Sermon - December 11, 2016
SCRIPTURE TEXT: MATTHEW 11:2-11
2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah* was doing, he sent word by his* disciples 3and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ 4Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers* are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8What then did you go out to see? Someone* dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9What then did you go out to see? A prophet?* Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.”
11Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Last week I stated clearly that the words from Matthew 3 could be hard to bear. Hearing the spiritual requirement of faithfulness in the face of labelled-sin, while easy to read on paper, is hard to form into a practice that meaningfully sticks with us long term.
Now the Baptizer’s story comes to its yearly end. A Roman prison has taken the place of the sacred waters of the Jordan. Adulation, humility, and worship, strange theological bedfellows for sure, now become separation and despair. In the face of these emotions, John sends his few remaining disciples to inquire of the man he was hesitant to baptize in the Jordan about the nature of that individual- is Jesus is the Messiah?
I marvel at this request- and not for the reason many think. This is not just a moment of bold faith as these John’s disciples petition Jesus to speak about His true divine identity. John, who 8 chapters ago would not baptize Jesus out of humility and recognition of who He is and that He is sent by God in heaven, has forgotten that moment? Doubtful. But let’s get back to the story at hand…
John’s disciples clearly petition Jesus, as countless others will do, for an answer to the question my title suggests. Pharisees and Sadducees, would-be disciples as well, will join generations wondering who Jesus is and asking for one more sign to signal His Messiahship.
Surprisingly Jesus offers quite a clear response to those disciples John sent. He speaks of miracles, of a leprous communal reunion, of resurrection, and offers those questioning Him a blessing not an introspective answer. John’s disciples find clarity from the One who tells us, essentially, at every other turn, to figure it out for yourselves asking us in reverse. “Who do you say that I am?”
First it was hard to bear, now I wonder, as I think John did, who am I, really? Am I a disciple? Then why do I feel this way?
All the empirical data sits before me. I have seen Him, and yet, I wonder who He is? Should not a disciple be one unflappable in faith, strong in character, and articulate in speech able to defeat any opponent in debate proving how superiority is possible because we believe in the God we cannot see?
No, a disciple must be one who is still learning.
Move 1- Lived & experienced
When I first begin to think about John, and his story from Matthew 11, it is important to note where the story takes place in timeline of John’s life as we think about discipleship as “continual learning.”
Cross referencing our text for today with Luke 3 and Matthew 14 and we know John, after baptizing Jesus, was arrested by Herod the tetrarch for speaking out against Herod’s love of his brother’s wife, Herodias. John condemned the relationship openly.
Young Herodias then dances before the king and his court, pleasing them much, as Matthew 14:5 says. An oath is sworn to the girl to grant her whatever she desires from the king. Her mother, remembering John’s condemnation of this relationship, tells her to ask for John’s head on a silver platter- punishment for speaking out against the relationship. It is given to her.
Through the dark ordeal which would lead John to send his disciples to Jesus for a word of encouragement, a word that John’s ordained task is coming to completion, comes the first point when trying to answer the question: Who am I? Am I a disciple?
Discipleship has to be lived and experienced by the person.
The prison time, like the time in those sacred waters, and even the moment where his death was imminent, would be lived experiences where John’s discipleship was practiced; places where he could grow in his faith and demonstrate what it looks like to be faithful to God knowing the outcome is not always positive.
For instance, the disciples with the crowds pushing up against them, and all the fame that came with following Jesus, would be meaningless unless they could go to the garden that final time and be with Jesus and learn what both experiences meant to them.
Discipleship must be lived out in the daily places of life- good or bad. It does not just happen.
Move 2- together
A second part of John’s story that needs to be heard is that: we get there together. Now John was alone much of his life. Certainly, when he stood in the waters of the Jordan people were crowding around him in anticipation, but at home, in prayer, now in jail, John is alone with His Lord.
As such the Baptizer will need the community’s gifts, their intentional presence, to sustain him. He will need them to report on what they see from Jesus. Likely he will want to know every detail of the encounter where Jesus is asked if He is the Messiah- much like we do or would.
Who am I? Am I a disciple? That answer does not come only when you are alone with the Lord but it comes before the community as they hear your struggles and joys and then speak back to you the messages of hope that you will need to hear. Who am I that you listen to me, that you are present with me in the dark prison (however you define prison), that you do not forsake me?
It is dark where John is in every conceivable fashion. There is no light and little hope of release. So, the community who seeks Jesus, and gains the answer, will then return to John and, as Jesus tells them to do. They will tell John about the dead being raised, the sick being healed, the eyes being opened. In that way, the joy of the Lord will boost John’s heavy heart.
First it is lived and experienced. Now we do it together; we need each other.
Move 3-
“A true disciple knows that he or she is still learning how to follow Jesus.”[1] A disciple is comfortable with the knowledge that while they are missing some of the details, in faith, they believe because the presence of their community and the support they provide helps fill in the gap. It is part of their growth process.
John may have been chosen by God as the herald in the desert, but he is still capable of learning the deep lessons of faith that comes from intimately knowing God in Jesus Christ.
I think a true disciple’s learning is informed by their lived experience, together, and a willingness to continue onward on a path that can be unknown to us in the moment but still contain God’s presence. And so, John’s story becomes our story as we work to understand becoming disciples who follow Jesus.
We may not be in prison or suffering in a manner as John was, but we do know what it feels like to be alienated from family and friends- and in that way to be alone, shut out from those we value.
We know what it is like to be misunderstood, the pain of it, being devalued by others for what we believe. It too feels like we are in a dark prison separated from God and warmth of his Son’s presence.
We can clearly speak about what it is like to wonder of God why it is that we are struggling at home, in whatever way we define the struggle, big or small, and hope for something better that may not come to fruition this coming week.
Can you still learn? Can you look at God and find a way to articulate an answer for who you understand yourself to be standing before Him?
Conclusion
As Bonhoeffer reminds me often as I try to answer the question, who am I? He says, “Whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine.”[2] I am a disciple and I will follow wherever the path takes me even when I do not know fully where that path goes.
[1] John P. Burgess.
[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison, ed. Eberhard Bethge (New York: Macmillian, 1971), 347-48.
2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah* was doing, he sent word by his* disciples 3and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ 4Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers* are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8What then did you go out to see? Someone* dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9What then did you go out to see? A prophet?* Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.”
11Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Last week I stated clearly that the words from Matthew 3 could be hard to bear. Hearing the spiritual requirement of faithfulness in the face of labelled-sin, while easy to read on paper, is hard to form into a practice that meaningfully sticks with us long term.
Now the Baptizer’s story comes to its yearly end. A Roman prison has taken the place of the sacred waters of the Jordan. Adulation, humility, and worship, strange theological bedfellows for sure, now become separation and despair. In the face of these emotions, John sends his few remaining disciples to inquire of the man he was hesitant to baptize in the Jordan about the nature of that individual- is Jesus is the Messiah?
I marvel at this request- and not for the reason many think. This is not just a moment of bold faith as these John’s disciples petition Jesus to speak about His true divine identity. John, who 8 chapters ago would not baptize Jesus out of humility and recognition of who He is and that He is sent by God in heaven, has forgotten that moment? Doubtful. But let’s get back to the story at hand…
John’s disciples clearly petition Jesus, as countless others will do, for an answer to the question my title suggests. Pharisees and Sadducees, would-be disciples as well, will join generations wondering who Jesus is and asking for one more sign to signal His Messiahship.
Surprisingly Jesus offers quite a clear response to those disciples John sent. He speaks of miracles, of a leprous communal reunion, of resurrection, and offers those questioning Him a blessing not an introspective answer. John’s disciples find clarity from the One who tells us, essentially, at every other turn, to figure it out for yourselves asking us in reverse. “Who do you say that I am?”
First it was hard to bear, now I wonder, as I think John did, who am I, really? Am I a disciple? Then why do I feel this way?
All the empirical data sits before me. I have seen Him, and yet, I wonder who He is? Should not a disciple be one unflappable in faith, strong in character, and articulate in speech able to defeat any opponent in debate proving how superiority is possible because we believe in the God we cannot see?
No, a disciple must be one who is still learning.
Move 1- Lived & experienced
When I first begin to think about John, and his story from Matthew 11, it is important to note where the story takes place in timeline of John’s life as we think about discipleship as “continual learning.”
Cross referencing our text for today with Luke 3 and Matthew 14 and we know John, after baptizing Jesus, was arrested by Herod the tetrarch for speaking out against Herod’s love of his brother’s wife, Herodias. John condemned the relationship openly.
Young Herodias then dances before the king and his court, pleasing them much, as Matthew 14:5 says. An oath is sworn to the girl to grant her whatever she desires from the king. Her mother, remembering John’s condemnation of this relationship, tells her to ask for John’s head on a silver platter- punishment for speaking out against the relationship. It is given to her.
Through the dark ordeal which would lead John to send his disciples to Jesus for a word of encouragement, a word that John’s ordained task is coming to completion, comes the first point when trying to answer the question: Who am I? Am I a disciple?
Discipleship has to be lived and experienced by the person.
The prison time, like the time in those sacred waters, and even the moment where his death was imminent, would be lived experiences where John’s discipleship was practiced; places where he could grow in his faith and demonstrate what it looks like to be faithful to God knowing the outcome is not always positive.
For instance, the disciples with the crowds pushing up against them, and all the fame that came with following Jesus, would be meaningless unless they could go to the garden that final time and be with Jesus and learn what both experiences meant to them.
Discipleship must be lived out in the daily places of life- good or bad. It does not just happen.
Move 2- together
A second part of John’s story that needs to be heard is that: we get there together. Now John was alone much of his life. Certainly, when he stood in the waters of the Jordan people were crowding around him in anticipation, but at home, in prayer, now in jail, John is alone with His Lord.
As such the Baptizer will need the community’s gifts, their intentional presence, to sustain him. He will need them to report on what they see from Jesus. Likely he will want to know every detail of the encounter where Jesus is asked if He is the Messiah- much like we do or would.
Who am I? Am I a disciple? That answer does not come only when you are alone with the Lord but it comes before the community as they hear your struggles and joys and then speak back to you the messages of hope that you will need to hear. Who am I that you listen to me, that you are present with me in the dark prison (however you define prison), that you do not forsake me?
It is dark where John is in every conceivable fashion. There is no light and little hope of release. So, the community who seeks Jesus, and gains the answer, will then return to John and, as Jesus tells them to do. They will tell John about the dead being raised, the sick being healed, the eyes being opened. In that way, the joy of the Lord will boost John’s heavy heart.
First it is lived and experienced. Now we do it together; we need each other.
Move 3-
“A true disciple knows that he or she is still learning how to follow Jesus.”[1] A disciple is comfortable with the knowledge that while they are missing some of the details, in faith, they believe because the presence of their community and the support they provide helps fill in the gap. It is part of their growth process.
John may have been chosen by God as the herald in the desert, but he is still capable of learning the deep lessons of faith that comes from intimately knowing God in Jesus Christ.
I think a true disciple’s learning is informed by their lived experience, together, and a willingness to continue onward on a path that can be unknown to us in the moment but still contain God’s presence. And so, John’s story becomes our story as we work to understand becoming disciples who follow Jesus.
We may not be in prison or suffering in a manner as John was, but we do know what it feels like to be alienated from family and friends- and in that way to be alone, shut out from those we value.
We know what it is like to be misunderstood, the pain of it, being devalued by others for what we believe. It too feels like we are in a dark prison separated from God and warmth of his Son’s presence.
We can clearly speak about what it is like to wonder of God why it is that we are struggling at home, in whatever way we define the struggle, big or small, and hope for something better that may not come to fruition this coming week.
Can you still learn? Can you look at God and find a way to articulate an answer for who you understand yourself to be standing before Him?
Conclusion
As Bonhoeffer reminds me often as I try to answer the question, who am I? He says, “Whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine.”[2] I am a disciple and I will follow wherever the path takes me even when I do not know fully where that path goes.
[1] John P. Burgess.
[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison, ed. Eberhard Bethge (New York: Macmillian, 1971), 347-48.
