[Music]
welcome back we've made it now out of
Matthew 10 we're just beginning Matthew
chapter 11 and lo and behold in verse
number 1 the stage is set for what is
yet to occur and it came about that when
Jesus had finished giving instructions
to his 12 disciples he departed from
there to teach and preach in their
cities wow that doesn't seem all that
significant it probably isn't but you
might remember I some broadcasts ago
back in Matthew chapter 10 right around
verse number 23 I you a doctrine that
has been built to some degree on what I
consider a misinterpretation a forced
interpretation of Matthew 10 verse 23
which says Jesus telling the twelve
truly I say to you you shall not finish
going through the cities of Israel until
the Son of Man comes and some folks are
trying to push an eschatological meaning
into those words as if Jesus were
speaking of when he comes in his power
and in his glory but it very well could
mean until I come right and here we have
kind of a support of that reading
because we read in Matthew 11 verse 1 he
departed from there to teach and preach
in their cities and so you know he hit
as many as he possibly could and it came
to pass exactly what he told them in
Matthew 10 23 you won't get through all
the cities until I catch up with you you
know so why try to read more into
Matthew 10 23 then we should now then
come to a very interesting part here
about John the Baptist which I really
love and appreciate verse number 2 of 11
Matthew 11 when John in prison heard of
the works of Christ he sent word by his
disciples and he said to him quote are
you the expected one or shall we look
for someone else now I guess that makes
me feel better because John was
obviously a very spiritual man a devoted
man call
by God knew he was called by God he is
the one who had pointed to Jesus at one
time and said behold the lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world he saw
the Spirit descend upon Jesus in the
form of a dove and that was the sign to
him that that would be the Anointed One
right right so why is he doubting now
I'll tell you why I think he's doubting
now because he's in prison and he's
thinking himself as you and I would if
we were in prison especially in his
shoes you know if Jesus is the Son of
God if I was his forerunner if I pointed
to him as the Messiah if he has a
miracle worker and so on you know and he
is the true Messiah what am i one of his
guys one of his main guys doing in
prison right now
and can you imagine John's thoughts as
he was taken from his cell to the place
of execution and as the guy lifted the
axe and you know what was John thinking
at that point I'm sure he was thinking
God why are you allowing this and that's
a question that probably we've all
struggled with at one time or another
and we have talked about this to some
degree Paul wrote quoting from the Old
Testament we are sometimes it seems like
sheep to be slaughtered yet in all these
things we overwhelmingly conquer through
him who loved us well what's the end of
the story John the Baptist within
seconds or milliseconds after that axe
fell across his neck he was in the
presence of the Lord
rejoicing forever and he wasn't mad at
God and then he wasn't saying why did
you allow that he was probably saying oh
I wish you could have allowed that
sooner you know how can you left me on
the lousy earth for as long as you did
your perspective really changes and once
you get to heaven okay and so a lot of
things are gonna make sense in heaven
that don't make sense now and when we're
suffering and God seems to be allowing
things that seem to contradict his love
for us it is natural it is totally
normal
isn't it to like wonder what's going on
here that's not wrong
looking joke you know golly there's a
whole book that God hasn't
about a man who was wondering why he was
suffering and and in the end God never
will even tells him why I mean we book
of Job and we can read the behind the
scenes God's conversations with the
devil the little debate they had and so
we actually have more insight than
apparently Jobe ever got in the end God
just rebukes Jobe says what do you know
anyways you know but but yet it's a
happy ending and I'm sure
since then Jobe is read the book of Job
and he has the same insight at least
that we have and I'm sure he's not
questioning God's fairness at this point
in time
okay so there's John and Jesus just
sends a message back verse number four
jesus answered and said to them go and
report to John what you hear and see the
blind receive sight the lame walk the
lepers are cleansed the Deaf hear the
dead are raised up and the poor have the
gospel preached to them it is thought
that Jesus is quoting from a couple of
verses and Isaiah 35 and I say 61 and if
you know I assume John would have
recognized those as being messianic
passages and so this was certainly on
Jesus's part a not so veiled reference
to the fact of yes John I'm the Messiah
and the signs and wonders I'm doing you
know validate that so you don't have to
wonder if I'm the one I'm the one it
still begs the question okay if you're
the one how come your favorite guy is in
prison you know Jesus is gonna say
momentarily among those born of women
there's no one greater than John the
Baptist and you know so Jesus thought
very very highly of him here's what we
can learn from this you don't ever want
to try to ascertain God's opinion of you
by your circumstances jesus promised us
particularly in the area of persecution
now jesus promised us persecution he
didn't promise us exemption from
persecution and so the righteous do
suffer and God allows the righteous to
suffer and if that happens to you you
never want to think well maybe God
doesn't love me
you know maybe I you know put my trust
in him wrongly no he needs to continue
to be the anchor of your soul okay look
at the Apostle Paul do you think God had
a high opinion of him sure did he suffer
sure he was ultimately martyred look at
the churches first martyr Stephen I mean
when he was dying Jesus stood up to
watch him but he still let him die okay
much more to say about John the Baptist
the greatest man who ever lived
I'll see you next time
you