CLICK TO LISTEN: 057 Accepting The Truth About John (Matthew 11 ,7-15)
Accepting the Truth about John the Baptist
Matthew 11:7-15
July 17, 2011
When we began our study of Matthew’s gospel,
I told you that Matthew’s purpose was clear.
He wanted the world to know that Jesus is king.
Certainly Matthew knew Jesus to be king, he proved that on the day he left his tax booth and forsook all to follow Him.
Matthew was submitted to the king of Israel.
He wrote his gospel that he might share that news with all the world.
And Matthew has pulled no punches.
We’ve seen His lineage, His birth, His forerunner, His coronation, His testing, etc.
Matthew has been jumping up and down, waving his arms,
Shooting off flare guns declaring that Jesus is the King.
Matthew has declared it, but up until this point, JESUS HAS NOT.
In fact Jesus has been strangely silent as to His true identity.
You may even remember after He healed the two blind men:
Matthew 9:30 “And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them: “See that no one knows about this!”
Jesus has yet to publicly declare who He is.
That is all about to change.
You see last week an event happened that has let the cat out of the bag.
Jesus was forced to re-prove Himself to John the Baptist.
John was alone in prison, and due to his suffering and unmet expectations, John was struggling in his faith.
He actually asked a shocking question to Jesus, “Are You the Expected On, or shall we look for someone else?”
And we talked last week about how strange this was to come from John,
For John boldly declared to all that Jesus was the Messiah.
It’s funny how a little suffering and a few surprises
Can cause you to doubt what you once knew for certain.
John was doubting and he was doubting publicly.
You see Jesus was on the mission field.
Up in verse 1 “He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.”
You and I know that Jesus was in search of those lost sheep
He spotted back in chapter 9.
This was a very public time for Jesus, and in the middle of that public ministry, John’s disciples make a very public spectacle.
They approach Jesus in front of everyone and say,
“Hey, John wants to know if You are for real, or if he missed it on You.”
Well you remember that Jesus quickly answered the skepticism of John.
(4-6) “Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE 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 who does not take offense at Me.”
John’s disciples asked, “Are You the Messiah?”
Jesus said, “Look around, what do you think?”
He even gave a subtle rebuke to John warning him
That happiness was not found in denial.
And so John was answered, but the cat was out of the bag.
Can’t you imagine the crowd standing around.
“What did He just say?”
“Did He just claim to be the Messiah?”
“Is this the One we’ve been waiting for?”
I’m sure all eyes were steadily fixed on Jesus
And all ears were eager to hear what He would say.
Perhaps He would turn to the crowd and say, “Boy that John is a crazy one isn’t he? He actually thought I was the Messiah.”
But that is not what He does.
(VERSE 7) “As the men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,”
They wanted an explanation, here it comes.
Only Jesus is not going to say that John was crazy.
“What did you go out into the wilderness to see?”
Jesus begins by helping them remember what they thought about John.
You see the people did crazy things for John.
They left the city and traveled out into the wilderness.
There are people in our day who won’t drive 5 minutes in an air-conditioned car to listen to the word of God, yet all these people faced the elements to hear him.
Jesus wants to know why.
WHY DID YOU GO?
“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?”
You understand His imagery.
A reed is not sturdy, as the wind blows it rocks to and fro.
A reed succumbs to any pressure put on it…
A reed gives way to any external force…
“Did you go out to see a wishy-washy man?”
“Did you go to hear a man who would tell you what you wanted to hear?”
Many people do that today.
2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,”
Well the masses were flocking to John and Jesus wants to know why.
Was he funny?
Did he tell you what you wanted to hear?
Was he entertaining?
And of course you know the answer.
NOT IN THE LEAST
John preached about as unpopular a message as a man can preach.
He told people to repent.
He told people they didn’t measure up.
He told people they weren’t good enough.
If that wasn’t enough,
John even challenged the rock solid Jewish establishment.
John was calling for baptism
WHY?
Baptism is how a Gentile converted to Judaism.
John was in effect telling all these Jews that they were such lousy Jews
that they actually needed to be baptized.
Remember his message to the religious elite?
Luke 3:7-9 “So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘ We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
It is obvious that they did not go to hear “A reed shaken by the wind?”
John was no such reed.
Well if he wasn’t a reed, what was he?
(VERSE 8) “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing?”
The obvious answer is no.
Matthew 3:4 “Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.”
John was no wealthy man.
He didn’t dress in fine clothes.
“Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces!”
Certainly John wasn’t there.
But what Jesus was really asking,
Was did you go to listen to some prosperity preacher?
We’ve seen them today haven’t we?
Men who wear $10,000 suits promising that God gave it to them, and for a small love donation to their ministry God will bless you in much the same way.
It is foolish to us, but obviously people flock to that sort of doctrine.
Prosperity gospel churches are some of the largest in America.
And so Jesus wants to know,
Did you go listen to him because of his promise of prosperity?
And certainly that wasn’t the case.
John didn’t tell people how to get more money in God’s name,
John told people to give their money up.
Luke 3:10-14 “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
That is just the opposite of the prosperity gospel.
They most certainly did not flock to John to find out how to get rich.
So if you didn’t go to be entertained…
And if you didn’t go to learn how to get rich…
THEN WHY DID YOU GO?
(VERSE 9) “But what did you go out to see? A prophet?”
Then did you go to hear the actual words of God?
“Yes”
That is exactly why you went to John.
• You didn’t go because he told you what you wanted to hear, you went because he told you what you needed to hear.
• You didn’t go because you wanted to be rich on this earth, you went because you wanted to be rich in eternity.
• You went to see a true prophet of God.
That is what John was.
Now of course the people knew this,
But Jesus has purposely brought it back to their attention.
Now Jesus is going to take what they know of John and build on it.
“Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet.”
Jesus says, “I know you went to see a prophet, but what you didn’t realize is that John is much more than just a prophet.”
WHO IS HE?
(VERSE 10) “This is the one about whom it is written, ‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’”
Jesus says, John is not just an ordinary prophet,
John actually functions in a dual role.
John is also the forerunner.
Malachi 4:1-6 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. “You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts. “Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
The Old Testament ended with the promise of the coming Messiah,
And also with the promise that Elijah would come before Him.
Jesus says, “John was more than a prophet, he was also the forerunner.”
So John was a prophet and after John the Messiah was coming.
So Jesus continues.
(VERSE 11a) “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!”
Now that is a strange statement.
Most people read that statement to mean that
There was never another human as righteous and good as John.
And I certainly couldn’t refute that.
Filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb…
Totally forsook the comforts of this world…
Spoke the word of God without compromise…
Even died a martyr’s death for his boldness…
John was certainly a good man.
Of course John was not without fault, for just last week
We saw him struggle with doubt and get a rebuke from Jesus.
But John was a good man.
And that is what most point out there.
But that is not necessarily the point that Jesus is making.
After pointing out that John was a prophet Jesus was in effect saying, “And as far as men go, you could do no better than to follow John”.
Everyone who chose to follow him and listen to him
Made a great decision, for I can’t think of another single human
Who would have been better.
“Yet”
(But)
I hope you notice the catch there.
John is certainly a great man and choosing to follow him is a great idea, “Yet, the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN?
Following John is great, but following John is not the goal.
Entering the kingdom is the goal.
And if you will recall many have missed this goal.
After all, we just saw last week that even though Jesus is preaching
John still has disciples.
It was those same disciples who argued with Jesus
About fasting back in chapter 9.
And so obviously people were right to recognize who John was,
But it is obvious that they have still missed the point.
Even John pointed this out.
John 3:26-30 “And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.” John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘ I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Even John knew that following him was not the goal.
And that means that if you chose to follow John,
You have done well, but if that is all you have done,
Then you have missed the point.
You could find no greater man to follow than John,
But that pales in comparison to entering the kingdom of heaven.
“the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
You see men didn’t just need to go out and listen to John,
They needed to understand who he was and do what he said.
But that is not what men did.
In fact listen to what Jesus says next:
(VERSES 12-13) “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Luke 16:16-17 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.”
According to Luke, John marked the end of the Old Testament prophets concerning the coming kingdom.
After John the kingdom arrived.
And then people tried to force their way into it.
HOW DID THEY DO THAT?
While Luke didn’t specifically say, he did imply it.
“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.”
Luke indicates that people were trying to force their way in
By nullifying the word of God.
They were in effect, trying to lower God’s demanded standard of righteousness.
And we know this is true.
We learned in the Sermon on the Mount
How men had made all of God’s Laws external.
They didn’t murder or commit adultery, but they did hate and lust.
Furthermore all of their righteousness was merely external for show,
Including their giving, fasting, and praying.
They were trying to lower God’s standard low enough
To where they could enter.
This is what Jesus meant by “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”
They try to force their way in through their own means.
So here is the point Jesus is making.
John marked the last Old Testament prophet.
“For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.”
You see up until John the kingdom was always future
And so it was always revealed through prophecy.
But after John, the kingdom arrived
And there was no longer need for prophecy.
Now there was a need for a decision.
In short people had been told for years that the kingdom was coming
And that they should be ready for it.
Now it was here and they had to choose whether or not they would enter.
The tragedy is instead entering according to God’s righteous standard,
By faith in the Messiah.
They were instead trying to manipulate and malign the divine standard
And force their way in.
That means the kingdom was here, but men were not entering in.
WHY?
Because while they were enamored with John,
They did not do what he said.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT JOHN SAID?
John 3:31-36 “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. “What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. “He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
John told the people to believe in the Son.
John told the people to obey the Son.
This was the way to enter the kingdom.
Forsake all and follow Jesus.
But instead of doing that, the people tried to force their own way in.
In other words, they didn’t accept the kingdom
Because they didn’t accept what John said about it.
And there is the crux of Jesus mini-sermon.
You are enamored with John and are certain he is a prophet,
But you have yet to do what he said.
Matthew 21:23-27 “When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. “The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Luke 7:30 “But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.”
John 3:32 “What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.”
Jesus point has become clear.
You know John is a prophet, but you have yet to do what He said.
Acts 19:4 “Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
JESUS IS SAYING
If you will open your eyes and see who John is,
Then it will be obvious to you who I am.
That is why Jesus says what He does next:
(VERSES 14-15) “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And there is the question.
Are you willing to see that John was more than a prophet?
Then are you willing to see the One that came after Him?
Do you realize who that makes Me?
What are you going to do with Me?
And for the first time Jesus has revealed who He is.
SO WHAT IS THE POINT FOR US?
The same as it was for them.
DO YOU GET IT?
JESUS IS THE KING
And please understand that is not just some empty title.
If He is King then He must be submitted to.
You must let go of your life and serve Him.
You must let go of your life and follow Him.
And if He is the King then you must bow to Him and serve Him.
There is no room for lip service…
There is no room for half-hearted religion…
There is no room for part-time commitment…
You see, there are many who want to enter,
But they try to manipulate the standard.
Oh, I can enter and keep my wealth…
Oh, I can enter and keep my safety…
Oh, I can enter without ever telling anyone about Christ…
Well it is true that none of those things can earn your entrance,
But let me assure you it is impossible to follow Jesus
And not do at least some of them.
I have read the Scriptures over and over,
And I have yet to find a true disciple
That Jesus allowed to keep his old way of life.
And yet many today still try.
Thinking they can substitute a little church attendance
For true devotion to Christ.
It will never work!
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”
Luke 13:22-30 “And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘ Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘ I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”
You must fully surrender to Jesus.
You see Jesus had been preaching in this town,
No doubt He had told them all about the cost of the kingdom.
But the only thing left for them was to determine
If Jesus knew what He was talking about.
Was He for real?
That is why He said:
“If you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.”
The question for you and I today is “are you willing to accept it”?
Are you willing to accept that Jesus is King?
Are you willing to accept that He is the only Savior?
Are you willing to accept that His truth is truth?
Are you willing to accept His terms and conditions?
Are you willing to leave all and follow Him?
That is the decision we are each faced with,
That is the truth about John.
He was a good man, you could follow no better,
But if you haven’t trusted in the One John pointed to,
Then he is nothing more than the prophet you have yet to obey.
Don’t just recognize who John is, do what He said.
John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
