Foretaste of the Sermon to Come
A little nibble of the Revised Common Lectionary
Sunday’s scriptures are Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 146:5-10, Matthew 11:2-11
In our Gospel reading, John the Baptist is having doubts, not the least of which must be, why is the one chosen to herald the advent of the Christ in prison awaiting execution?
When we first meet the adult John in Matthew 3 (we met the unborn John when he jumped for joy at the pregnant Mary’s visit with Elizabeth), he is fervently preaching a baptism of repentance in preparation for the Messiah of prophesy. Everything about him seems to fulfill prophesy of who John is and who the Messiah is: he quotes Isaiah’s calls for preparation and God’s salvation plan and his very lifestyle evokes the prophet Elijah. He is on fire for this Messiah and knows exactly who Jesus is when he baptizes him.
By chapter 11, though, John is not so sure. He was expecting a Messiah who would winnow out sinners and burn them up. He was expecting the righteous to be gathered up and saved from their enemies, that is, the Jewish leaders who had corrupted their faith and Rome. Instead, Jesus has been preaching the gospel to the poor in spirit and John is in prison. Instead of burning up their enemies, he has been preaching that the people should love and pray for their enemies. He has been teaching against human judgment and clarifying what righteousness really is, and that it’s not anything you can gin up yourself and flaunt. He’s been healing the Hebrew people but also the Gentile son of a Roman centurion! He has been casting out demons and making disciples. He brought a dead child back to life! He hasn’t even sparred with the corrupt Scribes and Pharisees yet!
There hasn’t been a winnowing of anything except for demons. The only judgement he has made has been against his own people in Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum…Capernaum, the homebase of his ministry! What’s up with that? This can’t possibly be the Davidic warrior messiah who John expected.
From prison, John sends his disciples to check out Jesus to determine whether or not he is the Messiah that he had thought knew with all his heart, mind and soul he was. They went directly to Jesus and asked him, “Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?” And Jesus tells them to look around and to listen. He references the prophet Isaiah, “…the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have the good news preached to them.” Basically, he’s saying “you know the scriptures, so if you are seeing these things you know who I am.” As they went back to tell John what they have seen and heard, Jesus very pastorally reassures the crowd who this doubting John is, that he is indeed the return of the prophet Elijah foretold by Malachi. And, in reassuring them who John is, he is reassuring them that he is indeed the prophesied Messiah.
And if that is not enough, he ends, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Jesus, God’s creative word that spoke the universe into being, makes it so for all who encounter this powerful and reassuring Word. Thanks be to God!
