Jesus' Answer to His Cousin

John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.” (Matthew 11:2-6, NLT)

John, in prison: “Jesus, I’m here? Do you care? If not, who are you? Or are you too weak to save? Who are you? Where is the judgment of fire I preached about, that you sent me to proclaim? Is this, this what you were to do? Who, who are you? And I’m in prison—who are you to me? You are coming through for others—so I hear, but I don’t see because I’m in the dark cell, in suffering, all is dark around me. You come through for others—what about me?” 

Jesus: “The blind see…” but what he did not say as he quoted from Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61, he did not say judgment. He purposefully excluded a line he used in Luke 4, the captives are not released.

“Blessed is the one who is not offended at who I truly am, at how I work, at my wisdom, my love.”

 I don’t pretend to know why John wasn’t released. But I do know Jesus mourned his death (Matt. 14:13). Is there not tenderness, that the very Lord of life would mourn this one man in the face of all the other needs? He felt, he felt John’s death. “The hurt of his people has become his own, so much so that it now belongs more to him than to them” (Kelly Kapic, Embodied Hope, 95)

Is there not compassion in Jesus sending a message, a blessing, an encouragement to John? “You will be blessed.” Blessed—to have the smile of God. And that is enough today.

For Jesus, John was where he needed him to be. Was there not glory in that, that he was where God would have him?

 “To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,

 ‘We played wedding songs,
    and you didn’t dance,
so we played funeral songs,
    and you didn’t mourn.’

 For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’  The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.” (Matthew 11:16-19)

Jesus came completely as what the Jews did not expect. John’s purity and holiness—not what they wanted. Jesus’ being with us, the weak, defiled—not what they wanted. John and Jesus didn’t go along with their wedding songs, their funeral songs, their way of thinking and working.

Wisdom is shown to be right—the wisdom of God will be displayed in glory. The suffering is not irrecompensable—the glory is, the glory is irrecompensable. And the Wisest of wise, the King of kings, he uses his wisdom on my, on our, on his people’s behalf. “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?’ But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). The heralding of his unsurpassed wisdom is not to crush; it is to console.

Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God.  “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you. (Matthew 11:20-22)

Miracles, wonders, healings, blessings—these signs were not enough to convince the Jews. Oh, heart! No matter the sign, their heart was set against him. They had boxed God in and would not believe until he performed as they wanted, until he fit their rules, their expectations.

In freeing God to be God, we free him to be who we really need him to be.

Can you see the broken heart of Jesus? He does not delight in judgment. Mercy is proper to God; judgment is his alien, not natural, work. “For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim; as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused; to do his deed—strange is his deed! and to work his work—alien is his work!” (Isaiah 28:21, ESV). Can you see his grace in exposing their heart? He exposes so that they can truly receive him, HIM in all of his beauty, fullness, blessing, comfort, HIM.

At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:25-30)

In answer to John, the doubters, the crowd on the fence, the sign-seekers, Jesus answers: “Grace, I have chosen those to whom I reveal my Father and I, thus I will hold you fast. I reveal God to the humble, the trusting, the childlike, the unhonored. I Am Wisdom. When you doubt God, doubt who he is, look at me—look at me on the cross. That is the love of God. And if God does not spare me, if I do not spare myself, how will I not graciously give you all things? (Rom. 8:31-32). I give you myself, knowledge of myself.”

“Come to me, burdened with doubt, fears, questions. I will break the yoke of oppression and fear as you trust me. I am meek and gentle in heart. I will show the full display of love. The road may be rough, but I carried it for you—I carry it with you—and I will carry you every moment until final glory. Whatever ‘it’ is for you, I carried it. Will you trust the I AM? Will you come to me? John, I do not answer your questions, but I AM Wisdom. I AM the Way to God. Yahweh promised rest for your souls; it is I who gives. Do you remember it is written to the Jews of old, ‘Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, 'No, that's not the road we want!' (Jeremiah 6:16). The same crossroad lies before you all today.”

Can you see his grace? He chose to reveal himself! Can you see his grace? In his call to come. Can you see his grace—his meek heart that carried the cause of your doubt and fear, already?

Rest from what? Christ is the complete fulfiller of needs; he will fulfill everything.

Am I weary of mind, anxious, worried, distracted? I can rest in knowing that Christ has secured my way to the Father. The Father is omnipotent and omniscient and omni-love. The Father knows what I need and when I need it--I can put my mind to rest. Christ gives me his peace (Matt. 6:8; John 14:27).

Am I weary in conscience? I can rest knowing that Christ has justified me. He has born my sins; my Father sees me as righteous in Christ's blood (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21).

Am I weary in strength? I can rest, knowing that my worth comes from Him--I don't have to prove myself. I can rest bodily knowing that God will provide for my needs. Christ gives me strength, and the Spirit quickens my living body (Phil. 4:19; Matt. 6:11; Rom. 8:11).

Am I weary in pain? He himself bears it now, it is engraved on his hands. He will persevere for me, where I am at and where he has me (Heb. 4:15-16).

Am I weary of heart (will)? Christ has already accomplished my salvation and justification and will sanctify me. God works in me to will and to do. If I come to Him, and am willing, He will work in me, and accomplish His purposes in me, and strengthen me. He will help me see the joy set before me (1 Thess. 5:23-24; Phil. 2:12-13; Heb. 12:3).

Am I weary of heart (emotions)? Am I longing and yearning? Christ gives me love; He meets my soul thirsts. I was created to find my every need in Him (John 4:14; 6:35).

Am I fearful? Christ's perfect love can drive out fears (Matt. 14:27; 1 John 4:18). Christ has done all; it is finished and accomplished.

But questions do remain--but not on his part. Am I willing to accept His rest? Am I willing to surrender to that rest? Am I willing to take His rest instead of my striving? Do I see myself worthy of having His rest? Will I accept what He says about me and what He offers?

I cannot answer questions, but I can say: for every look at your doubts, fears, circumstances, take ten looks at Christ. He may seem distant or out of focus or out of sight, but the more you fix your eyes on him, the more he will come into focus, the more you will spot him.

We often ask what is the relevance of Christ, rather than who is Christ? “Let us speak plainly: this betrays an idolatrous tendency to place more value and interest in the blessings of Christ than in Christ himself, a tendency to see Christ not as a matchlessly beautiful end in himself, but as a means to other greater and grander personal, social, or cultural ends” (John C. Clark & Marcus Peter Johnson, The Incarnation of God)