At this point I can’t resist talking about an incident that follows what we covered in the last lesson. It is recorded in both Matthew 11:2-15 and Luke 7:18-30 and concerns John the Baptist, one of my favorites (see the article on the website titled “Christmas Special”).
To set the context of this event we need to go back to the end of the last lesson and look at Luke’s statement following the raising of the widow’s son at Nain. This is Luke 7:16-17.
“Then a profound fear seized all who saw this, and they praised God and said, A great prophet has appeared among us! God has come to help His people! And this news concerning Jesus spread throughout all Judea and the surrounding country.”
This brings us to Luke 7:18-19. “And John’s disciples told him all these things. Then John called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, asking, Are You the One Who was to come, or should we look for someone else?” Matthew’s account begins, “At this same time John was in prison and heard all that Christ was doing…” So, John is in prison and is beginning to question whether or not Jesus is really the Christ. This may seem strange given John’s earlier testimony (read John 1:15-36). But, there are at least two things that may have caused John to doubt.
The first is found in Matthew 9:14. Absent John’s guidance, his disciples seem to have come under some wrong, religious influence. John was in prison well before this incident takes place (see Matthew 4:12). And here his disciples put themselves in the same camp with the Pharisees in questioning Jesus about fasting. Now, if John’s disciples are siding with the Pharisees against Jesus, I have to question what kind of information they might be giving John while he languishes in Herod’s prison. Is it possible that John’s disciples’ opposition to Jesus could have influenced John? The other telling part of this is that they were “John’s disciples”. Given what they had seen and heard, by this time they should have been following Jesus!
The second reason probably had to do with John’s situation. By some accounts, when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison (again, Matthew 4:12), it was around April of A.D. 26. The accounts above in Luke 7 and Matthew 11 are reckoned to be around August of A.D. 27. John could have been in prison for as long as 15 months by then. Now, what would make John doubt? Let me venture into the mind of a prophet. Was he a prophet? Jesus said he was that and more (Matthew 11:9). But I have to add, was he a man, subject to the same passions and fears of any man? Of course! This, then, is a test of John’s trust (in the religious vernacular, his faith).
Let’s back up a little. John was hearing about all the things Jesus was doing. “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the poor have gospel preached to them.” (Matthew 11:5) At the same time John may have been getting reports from his disciples regarding Jesus not keeping the religious rules. Then, John is sitting in prison all this time thinking, if He can do so many great things for everyone else, then why doesn’t He get me out of here? So, with all this time to think, it’s reasonable to understand why John might have doubts.
Now, since there are some differences in Luke and Matthew’s account, from this point let’s follow Matthew 11 and pick up the narrative in verse 6. Jesus is still answering John’s disciples and ends with this, “And blessed is he who is not offended or caused to fall away because of Me.” Jesus’ answer to John’s disciples was short and to the point. Jesus undoubtedly knew John was struggling, but He ends it on an encouraging note.
Then Jesus turned to the crowd that had gathered and began to talk about John. He asks in verse 7, “was he a reed shaken by the wind?” This is a reference to the reeds common in the area that grew up to 20 feet tall and would sway in even the slightest breeze. It was used as a picture of weakness or instability. This was Jesus’ way of saying John was just the opposite. Then in verse 8, “did he wear soft clothing?” Again, John was just the opposite, simple, yet rugged (read Matthew 3:1-12).
He continues in verse 9, “yes, he was a prophet, but more than a prophet.” John did not simply predict or explain the truth of God; he both saw with his eyes and touched with his hands the Truth (Matthew 3:13-17). In verse 10 Jesus validates John’s prophetic station by ascribing to him the Old Testament prophecy found in Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.”
Now, we come to a couple of verses that need some explanation. This is the first part of verse 11. “I’m telling you the truth, among those born of women there has not been one greater than John the Baptist.” Now, as prophets go, there is no reason to think that John was greater in Godly character, obedience to or intimacy with God, or that he had greater gifts or abilities than any of the Old Testament prophets. Here Jesus is referring to the fact that John had the great privilege of representing the Christ Who was the reality of the better promises that were only pictured in the Old Testament (Hebrews 8:6).
Then, verse 11 ends with this, “Yet he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” As great and important as he was, John would not live to see the fulfillment of all the Old Testament predictions regarding Messiah that he knew so well. The last part of verse 11 above could be better rendered, “Yet he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is more privileged than he.” The kingdom of heaven (literally, the kingdom from the heavens) refers to the earthly kingdom headed by Jesus to re-establish the kingdom of God over a sinful, rebellious earth (see the article “The Kingdom of Heaven” on the website).
This kingdom begins with Jesus’ coming this first time to both fulfill the Old Testament predictions and then to fully reveal the plan of God for this present age in which we live and the ages to come. It will accelerate with earnest during the 7-year tribulation period (when He deals with the enemies of Israel) on to His physical return to earth to establish His Millennial reign (when He finally puts down all rebellion on the earth). This, then, prepares the earth for the coming of the Father to dwell on the earth with men for eternity. All this will be covered fully in future lessons.