Kingdom Come: Jesus and John the Baptist (Matthew 11:2-15)

Bible Passage: Matthew 11:2-15

John the Baptist was a cousin of Jesus. He is mentioned in all four gospels asa prominent figure at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, preaching a message of repentance and encouraging people to turn from sin and be baptised. When Jesus appeared on the scene, John pointed away from himself and encouraged his disciples to follow Jesus instead.

By the time of this passage, John’s circumstances had changed and he was now in prison. This turn of events leads John to second guess his earlier faith, and want reassurance that Jesus is in fact the promised one.

The Promised One (v2-6)
John has heard stories about Jesus, and it is clear that God is at work through him. Nevertheless, John’s own circumstances are less than ideal and this causes him to doubt. It is in the moments when our own circumstances are not what we want that faith can be hard, even when we see God at work elsewhere. Perhaps one of the factors that cause John to doubt is the promise in Isaiah 42:7 that when the Messiah comes, prisoners will be set free.

Jesus responds by pointing to the evidence all around, referring to many of the other promises from Isaiah and the other prophets about what the Messiah would do. He is clearly bringing in the kingdom of God and his deeds testify to his role at Messiah. The challenge for John and for us is to hold onto this truth by faith, even when we do not get the breakthrough we long for in our own circumstances.

The Preparing One (v7-10)
Despite John’s question, Jesus took the opportunity to elevate him. He reminds the crowd that they wer drawn to him in the wilderness, and this was not to see someone comfortable and privileged. They were drawn to John as a man of God, and it was his prophetic nature that they wanted to see. Jesus doubled down and explained that John fulfilled the Elijah role that had been promised in the Old Testament, as the figure who would prepare the way for Christ’s coming.

The way John prepared the way was by encouraging them to repent of their sin, and pointing them to Jesus. This is both a challenge for our hearts to turn from sin to Christ ourselves, and also an example for how we can prepare the way for others to meet Jesus.

The Listening Ones (v11-15)
Jesus ends the exhortation by saying ‘let anyone with ears listen!’ He is sharing some hard truths that not everybody will understand, and the challenge is for us as hearers to grasp what he is saying. John was the greatest figure in the Old Testament age, but in the kingdom even the least is greater than he. What Jesus is bringing in surpasses what has gone before by far.

Regarding why John is in prison, Jesus explains it in verse 12 by referring to the opposition to the kingdom. Violent people have been assaulting the kingdom from the days of John until Jesus’ own day, and are trying to snuff out God’s work through violent opposition. The way of the kingdom of God is not to return violence for violence, but to continue doing Good in faith and love. As we hear this word from Jesus regarding the kingdom and John’s role in it, we should take it to heart and ensure that by trusting in Jesus we are part of his kingdom.

Potential applications:

• How do we respond to Jesus when we are facing hard circumstances? Does our faith hold strong or do we waver?
• John’s greatness came in the way he pointed people to Jesus. Will we do likewise and divert attention away from ourselves onto Christ?
• Even though John had a question, Jesus treated him with honour. Do we hold space with compassion for those who are doubting and questioning their faith? How could we do this more?