the, get this, beatitudes. Well, here's a beatitude, a pronouncement 
of blessing upon a particular person. In this particular instance, 
blessed is he who is not scandalized because of me. Not offended because 
of me, Spurgeon says there is a hint for John. John had not 
fallen, but very possibly he had stumbled. He had been a little 
put to it through a sense of non-deliverance in time of need, 
and therefore he had asked the question. So you see, it's as 
if Spurgeon recognizes that. He wants deliverance in a time 
of need. And may I just recommend to you, 
dear brothers and sisters, you read the Bible sympathetically. 
Shame on us. How could he ever doubt? How 
can you and I ever doubt? We have the completed canon. 
Remember, John's just kind of feeling his way here. John doesn't 
know the fullness and the fruition of what is coming with reference 
to the person and work of Jesus. That's why Jesus says, of men 
born of women, he's the greatest. The least in the kingdom is greater 
still. What's he mean by that? John's 
place in salvation history. He's the nearest, the Messiah. He's the greatest of the prophets. He is the forerunner. He is the 
announcement. He is the voice of one crying 
in the wilderness. He is the one that is making 
straight the way of the Lord himself. And yet, sitting in 
this prison cell, he's struggling. Notice, in this beatitude, blessed 
is he who is not offended because of me. The beatitude in this 
location, in the context, summarizes much of chapter 10. Remember 
chapter 10, the Lord Jesus dispatches his 12 to go out and to preach. 
Whoever confesses me before men, him, I will confess before my 
Father. Whoever denies me before men, 
him, I will deny before my Father. You need to be willing to take 
up your cross daily and follow me and come after me. You see, 
verse 6 functions specifically for the Baptists, but it also 
functions for us Baptists. Blessed is he who is not scandalized 
because of me. What did I say is one of the 
emphases in this next section. Rising opposition. Verses 20 
to 24. Woe to you, Chorazin. Woe to 
you. Woe to you, cities that witnessed 
the power of Messiah right before their eyes, and you rejected 
it. It'll be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day 
of Judgment than for you. Woe to those wise and prudent 
ones. They're the ones who are blinded 
to the truth of the gospel. What happens in chapter 12? I 
like to call it Sabbath wars. They're picking on Jesus. They're 
nitpicking. They're needling. They're trying 
to show his inconsistency as a lawless man. There is that 
resolution as I've already pointed out in 12.14. Then the Pharisees 
went out and plotted against him how they might destroy him. 
You see, there's rising opposition on the horizon. So this beatitude 
speaks to the Baptist. It speaks to the people in the 
first century. It speaks to people throughout 
the history of the church. Blessed is you. It's not scandalized 
because of me. As Paul say, 1 Corinthians chapter 
1, 21 to 23, we preach Christ crucified. What is that to Jews 
who seek after signs? It's a scandal. It's an offense. A bloody Savior, a gory Savior, 
does not make men rejoice, carnal men. To us who are being saved, 
Christ is the power, the wisdom of God. You see, blessed is he 
who is not offended because of me. It is there for John's benefit. It is there for our benefit. 
And we'll unpack that when we get to application. So that, 
my brethren, is an understanding of verses 2 to 6. I get it. There 
are different interpretations. I get it. There are those who 
think that John was not doubting whatsoever. I have the utmost 
respect for those brothers. I do think they're wrong, however. 
And I do think the issue was not his doubt concerning who 
Jesus is. but how Jesus was operating. Kind of like us, right? Why, if you're the king of kings 
and you're the Lord of lords, am I stuck in this situation? And the health, wealth, prosperity 
guys capitalize on this, right? And I'm not kidding. They capitalize 
on it. You're a child of the king. You 
shouldn't suffer. You shouldn't hurt. You shouldn't 
struggle paying your bills. You're a child of the king. You 
just submit yourself to him and he'll make all of your woes go 
away. Is that what Jesus does? He makes 
all of our woes go away? I like to think we're biblical 
realists in this church. I just want to summarize our 
study this morning with a few points and then we'll close. 
Aren't you glad we didn't keep going in the chapter? We would have been here till next 
Sunday. First of all, the answer to John's question. Jesus doesn't 
say yes, does he? He doesn't say, yes, I'm the 
coming one. That's it. Imagine these two 
disciples of John coming to the Lord Jesus, they gain access 
to him, and they say, you know, John sent us, and he wants to 
know this. Are you the coming one, or do 
we wait for another? Jesus could have said yes. Now 
go. That would have been efficient. It would have been sufficient. 
And it would have sealed the deal. Do you see our Jesus says 
yes, and here's why. Yes, and here's how we know. Yes, and here's how I fall into 
the prophetic scheme that Isaiah, for one, spoke of. I want you 
to go back to John, and I want you to tell him these things, 
so that his heart can soar, so that he can find joy and delight, 
so that he can understand and have comfort and strength. Instead 
of pining for deliverance from this prison cell, he can realize 
that Messiah is taking care of business. that Messiah is healing, 
that Messiah is saving, that Messiah is raising from the dead. 
And John must rest assured, based on those same prophetic statements 
in 35 and in 61, and according to his own preaching in chapter 
3, verse 12, that I will come with overwhelming judgment upon 
the enemies of Christ. Go back and tell him, yes. The question posed by the Baptist 
was yet another opportunity for the Lord Jesus to demonstrate 
his role as the Messiah in fulfillment of the Scriptures. Notice how 
the whole narrative begins. Verse 2, when John heard in prison 
about the works of Christ, the works of Messiah, in chapters 
1 and 2, Matthew takes pains to tell us that Jesus is the 
Christ, the Son of God. He hasn't mentioned this. He 
hasn't mentioned Christ or Messiah all along the way. But these 
deeds, this doctrine, this activity manifests and underscores and 
highlights that he is indeed the man God promised to send. A second, I think and I hope, 
a practical application of this passage is to note the Lord's 
response to a doubting believer. I can imagine if I was Jesus, 
and I was standing there before a multitude, and two disciples 
of John the Baptist came to me and said, are you really the 
coming one, or do we wait for another? You go tell that man, 
I am the good man. I am what you're waiting for. Maybe you guys don't struggle. 
Maybe it's in you to just always be, yeah, great. Most of us, 
though, struggle. Look at the way the Lord deals 
with this doubting man. You're not doubting like he's 
going to hell. Doubting with this agenda, doubting 
with salvation history, doubting with reference to this whole 
plan. What does Jesus do? He speaks graciously. He speaks 
kindly. He speaks firmly with this beatitude. But it's all couched in the kindness 
that characterizes our Lord. You go back to 1 Kings 18 and 
19. Elijah's beside himself. I don't think we fully enter 
into the passage. Elijah says, it is good for me 
to die. What does God say? Don't you 
know that suicide and a wish to desire is bad and evil and 
wretched? Is that what God says to him? What's the first level of approach 
that God uses? You need some rest and you need 
food. Isn't that nice? Remember Jesus with his disciples, 
come apart and rest a while? Elijah needed some time to chill 
out. Not trying to be irreverent. 
Battling 450 state-sanctioned prophets and an additional 400 
prophets on Mount Carmel when you're all alone, And then having 
to execute people probably takes a little bit out of you. We cut 
the grass and need a nap, right? What does God say? Rest and eat. Elijah comes back to that place 
and he says, Lord, I alone am left and they want to destroy 
me. It's as if God takes him by the 
hand and says, look at the fire, look at the wind, look at the 
earthquake. Look at that still small voice. 
That's where you'll see me. Jesus does the same thing with 
the Baptist. Go tell him what you've seen. Go tell him what you've heard. Don't go threaten him. Don't 
go yell at him. Don't go slap him. rather go 
and encourage him. You see, that's very often how 
our God comes to us in our down times. He doesn't come slapping 
us, beating us, and upbraiding us. He comes gently, firmly, 
gently encouraging us. I love the picture of Jesus that 
we have here. Love the picture of Yahweh that 
we have in 1 Kings 19. I hope you love that picture 
as well and you realize that God is good to his people. A 
third observation from the text with reference to this beatitude 
of verse 6. Blessed is he who is not offended 
because of me. Just going to repeat that quote 
from Spurgeon and add a little bit more of Spurgeon in that 
same context. He said, remember, it is a hint 
for John. John had not fallen, but very 
possibly he had stumbled. He had been a little put to it 
through a sense of non-deliverance in time of need, and therefore 
he had asked the question. Spurgeon continues, and this 
is what I want us to get with reference to this beatitude of 
verse 6. Spurgeon said, Blessed is he 
who can be left in a prison, can be silenced in his testimony, 
can seem to be deserted of his Lord, and yet can shut out every 
doubt. That's verse 6. John speedily 
regained this blessedness and Fuller recovered his serenity. Did you see his point? Blessed 
are you when you come under the rod. Blessed are you when you 
come under the trial. Blessed are you when you come 
under the chastisement. Blessed are you when you come 
under the wounds, the trials, the difficulties, the imprisonment, 
and possible martyrdom that can result from your, by grace alone, 
faith commitment in the Savior. Blessed are you when you don't 
murmur. when you don't complain, when 
you are not offended because of me, and you sing praises to 
our God in the midst of it. That's his point. Now, may I 
suggest that each of us take stock of our own hearts. May 
I suggest that we are not a lot like John the Baptist. When Jesus 
asked, what did you go out to see? A reed shaken in the wind? 
No. John wasn't this kind of a preacher. John didn't say no to homosexual 
marriage on a Monday and yes to homosexual marriage on a Friday. John wasn't anti-abortion on 
a Tuesday and then pro-choice on a Thursday. John wasn't a 
justification-by-faith-alone sort of a preacher on Wednesday, 
and then a justification-by-faith-and-works on Saturday. No, when you went 
to John, you knew what you were getting. He was a reed. Or he 
was not a reed shaken in the wind. As I've already mentioned, 
he wasn't soft. He wasn't prissy. He wasn't effeminate. He was not a bought-and-paid-for 
man. He didn't work for the government. Did you go to see a man clothed 
in soft garments? Probably a bit of irony here 
on the part of our Savior, because where was John? He was in a king's 
palace, but it wasn't in soft and prissy and effeminate clothes. 
It was because he preached the law. You see, the point is, brethren, 
we don't live out among the wilderness. We're not choking down locusts 
and wild honey. We oftentimes are reeds that 
are shaken in the wind. We oftentimes do gravitate toward 
the luxury of the world. And the point that I want to 
point out is simply this, if John could struggle, and so can 
we. When John struggles, Jesus points 
him to the prophet. When you struggle, go to the 
Bible. What's the best fortification 
for you so that you're not a reed shaken by the wind? It's the 
Word of God. What's the best antidote for 
you when things rise up in your heart or mind that seem to be 
doubtful or disbelieving? Get in the scriptures. How many 
times have I heard people say, I'm really struggling, and they're 
not reading their Bibles? I'm really having doubts. My 
assurance seems to be on holiday. Are you in Isaiah? Are you in 
Matthew? Are you reading the Scriptures? 
The best fortification to steady one's soul against the onslaught 
of the devil, this world, and our own remaining corruption 
is the Scriptures. I truly believe that. I absolutely 
believe that. You need Bible. You need lots 
of Bible. You need preaching. You need 
to be in attendance upon the means. You need the scriptures 
overtaking your minds and hearts. This is the emphasis of Paul. 
After expounding the gospel in chapters 1 to 11 in the book 
of Romans, he comes to make it practical in chapter 12, verses 
1 and following. What is his admonition to those 
Christians? Do not be conformed to this world. But what? but be transformed 
by the renewing of your mind. If you and I are half the men 
that John the Baptist was, we can bank on the reality that 
there will be difficulties, there will be trials, there will be 
hardships, there will be challenges to us in our faith. Are we going 
to be reed shaken by the wind? Are we going to run to the softness 
of this world? Are we going to stand fast and 
steady our hearts on the written word of God? Do not think for 
a moment that this is unique in the history of redemption. 
We've got Elijah. Who's more of a powerful man 
than Elijah? It's like God just drops him 
out of heaven. All these wicked kings going 
on, and there's Elijah the Tishbite, who stands before the Lord. That's how he's defined. And 
then he engages in this contest with Carmel, and the next thing 
we know, he says, Lord, please, I'm done. I'm done. Beware, take heed, watch your 
hearts, pray. Get in the scriptures. Man, that's 
just so important. Finally, for any here that are 
unconverted, any that does not believe the gospel, note the 
words of our Lord Jesus, the poor have the gospel preached 
to them. The poor have the gospel preached 
to them. The gospel is universal in its 
scope. The gospel is to be preached 
indiscriminately to every creature, be they poor, be they rich, physically, 
mentally, whatever the situation is. By the time we get to the 
end of the gospel record in Matthew 28, Jesus says, go therefore 
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded, 
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. In 
Mark's account, go preach the gospel to every creature. You're a creature here under 
God this morning. Believe me when I say you are 
a sinful creature. You have rebelled against the 
Lord. The Ten Commandments indict you. They level you. They destroy 
you. If you think for a moment that 
you're a pretty good guy or girl, just take a few minutes and run 
through the commandments. Go from one to ten and ask yourself, 
honestly, faithfully, and completely, have I obeyed this? I suspect 
all of us would stumble at the gate with commandment number 
one, because we all have this problem with ourselves. You see, 
it's not just Baal. It's not just the Hindu gods. It's not just Allah that God 
says, you shall have no other gods before me. It's you. It's 
you worshiping yourself. It's you bowing to yourself. 
It's you pampering yourself. It's you slavishly glorifying 
yourself. If you think for a moment that 
you're a righteous man, woman, boy or girl here this morning, 
I've got news for you and it's bad. The law tells you you're 
sinful. The law tells you that you've 
gone astray. The law tells you that you have rejected the living 
and true God who has crown rights to command obedience from you. 
The gospel says, The gospel says believe. The gospel says Jesus 
lived and obeyed the law. Jesus died as a sacrifice and 
a substitute. Jesus rose from the dead so that 
all lawbreakers all idolaters, all blasphemers, all Sabbath 
breakers, all insubordinate to authority, all murderers, all 
adulterers, all thieves, all liars, and all covetous men that 
look unto Christ, receive the forgiveness of sin. That's good 
news. Come to the Lord Jesus. You could 
extend that beatitude as well. Blessed Is He who is not offended 
because of me? Believe on Him, and you will 
be saved. Let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, 
we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the glorious 
testimony that we find in Scripture concerning the work, the person 
of Your Son. We thank You for Jesus, this 
servant of the Lord, that in His deeds, in His doctrine, truly 
manifested His place in salvation history. We thank you for his 
life, his death, his resurrection. We thank you for grace and the 
gifts of faith and repentance. And we pray that you would give 
faith and repentance even today to sinners. In this place, throughout 
Chilliwack, throughout this country, to the uttermost parts of the 
earth, wherever the gospel is proclaimed, we pray it would 
run swiftly and be glorified. And we ask this in the name of 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation.