After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23
John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24
(for John had not yet been put in prison).25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26
And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27
John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28
You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29
The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30
He must increase, but I must decrease.” 31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32
He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33
Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34
For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Friday morning we looked at the life of John the Baptist. But our text does not tell the whole story. There is an episode at the end of John’s life that although not
in this text it seems appropriate to remember. We read this account in Luke 7.
John was in prison, and the man who once had multitudes coming out to hear him, to follow him, now sits all alone, with only armed guards and a few visitors. John
had expectations…he had ideas of what was going to happen when the Messiah came, all the Jews had expectations, but what was Jesus doing? Was He doing what they thought He would do?
John sends some of those loyal to him to ask Jesus, are you the one, or should we expect another…With all John knew, and all that Jesus said about him, still there
is doubt…Jesus tells the disciples of John, tell John what you see, the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have proclaimed to them the gospel.
And then the loving rebuke, “and blessed is he who is not offended in Me.”
There are many times that the best of Christians, the holiest of men look around and wonder…is this it? Is this what it is all about? Is this what Jesus meant? Have
you ever been there? Have you ever wondered if the Lord really knows what He is doing, being that you are faced with all that you are faced with?
Jesus says to John, Jesus says to you and me: are you offended at my ways? Are you offended at the plan of the Messiah for you?…Are you? Are you offended at the story
the Lord is writing for you as He brings his will to pass? Are you offended at what Jesus is doing right now, in your life? It
is easy to find ourselves in the prison of our own circumstances and trials as we wonder, ‘what is the Lord doing’. And it is easy to relate to John for we all struggle with doubts of various kinds and degrees. In fact, in some ways John serves as a picture
of every Christian man or woman at least to some degree or another. Many Christians have been confused, troubled and weakened by doubts just like his. We have hopes and expectations that day in and day out are not met. The Lord doesn’t do for us what we are
so certain is the right and best thing for us.
John thought that the Messiah’s coming would spell catastrophic doom for Rome and those who oppressed the people of God, after all we are talking about the Kingdom
of Messiah. But things weren’t working out that way. Jesus was attracting crowds, but the crowds were not committed to Him, they were fickle and fleeting and the religious establishment stood afar off and plotted against Him. And far from building up any kind
of an army, those who DID come to Jesus, were the poor, the sinful, and outcast and despised of the culture. Not much of a revolutionary, when He identified himself as the friend of sinners!
Ok, blind people could now see, and lame people danced, and those in the oppression of the day were freed, those are great things, but what about the Kingdom??? And
now, John sits in a prison, you can see why John doubted, nothing was turning out the way he had thought it would!
Let’s be honest, what is it that tests our faith more than anything else? What is it that tries us and makes us shake our heads in doubt? Is it not precisely that
the Lord Jesus does not do for us and give to us what we expect that he would and should, given His power, rule and love for His church, a church to whom we belong?
We wonder, don’t we, at why we don’t see in our own lives and in the lives of those we love, what we want or would expect to see. We look around and have some confusion
and uncertainty even as our brother John did as he sat in that prison no doubt wondering, where is the winnowing fork of judgment?
Well brothers and sisters, the Lord addresses us and addresses our doubt, even as He did John’s. And it is imperative that we listen. For our Savior loves us more
deeply that we can fathom, and he understands our weakness and that includes our doubt. But He does not intend for us to stay in that, to wallow in it, or even to give it prominence. Jesus’ sympathy for us is not weakening, but he turns our heads to hear
His voice that we might be taught of Him and see correctly.
No matter what is going on in your life, no matter what prison you find yourself sitting in, this is in fact, what Holy Scripture has told you that you are to expect.
The Lord Jesus has told us that He is to go away on a long journey and that He will return at another time. He has told us that through many tribulations we will inherit the kingdom, but that He is at work…
But if you are going to see you must remember two things this morning: First, Jesus is writing your story and at the heart of it, His purpose is to teach you and
cause you, to trust Him…not yourself, not this world, not what you see…trust Him and His plan, His purpose for you and for our kingdom. Don’t be offended!
Second, All of that, all of His actions, all that he does is pushing you to proclaim with joy, with gladness, “I will decrease and Jesus will increase…” As odd as
it sounds, your peace, your joy, your comfort, increases as YOU decrease, because Jesus IS our peace, our joy and our comfort.
It is about Him, about the One who has loved you and given Himself for you.
Prayer: Father, I know that you have given me each and every day as a gift and that you direct all things that make up my life. Forgive me for doubting that you are
good. Help me not only to embrace the life of “decreasing” but to never be offended at Your gracious work in my life, but rather to know that You are working all things for me and for my salvation, through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Hymn: God Moves in a Mysterious Way