Sermon - Gaudete 2023 - Matthew 11:2-11

St. John the Baptists in Prison, Guercino, 1591-1666

Jesus gives us comfort when we’re perplexed

1. John the Baptist’s perplexity, since Jesus didn’t appear the same as he thought.

2. Our perplexity when things don’t go the way we think they should.

3. Encouragement to remain steadfast in Jesus’ promises.

Life doesn't always go the way that you expect, or perhaps usually it doesn’t. In some ways this can be great, but in other ways it can be very frustrating. It’s particularly frustrating and perplexing when you’re given some guidance, and then when you actually try to follow that guidance, everything seems to go sideways. In some ways, that perplexity is apparently what John the Baptist was experiencing.

“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 is often psychoanalyzed, where people try to delve into the feelings and emotional state of John in prison. Some people will say John was just asking on behalf of his disciples who were doubting, and John never doubted at all. Others will say that John was filled with doubts now that he was in prison, and he was clearly depressed and not thinking straight in his despair.

But instead of psychoanalyzing John’s feelings, which we can only speculate on, we ought to go with what John the Baptist said. Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel we heard John’s preaching: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” John is fulfilling the prophecy of being the messenger preparing the way for Jesus. He prepares the way for Christ by preaching a message of repentance. Some of his words are in fact very harsh; when he spoke to the Pharisees and Sadducees, he said: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance… Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” In prophesying of Jesus he said: “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” 

Of course when John saw Jesus he also prophesied of Jesus, saying: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Thus, the prophecy that John had been given to speak concerning the Christ was two-fold: Jesus came to be the Lamb of God and take away the sin of the world, and to be the righteous Judge with the ax laid to the root of the tree. Jesus would come to be the sacrifice for sin and to judge the evildoers.

So it’s patently perplexing then when Jesus began His earthly ministry and didn’t come as a stern judge, destroying the brood of vipers. John performed his work well, called all to repentance, even the king, and now he wound up in the king’s prison. Jesus is supposed to be burning the chaff with unquenchable fire, but He’s not. Jesus came as a Savior and Judge, so it would make sense that John would be saved and Herod would be judged, but that’s not happening. It’s perplexing to say the least.

We don’t have to speculate on John’s feelings here, about whether or not he was doubting, we can just look at the evidence and recognize that it’s perplexing. John doesn’t have to be doubting to be perplexed. He can both believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and ask if they should be looking for another one. Jesus came healing and teaching, no judging, so maybe there’s another one who will come to do the judging?

Jesus responds with nothing but the evidence: “The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Jesus gives John all of the evidence that he needs to realize that Jesus is in fact the Messiah who is to come. His concluding remark is especially revealing: Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me. In other words, Jesus comforted John’s perplexity by blessing him for not being offended while being perplexed. All of this is as if Jesus said: Look at the evidence and you can see that I’m the Messiah, even if it doesn’t look like I’m doing everything you prophesied.

The perplexity of Jesus being the Lamb of God and the Judge is resolved when time is put into the equation. John didn’t receive any sort of time markers for when Jesus would do these different things in His ministry. John only knew that Jesus was going to save and judge. But the way Jesus’ ministry works is that first He came as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, first He came in blessing and healing and proclaiming good news to the poor. But on the last day Jesus will return as our righteous Judge, and He will then burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. Jesus will come and “bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.”

In much the same way we experience the same sort of  perplexity. Why do bad things happen to faithful Christians? Why do evildoers seem to prosper? Why don’t we always receive that for which we pray? Why doesn’t God immediately strike down bad people and rescue good people? These are perplexing issues! But the perplexity is again resolved when time is brought into the equation.

What immediately appears bad here on earth, isn’t necessarily bad in respect to eternity. Our salvation and healing will happen, only it’s not going to be a temporary healing but an eternal healing. Evildoers won’t always prosper, instead they like everyone else will die one day and their evil deeds will follow them to the grave, and they will be judged in the end. God will give justice to His elect speedily! Maybe not today, but when the time is right God will give us justice.

In the meantime, what Jesus says about John the Baptist is good encouragement for us to remain faithful while we must patiently endure this life. John was not a reed shaken by the wind, moved this way and that by the changes of culture. We Christians are not like our political parties which are always changing platforms, one day condemning something and the next day embracing it. Our beliefs aren’t dependent on them being comfortable and popular, nor are our beliefs dependent on the news cycle or the current hot topic. Instead, we are like a solid rock or a tree firmly planted in the ground of Jesus Christ. Jesus and His Word is the bedrock of our faith, and despite the culturally changing winds around us we are to be firmly established on Him. Afterall, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” 

Thus built upon Jesus, we are comforted when we’re perplexed. “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” When tragedies of life overwhelm you, remember that promise from God: your warfare is ended and iniquity pardoned. “The Lord God comes with might, and His arm rules for Him.” Your pain and sadness will be relieved in due time. Jesus is our almighty God. John the Baptist sat in jail and was beheaded, but God shall give him a new head in the resurrection and a home in paradise. Herod the king sat on his throne in his lifetime and caused much suffering for God’s people, but in the end it says “an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.”

Don’t be led to despair by your perplexity. Your heavenly Father hasn’t forgotten you. You are still one of the little lambs of His flock. And “He will gather the lambs in His arms.” Your faithfulness and zeal for Jesus and His word will not be forgotten. Look to the works of Christ and the healing He performs. He will do that for you too.