Part 3 (1/2)
. ..began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
Luke 7:24 Jesus was asking, ”What drew the thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of people out into the desert to listen to this man? Was it the reeds blowing in the wind?” No, the reeds had been out there for hundreds of years and the crowds had never come. It wasn't nature. It wasn't because the desert was so beautiful. The crowds came because there was a man out there who was on fire for G.o.d.
ON FIRE FOR G.o.d.
If you catch on fire for G.o.d, the whole world will come and watch you burn.
John the Baptist was a man who was on fire for G.o.d. He was anointed by G.o.d. G.o.d's words were in his mouth. The Lord was giving John a great compliment, acknowledging that he had drawn huge crowds out into the desert.
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts.
Luke 7:25 Was it John the Baptist's flashy clothes or patent leather shoes that drew everybody there? Was it his Pentecostal hairdo or his expensive suits that attracted the crowds?
No, he didn't have any of those things. John the Baptist was clothed in camel hair. The only thing that smells worse than camel hair is camel hair when it gets wet.
John the Baptist wore camel hair and spent half his time in the Jordan River baptizing people. So this guy was definitely not a fas.h.i.+on statement.
On top of his attire, John the Baptist had a long beard. He ate locusts and wild honey. I could just see his beard matted with honey with a dismembered locust leg stuck in it somewhere. Jesus was simply saying that it wasn't John's hair or clothes that drew people out into the wilderness.
But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Luke 7:26-27 That's a quotation from Malachi 3:1. It was universally understood that these words concerned the prophet who was to prepare the way for the Messiah-a very high position of authority and leaders.h.i.+p. Jesus was making it very clear that John the Baptist was this man who was prophesied of in the Old Testament.
GREATER.
For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of G.o.d is greater than he.
Luke 7:28 Jesus said that John the Baptist was greater than any Old Testament figure, including Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc. Those were some pretty powerful words, spoken by a Man who was the most significant figure in the nation at that time.
There John the Baptist was-rotting in prison, feeling lonely, and wondering if anybody cared. ”What about me? I had a six-month ministry, and since then I've been rotting in prison for years. Does anybody remember me? Does anyone even care?”
What would it be like if you were in John's position, and you sent to the most popular, influential religious figure in the nation asking for help? How do you think it would help you if he were to stand up in his pulpit and begin talking about you? How would you feel if he started saying on radio and television that you're the greatest prophet who has ever lived? Greater than Abraham, Moses, or Elijah-greater than anyone? If you were struggling the way John the Baptist was, you'd probably find such words spoken in this manner by this important person to be very encouraging.
At least, that's what I thought. When I saw this crisis situation that John the Baptist was in and how the Lord treated his disciples-ignoring them for an hour, healing these other people, and then sending them back with that message-I thought, G.o.d, that just doesn't seem to meet the need. Then, after John's disciples had gone, only then did You begin to say all of those compliments. Why didn't You say that while his disciples were still there? Wouldn't that have blessed John more?
Chapter 8.
”Don't Quit!”
When I was young in the ministry and just getting started, I pastored a church in Seagoville,Texas. People were staying away from my church by the thousands. It was just amazing the crowds that didn't come. I was struggling and not seeing very much happen.
I went to a conference being held at Calvary Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas. Bob Nichols was the pastor there, and the guest speakers included all kinds of big names like Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, and others. They were all sitting at the front. Gifts of the Holy Spirit were flowing, and they were prophesying and encouraging one another in the Lord.
There were two thousand people in the auditorium, but n.o.body knew who I was. I was sitting dead center in the middle of one of these long twenty or thirty seat rows, right in the center of the auditorium. I was literally just a speck in this huge crowd. There I was feeling so insignificant, and thinking to myself, 'All those leaders are up there getting words of encouragement. n.o.body in this auditorium needs to be encouraged more than I do.' 'All those leaders are up there getting words of encouragement. n.o.body in this auditorium needs to be encouraged more than I do.' I felt loneliness and several other negative emotions. Anyway, somebody at the front said, ”Go around, shake someone's hand, and encourage them.” I felt loneliness and several other negative emotions. Anyway, somebody at the front said, ”Go around, shake someone's hand, and encourage them.”
I had met the pastor of this church, Bob Nichols, once before. Without going into the details, it wasn't a very good first meeting. It's only because Bob is a gracious person that he even liked me after that first meeting. It wasn't a good meeting, and it's not something I'm proud of. Now, here I was in the middle of the clump of all these people. Bob Nichols got down off that platform, pushed his way through all those folks, worked his way all the way down the aisle, and found me. It was obvious he was looking specifically for me. Bob just started hugging me and saying, ”Don't quit. Don't quit! Hold on! G.o.d loves you. Don't quit.” He didn't know me, or my situation. I knew G.o.d had singled me out from all of those thousands of people there. In my time of need, that really blessed and encouraged me.
As I read the story about John the Baptist, I wondered, Why didn't Jesus do something like that for John? Why didn't He say all of those complimentary things about John being the greatest person who had ever lived in history up until that time while John's disciples were there? Seems to me like that would have been more beneficial than simply going out and performing some miracles, and then instructing the messengers to go back and tell John what they had seen and heard and that he'll be blessed if he's not offended. I struggled with this for years.
CONNECTED.
Finally, one day I was just reading through scripture in Isaiah. These questions I had about Matthew 11 weren't forgotten, but they certainly weren't in the forefront of my mind. As I was reading, I came across a prophecy that was given to the messenger who would come before Jesus and prepare His way. This is what these scriptures said of this messenger who would prepare the way for the Messiah.
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your G.o.d will come with vengeance, even G.o.d with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing:for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
Isaiah 35:3-6 All of a sudden, the Holy Spirit reminded me of what Jesus had said to John's disciples, and how He had spent an hour performing miracles.
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. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Matthew 11:4-6 In an instant, the Holy Spirit connected these two pa.s.sages of scripture for me.
JUST BELIEVE!.
Jesus waited to say all of these emotional, complimentary things about John the Baptist until after John's disciples were gone. While they were present, the answer He gave them was to perform all these miracles right before their eyes. Then He said, ”Go tell John what you have heard and seen.”
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.
Matthew 11:5 Basically, Jesus fulfilled the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 35:5-6 right in front of the eyes of John's disciples. He opened blind eyes, unstopped deaf ears, enabled the lame to leap, and the tongue of the dumb to sing. These were the very miracles that Jesus performed and then He told John's disciples to go back and tell John about what they had witnessed. Everything that was prophesied about the Messiah's ministry, Jesus fulfilled in a one hour period of time. Plus, He threw in raising someone from the dead just so that n.o.body could think that these were coincidences.
In one hour's period of time, Jesus did everything that was prophesied concerning the miracles that Messiah would perform. Plus, He added raising someone from the dead. Then He told John's disciples to go back to him and tell him He had done all of these things and that he'll be blessed if he would just believe. Just believe!
DOUBTS DROWNED OUT.
John the Baptist knew the scriptures. When the Pharisees came to him and asked, ”Who are you? Are you the Christ.” He answered, ”No, I'm not the Christ.”
I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias [Isaiah]. John 1:23 (brackets mine) John quoted from Isaiah 40, just five chapters after Isaiah 35 which spoke of the one who would come before to prepare the way for the Messiah.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our G.o.d.
Isaiah 40:3 John quoted from a number of pa.s.sages all around this part of Isaiah. Back then they didn't have a Bible like we have today with chapters and verses. They had scrolls of paper. It was hard to find a certain sentence or pa.s.sage because they weren't divided into chapters and verses. What we call the book of Isaiah was just all one letter. So for John the Baptist to quote from what we call Isaiah 40, which was very close in that letter to what we call Isaiah 35,I believe it is proof positive that he had to have read those verses to the point where he was very familiar with them. He knew what G.o.d had prophesied the Messiah would do when He came.
John the Baptist's messengers may not have understood. They came back to John and said, ”Well, He didn't answer our question directly whether He was the Christ.
However, He made us wait an hour, during which time He opened up blind eyes and healed deaf ears. People who couldn't talk, talked, and people who couldn't walk, walked. Then He told us to come back and tell you what He had done, and that you'd be blessed if you would just believe.”
When they delivered that message to John, I believe the Holy Spirit connected what Isaiah had prophesied about the Messiah and what Jesus had just done. I believe the light came on as John realized, ”How could I doubt that this was the Messiah? He has performed everything the Word of G.o.d prophesied He would do. No other man has opened up blind eyes, unstopped deaf ears, enabled the lame to walk, and caused dumb tongues to sing- especially not in one hour's span of time. He even raised the dead.” I believe the Holy Spirit came in like a flood and washed away all of John the Baptist's doubts. Jesus appealed to John's knowledge of the Word, not just his emotions. When the truth of G.o.d's Word drowned out John the Baptist's doubts, I believe he began to praise and thank G.o.d.
VICTOR OR VICTIM?.
Jesus wasn't dishonoring John by not giving him these emotional compliments. He didn't just tell him something to tide him over. It was just the opposite. Jesus honored John so much He refused to give him just an emotional response. Instead, He referred him back to the Word of G.o.d. That's powerful!
We want emotional things, like somebody putting their arm around us and crying with us. That might make you feel good temporarily and help you over a hump, but it's not going to help you long term. I'm not saying that we shouldn't show compa.s.sion for people. However, in the long term, you need to know the truth. You need to take hold of the Word of G.o.d. Faith comes by hearing the Word of G.o.d. (Romans 10:17.) G.o.d's Word is the sword of the Spirit. (Ephesians 6:17.) That's the weapon you use to fight off depression, discouragement, and despair. Yet many people simply wallow in their tears, wanting G.o.d to come down to their level and help them by saying, ”It's really bad!”
A friend of mine was ministering encouragement at one of our ministers' conferences. He had called forward people who were discouraged, and was going to pray for them. You didn't have to ask this one couple who came up for prayer if they were discouraged. Their body language had discouragement written all over it. They were stooped over, crying, and they looked miserable. As they stood in front of my friend who was ministering for prayer, he just looked at them and declared, ”Thus says the Lord, 'Don't feel bad. If I wasn't G.o.d, I would be discouraged too.'” When he said that, it encouraged me. In fact, I thought it was hilarious. However, I'm not sure that couple rejoiced over it that much.