GraceLife Thoughts – Train to Reign (Part 43)

John the Baptist was the ‘voice crying in the wilderness’ and the ‘messenger’ who would prepare the way for the Lord (Isaiah 40; Malachi 3). Jews living in Israel in the early part of the 1st century AD had never seen a real prophet of God. They read about the prophets in their Bible who had lived centuries before, but it had been more than 400 years since one had walked in Judah (Malachi).

It was John the Baptist who preached ‘repentance’ and called the people of Israel to return to their God.
It was John the Baptist who called the religious leaders of Israel a ‘brood of vipers’ and called on them to ‘bear fruits worthy of repentance’ (Matthew 3).
It was John the Baptist who told them that ‘He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.’
It was John the Baptist who said that, ‘He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’ It was John the Baptist who said that the One to come would have ‘His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’
It was John the Baptist who saw Jesus of Nazareth and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me’ (John 1).
It was John the Baptist who baptized Jesus and testified that he ‘saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.’

It was also John the Baptist who later sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask – ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ (Matthew 11:2) Why would John do that? He knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the Lamb of God when he baptized Him, so why would he ask such a question of Jesus?

Answering John

John was in jail when he sent two of his disciples to question Jesus. John had rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his relationship with his brother’s wife, ‘and for all the evils which Herod had done’ (Luke 3:18-20). For that reason Herod had John the Baptist thrown into jail.

John’s ministry was in a similar vein to the prophetic ministries of the Old Testament prophets. He was preparing the way for the Lord to come to Israel, rule it, and judge it. While John was still baptizing in the Jordan he had prophesied that every tree that did not bear good fruit would be cut down and thrown into the fire. John told the Pharisees and Sadducees that the One coming after him would be mightier than him. John said that He (Jesus Christ) would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. ‘His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire’ (Matthew 3:10-12).

John saw what many Jews saw when they read the prophetic writings in the Hebrew Bible. God would send the Messiah, the ‘Messenger of the covenant,’ suddenly come to His temple.

‘Behold, He is coming,’ Says the Lord of hosts. ‘But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:1-3

What John was hearing from his disciples about Jesus’ ministry would not have sounded like Malachi’s prophecy. Jesus was not at the Temple in Jerusalem at the time. In fact, He was in Galilee which was far north of Jerusalem. Jesus was not judging or ruling as King of Israel. Instead, He was healing and teaching far from Jerusalem. John may have wondered if he had misunderstood or missed something in his own prophetic preaching, so he sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus – ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ Here’s how Jesus answered the question –

Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.’ Matthew 11:4-6

John would have recognized that from Isaiah and other prophets as also being part of Messiah’s ministry. Jesus quoted from Isaiah 61 at His home synagogue in Nazareth –

And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke 4:17-19

Complimenting John

John’s question did not offend Jesus. In fact, Jesus complimented John the Baptist to the people following Him –

As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ Matthew 11:7-10

Jesus supported John the Baptist and reminded people that he was the promised ‘messenger’ who God. had sent to prepare the way of the Lord. Of course, Jesus is the Lord. Jesus is also King, which means there is a ‘Kingdom.’ Interestingly, Jesus said that ‘he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.’ What did Jesus mean by that?

Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Matthew 11:11-14

John was a ‘greater’ prophet because he ‘prepared the way’ for the Lord to come from Heaven to earth, met the King in person, and participated in the beginning of the King’s earthly ministry. However, those who were the ‘least’ in the Kingdom of Heaven would be greater than John? Why? Because of what Jesus would do for those who would enter the Kingdom. He was going to demonstrate His superior power and glory through healing, preaching, teaching, dying, and rising.

Notice that Jesus said that – ‘from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.’ Luke wrote this –

The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. Luke 16:16

The Jews who heard John the Baptist preach and later heard Jesus were ‘pressing’ (βίαζομαι, laying hold of with positive aggressiveness, forcing one’s way in) ‘into it.’ There was a sense of desperation on the part of 1st century Jews to see the promised Kingdom of God to come to Israel. The people were suffering greatly under Roman occupation and they were looking to the day when God would send salvation through the promised Messiah King. Many believed Jesus was the Messiah and wanted to use force to make Him King –

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. John 6:14-15

Jesus did not allow this to happen because it was not how He was going to begin His earthly reign. He knew the ‘eternal plan’ and His Father’s will. The ‘plan’ was for Jesus to die on the Cross, rise from the dead, and return to Heaven to await the ‘appointed time.’ Jesus would not become King any other way.

Jesus referred to John the Baptist as – ‘if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.’ This would be reminiscent to Jews of the last words God spoke to Malachi the prophet –

Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. Malachi 4:4-6

Jews knew that Elijah was the great prophet who went to Heaven without dying. Some believed Malachi’s prophecy would be fulfilled by Elijah returning from Heaven to earth. We do see Elijah conferring with Jesus and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9). We also see the possibility of Elijah and Moses returning in the future during the Tribulation (Revelation 11). Elijah played a significant role in Jewish thinking during the 1st century AD.

Jesus was fully supporting the divinely appointed ministry of John the Baptist. John was the ‘messenger’ who Malachi said would prepare the way for ‘the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight’ (Malachi 3:1). As Jesus pointed out – ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’

Jesus didn’t stop there because He wanted to make an important point to the Jews who were ‘pressing’ themselves upon Him as well as the religious leaders who opposed both John and Jesus –

But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.” Matthew 11:16-19

Jesus addressed the thinking of the generation of Jews and their leaders as ‘childish’ – ‘like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions.’ It was a powerful rebuke to the Pharisees and Sadducees. They had accused John the Baptist of having a demon. They accused Jesus (The Son of Man) of being a glutton and drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. True wisdom would be known through the true children of wisdom – those who came to the King and His Kingdom. They would know that John was a true and righteous prophet of God. They would know that Jesus as not a glutton and drunk. They would know why Jesus ministered to the spiritual needs of tax collectors and sinners. Wisdom triumphs over the evil and unwise beliefs of those who opposed John and Christ. Their training to reign would overcome the world.