When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
Matthew 11:2-6 (NIV)

I have been working diligently on some upcoming messages of late. I have the honor this year of delivering the Good Friday message this year before my local gathering of Jesus’ followers. The story of Jesus climactic final day on earth is more dramatic than most people realize. It is a microcosm of the base conflict of the entire Great Story between good and evil, the Kingdom of God and the Prince of this World and the Kingdoms of the Earth. I’m looking forward to unpacking it for those spiritually trekking through Holy Week on the way to Resurrection Sunday.

I’m also working on a trinity of messages I’ll be delivering in May that will together form a unified whole. The first of those three messages is based on the episode in today’s chapter. Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, is languishing in Herod’s prison. His crime? He was publicly critical of Herod’s incestuous marriage to his brother’s ex-wife, Herodius, who was also his niece. The playbook of those with earthly power was the same then as it is today: silence and suppress your critics. Thus, John sat silenced and suffering in Herod’s dungeon while Jesus was launching His ministry around the Sea of Galilee.

In the discomfort of his prison cell, John was growing impatient. What was he expecting? Luke tells us what John preached to his followers:

 “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

‘His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

John envisioned Jesus the righteous judge on the great “Day of the Lord” in the end times (see Revelation 20). John envisioned what everyone else had envisioned the Messiah doing: Wiping out all the bad guys (including Rome and the Herods), making sure they got their just desserts, and setting up a kingdom on earth from which He would rule the world. Sitting in the darkness of Herod’s dungeon, John couldn’t wait for Jesus to storm Herod’s fortress, free him from his chains, and punish Herod for all the pain and suffering he’d inflicted on His cuz. Then John would be right there by Jesus side as He reigned over all the earth.

While Jesus Himself proclaimed that Judgement Day will eventually come, He first had to fulfill His purpose as the suffering servant and the sacrificial lamb prophesied by Isaiah and others. Yet, this was hidden even from John. So, when John grows impatient, the shackles chafing his wrists and ankles, he begins to doubt. Jesus is disappointing him. This is not the Messiah John told his followers to expect. So, he sends his disciples to ask Jesus, “Hey cuz! Dude? What gives? Get me outta here!”

In His reply, Jesus alludes to the prophet Isaiah whom Jesus quoted in His first public sermon at his hometown synagogue in Luke 4:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free…”

But in His allusion to John’s disciples Jesus mentions proclaiming the good news to the poor and giving sight to the blind. He even adds that “the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised.” Jesus, however, omits from His report proclaiming “freedom for the prisoners” and “setting the oppressed free.”

Ouch. What a great and deliberate omission.

Jesus’ earthly mission on this go round will not look like John wants it to look. There’s a freedom that must first be proclaimed that has nothing to do with the physical shackles of a temporal world, but rather the spiritual chains of sin and their eternal realities and consequences.

“Sorry, cuz. I’m afraid that you must suffer as I must suffer. Believe me, your chains are temporary. Your reward is eternal. You can’t see it now, but you will. You’re almost to the finish line. Don’t stumble now, bruh.”

In the quiet this morning, I find myself thinking about the spiritual posture that Jesus is asking of John. It is a kneeling, open, and surrendered posture. It is the same that He has demanded of His disciples and anyone else who would follow, including me. Anyone who wants to follow must deny themselves, their expectations, their desires, and their demands. They must be willing to sacrifice and to suffer. The path to Life lies through death. There are no shortcuts, workarounds, or easy detours.

“Not my will, but Yours be done.”

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.