(Text and Audio)
Title: Evidence
I want to begin today with a bit of discussion, so just look up here, we’ll get to scripture in a moment, but let’s just chat for a bit, shall we?
How many of you have ever struggled with your faith?
How many of you have ever struggled with doubt?
How many of you, despite years of attending church, praying, reading scripture, and being involved in the ministry still will have occasional doubts about whether God even exists at all?
What things do you remind yourself of to bring you back to reality? How do you talk yourself out of non-belief? (take answers)
Doubt among believers is not a new idea. We see Abram and Sarai doubt that God can give them a promised natural son. We see Moses Moses doubt that he is able to lead his people out of Egypt because he is slow of speech. And here today, we see the most improbable situation of John the Baptist, the man chosen to be the forerunner of Christ, most likely about one to two years after he baptized Christ himself, express doubt and concern over whether Jesus was the Christ.
Doubt is natural, and can even be healthy, if we allow that doubt to force us to ask questions of ourselves that remind us of who we are.
Some people will say, “You are what you confess.”
I think it’s more accurate to say, “You are what you cannot deny.”
(read/pray)
- When does this story take place?
So this story most likely takes place about 1-2 years after John has baptized Jesus. We see in the first verse that Jesus has wrapped up his instructions to the disciples, and then, like a mother bird teaching the little ones to fly, he’s pushed them out of the nest, and let them minister without Him.
He departs from them, leaving them most likely in the region of Galilee and he goes to “preach and teach in their cities.” We don’t know where, exactly Jesus is when this is going on, but it is in this circumstance of him being separated from his own disciples that John’s disciples approach him.
II. What is the source of John’s doubt?
John finds himself in prison, and sends two of his disciples to go inquire of Jesus by asking, “Are you the coming one, or do we look for another?”
This is a very serious question, and we will deal with how Jesus answers it in a moment, but for now, let’s consider what would make John ask such a question. Our immediate thought this morning might be outrage, just like we get mad about Peter denying Christ 3 times. We often say, “How could Peter do that! How could he walk with Christ for 3 years and then deny him like that! What a coward!” Whenever I hear myself talk like that, I like to remind myself of one question: Peter was at the enemy’s camp, he followed Jesus after he was arrested…where were the other apostles?
And it’s very tempting to judge John the same way and proclaim: “How could the forerunner of Christ, the one whom he he proclaimed, “There is one coming after me who’s sandals I am unfit to carry!” Now find himself in the position of wondering if this really was the Christ?
But before we crucify John on this point, we’d do well to consider a few important pieces of evidence:
- According to Scripture, John baptized Jesus, and then they departed company. (Remember, Jesus left immediately after his baptism to go into the wilderness to be tempted, then began gathering the apostles) So John hasn’t seen first hand what Jesus has been doing to fulfill his suspicions, and information travels very slowly at this time. (No one was re-tweeting Jesus’ miracles.)
- John is in prison. Why John is in prison is unknown at this time. We know that in prison you rely on other for information and news, and that can slow down the transfer of the testimony of all that Jesus has been doing.
- John had predicted that The Coming One would bring judgment and chop down the trees of wickedness (3:10,12), but he finds himself, as the prophet before Christ, in prison under Herod (who would eventually kill him), so he has to ask, “Did this prophet, the one I thought was the Christ, really bring judgment on the wicked?”
So I would argue that this isn’t as unreasonable a question as we might originally think.
III. What is Jesus’ response? (And how does that help us today?)
We see no emotion or negativity in Jesus’ response. He doesn’t seem annoyed or saddened by the question at all. He simply gives instructions back to the disciples of John that are direct and comprehensive:
- Go tell John what you’ve heard and seen:
- the blind see
- the lame walk
- the lepers are cleansed
- the deaf hear
- the dead are raised
- the poor have been given the Gospel
All of this directly speaks to Isaiah 35:5-6
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
So Jesus essentially tells these men, “What do you make of all this?” Look at the evidence of the work of God in your life personally. Consider your won testimony. In other words, how do you explain these things?
And that is exactly what we must do in our own lives. We must ask, “Who am I today? In What direction am I growing? What do I believe? How do I see the world?”
The true believer, though he struggles with doubt from time to time, will always come back to the place where they say, “I cannot deny God the Father. I cannot deny Christ the Son. I cannot deny the Holy Spirit’s work and power in my life.”
Truly, you are what you can’t deny.