Matthew 11:26
Have you ever known anyone who was offended by God? Many people carry an offense toward God because God doesn’t always behave the way we think he should. How dangerous is it to resent a Holy God? I think it is very dangerous not because God wants to zap us, but because anger toward God will blind us to all the good he is doing. Is it possible he is seeing things we miss or has a greater plan we can’t imagine?
Recently, I was praying for what I thought was a simple yes or no answer. I even heard myself pray, “God do you want me to do this, yes or no?” I was trying very hard to not have a will of my own regarding this request. Henry Blackaby often said, “It is impossible to know the will of God if we have a will of our own.” I had been trying to live by this truth and I sincerely wanted to hear God speak and know his plans. But, while I was waiting for what I thought was a simple answer I felt a strong urging from God to call a friend. After visiting with her I realized my prayer request was much more complicated than I had originally thought it was. She helped me recognize the other people who were going to be affected by my decision. I am very thankful for God’s direction to call her because it helped me count the cost of my obedience to God. God wanted more than just to tell me what he desired, he wanted me to see the consequences of following him. This was a sobering moment for me.
With this testimony in mind let’s turn to Matthew 11:2-6 because John the Baptist knew that following Jesus can sometimes be very costly.
2 Now when John heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples 3 and asked him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
4 Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, 6 and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.” CSB
In today’s passage we can learn a lot from John the Baptist’s question and Jesus’ reply.
We can be confused by what God is allowing without taking the bait of offense. Matthew 11:2-3
Why might John the Baptist, who was stuck in prison, be puzzled by what Jesus is doing? Why might others in Israel be confused? Expectations of what Messiah’s arrival would bring had driven many people’s anticipation of Jesus first coming. We know that unmet expectations can easily destroy relationships. John was in prison for preaching repentance. He was trying to prepare the way for the Lord. He was doing the very thing God had called him to do, yet he was suffering even though he had been extremely obedient. These circumstances could have easily perplexed John the Baptist. How we interpret our suffering is critical to healthy deductions.
What are some of the facts John had gotten right? God had called him to prepare the way of the Lord. He knew this without a doubt (Matthew 3:1-12). At Jesus’ baptism he had seen the dove descend on Jesus and he had heard the voice say, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased,” (Matthew 3:13-17) so at the baptism he probably believed with all his heart that Jesus was the one who they had been looking for. But, maybe some of Jesus’ teachings, his lack of political action, or John’s own imprisonment had caused him to doubt. Whatever the reason, John sends some of his disciples to question Jesus.
We can question God without taking the bait of offense. Matthew 11:4-5
God is not afraid of our questions, but we need to realize God’s answers might not satisfy our curiosity, they might surprise us, and they might not be as direct as we like. Why didn’t Jesus give John’s disciples a straight forward yes or no answer? Jesus’ answer was showing his good fruit. As Jesus described all that was happening from his ministry he was high-lighting the mounting evidence that he was the Messiah, the long-ago promised one.
Compare this list of Jesus’ actions in Matthew 11:5 with those that his disciples were instructed to do from Matthew 10:7-8.
Matthew 10:7-8 – As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give.
Matthew 11:5 – The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, CSB
What do we recognize? Like John the Baptist, the disciples were instructed to prepare the way of the Lord by ministering in the very villages Jesus would eventually travel to. These initial contacts with these small towns had started ushering in the kingdom of heaven on earth by doing the very work Jesus’ future visits would bring and complete.
What was Jesus eliciting from John the Baptist and his disciples with this vague answer? Jesus was calling them to exercise their faith in God. We need to realize that God’s answer to our questions will always call us to a deeper faith in him (Hebrew 11:6). God is looking for faith. It is what pleases him. The one who would draw near to God must believe that he exist and that he rewards those who seek him.
We can trust our unknown future to God without taking the bait of offense. Matthew 11:6
God is seeking to develop in our hearts a love that will endure and that calls for us to not be offended by his actions or by what he allows. Let’s be honest, God’s plans don’t always make sense to us. We have finite brains which makes it impossible for us to understand infinity. Remember God will sacrifice the immediate to establish the eternal in our lives. He is choosing to secure our spiritual prosperity not only for this life, but for the life to come. Deciding not be offended by Jesus will always be an ongoing act of faith and courage. We will never outgrow our need to trust God on earth. Someday in heaven we won’t need to exercise our faith because when we see Jesus’ face we will understand and he will be our reality.
We learn from John the Baptist’s life that it is possible to be confused by God, it is possible to question God, and it is possible to trust our unknown future to God without ever taking the bait of offense.
Has God ever answered one of your prayers in an unexpected way?
What are some God actions that have surprised you?
What are some blessings that might come, if you determined not to be offended?
There will always be things that mystify us about what God is doing and allowing, but remembering God’s goodness is foundational. It takes a lot of courage for us to believe that God is still for us when upsetting things are happening in our lives or it feels like we are spinning out of control. When I struggle with these arguments I hold onto this message from Isaiah 55:8-11.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
9 “For as heaven is higher than earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven
and do not return there
without saturating the earth
and making it germinate and sprout,
and providing seed to sow
and food to eat,
11 so my word that comes from my mouth
will not return to me empty,
but it will accomplish what I please
and will prosper in what I send it to do.” CSB