We live in a society that is entertainment-driven. Many get excited over famous actors, musicians, or the hottest sports star. Sometimes, society is fascinated by preachers who bring in the masses. Churches fill their seats when there is someone charismatic. In so many ways, churches have become a place of entertainment, a place to check the box for “good” people, or a place for those curious about what is happening. Yet, some are sincerely searching for the “One.”
In Matthew chapter 11:3, John is in prison. He had been preaching about the coming Messiah. He hears of Jesus and sends his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one.” Jesus assures them that He is the one by the miracles He performed. John would soon be beheaded, but not before he was at peace with the truth; he had pointed people to the Messiah.
Matthew 11:2-3 “Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus. He was called the “forerunner” in Mark 1:2-3, Luke 1:17, and Matthew 3:1. He was to prepare the way for the ministry of Jesus. Those of Jewish heritage had heard all their lives about the coming of the Messiah. At the time of Matthew chapter 11, John was in prison. Soon, he would be killed because he preached righteousness. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah or if they should look for another. Jesus tells them to go back and tell John of all the miracles.
Matthew 11:4-5 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, 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.”
As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to talk about John. John was a man’s man. He was a no-frills type of guy. His clothing was camel’s hair. His diet was made up of whatever was available. Since he was preaching in the wilderness, he ate locusts and wild honey. He was preaching repentance. In Matthew 3:7, he saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism and called them out as vipers. This was known as the most poisonous snake of that day. The person bitten by them would swell and, within a few minutes, die. Their teaching and pride would bring certain death to those who followed them, while those who followed Christ would receive eternal life. John had preached to them about Jesus, and now John knew Jesus was the Messiah, the one they had been waiting for all their lives. He was the opposite of the religious leaders. John knew Jesus was the one and only way to Heaven. In John 14:6, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Matthew 3:1-7 “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.” Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
What the crowd expected of Jesus was not the one and only Messiah. They wanted a king like other groups of people. They wanted a king who would elevate them above others. Jesus was a humble servant. He was full of compassion and love for others. The public then and now want a sophisticated religion. One they can take pride in. Many are deceived into believing that if they are a good person compared to the world or put their time in at church, they are ok with God. They judge their spirituality by their works and high-minded attitude. They go to church to be seen, not to see Jesus. However, this is not God’s way. Jesus proclaims John to be a great man of God in this passage. In Matthew 11:11, Jesus honors John with these words. “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” From this, we see that God is not impressed by wealth or status. We must be exalting the “One” who can change their lives. That is what John had been doing, and it cost him his life. We need to be willing to suffer, to give up our freedom if it means the saving of a soul. We need to see everyone as a person for whom Jesus died. The dirty homeless person, the alcoholic, the drug addict, the homosexual, the adulterer, and the high-minded executive are all people Jesus died for, and it is our duty to point them to the only One who can save their souls.
This Christmas season presents a great opportunity to show people the love of Christ. How well have you done this past year in telling them He is the One?
