Luke 7:18-35

Questions Are Answered

Have you ever a crisis of faith? Do you have questions that never seemed to be answered? I sure have, and still do at times. Do you feel guilty about your questions? I know there are leaders who try to make people feel guilty about the questions they have concerning God. “You aren’t spiritual enough.” “You don’t trust in God enough.” “Who are you to question God?” When I read Scripture, I find that questions have never been something God is threatened by. He doesn’t accuse the person of non-belief or question their spirituality. He doesn’t say “who do you think you are?” God only called out those who displayed a true lack of belief or those who tried to make excuses for not doing what God was asking of them. Throughout Scripture, we find many people who had questions. We find many who were discouraged, doubted or feared and had a crisis of faith. In these cases, God’s patience and love is on full display.

Here are a few instances that come to mind: Elijah, after the most amazing feat he had ever seen, (God sending fire from heaven) ran away in fear of Jezebel, ending up in a cave, in a crisis of faith. Instead of more fire from heaven, God simply let him sleep, eat and once again showed Elijah who He is. Job, with all the things that happened to him, asked a bunch of questions of God. He wasn’t bitter. he just wanted to understand the why of it all. Instead of rebuffing him with “who do you think you are”, God showed Job who He, God, is. His reminders were gentle and thorough. The Psalms are filled with questions. Here are just a few: Why do the nations rebel and the peoples plot in vain? Psalm 2:1. Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak; heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking; my whole being is shaken with terror. And You, Lord—how long? Psalm 6:2-3. Lord, why do You stand so far away? Why do You hide in times of trouble? Psalm 10:1. How long, Lord? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your anger keep burning like fire? Remember how short my life is. Have You created everyone for nothing? Psalm 89:46-47. Here is one echoed again 1000 years later on a cross: My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning? My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer, by night, yet I have no rest. Psalm 22:1-2.

Moses is another example of a questioner. He stood before a burning bush throwing out question after question while God patiently answered every one of them. He only received a rebuff when he began to make excuses for not doing what God was asking of him. This is important to understand. There is a difference between questions and excuses or scoffing unbelief. Our study of the difference between Zechariah’s and Mary’s questions Is a great example of this. Zechariah questioned God’s ability while Mary questioned how the unimaginable could happen. Zechariah displayed a lack of belief in the One he was standing there serving. He knew better than anyone the things that God was capable of, yet he refused to believe it. Mary, on the other hand, believed God, but found it unfathomable. How could a virgin get pregnant? Good question. In the next few verses we find John the Baptist asking some questions. We know he was a man of great faith. We know he loved God and served him diligently. We know he was the forerunner of the Messiah, Elijah come again. But, just like Elijah, John needed a little reassurance that he was on the right path.

Vs 18-23 Then John’s disciples told him about all these things. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, asking, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?” When the men reached Him, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask You, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?’” At that time Jesus healed many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and He granted sight to many blind people. He replied to them, “Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news. And anyone who is not offended because of Me is blessed.” 

What was John really asking? “God, did I hear you correctly? Is Jesus really the one? Am I headed in the right direction or do I need to look for something else? I just want to be sure.” These were not questions of unbelief. John knew who God called him to be. He understood he was to look for the Messiah. He knew his position was to uplift the One who would come after. He just wanted to make sure he was lifting up the right one. He wanted to make sure he was going in the right direction. His questions were from a heart of genuine authenticity. There have been many times in my life when I have stopped to ask the same thing. Am I really making the right decision here Lord? Did you really call me to do this? Am I hearing you correctly? I just want to make sure I’m going in the right direction.

Jesus’ answer to John’s questions shows us so much about the character of God. He doesn’t rebuff him – “you of all people…” He doesn’t belittle him – “how could you ask that…” Instead, Jesus answers John in a very unique way. He shows him one by one how He, the Messiah, is fulfilling Scripture. “Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news. And anyone who is not offended because of Me is blessed.” John would recognize and understand the meaning of each of these in Scripture. Remember who John’s father is? He was Zechariah the priest. Because of this, John would have been well schooled in Scripture, and so, Jesus’ answers John in a way he would have uniquely understood. He answered him by referring to Scripture that He, Jesus, was fulfilling. Let’s look at each of these. The blind receive their sight, the lame will walk, skin diseases are healed, and the deaf will hear: “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, for water will gush in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;” Isaiah 35:5-6. The dead are raised: “Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For you will be covered with the morning dew, and the earth will bring out the departed spirits,” Isaiah 26:19. The poor are told the good news. And anyone who is not offended because of Me is blessed: “The Spirit of the Lord God is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify Him.” Isaiah 61:1-3. Each of these passages reflect who Jesus, as the Messiah is. They would be the answer for John – yes, He is the One and I am going in the right direction.

We also find that Jesus did not rebuke John for his questions. He was not disappointed in John because he asked the questions. How do we know this? Here is Jesus’ response after the messengers left:

Vs 24-28 After John’s messengers left, He began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft robes? Look, those who are splendidly dressed and live in luxury are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet. This is the one it is written about: Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, he will prepare Your way before You. I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John, but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

There is nothing in the above statements that say John’s questions were not valid, expected or wrong. No, in fact, Jesus speaks highly of John. He gives the crowd the bigger picture of who John is. He accepted John’s questions as valid and knew John was genuinely seeking the truth. Jesus then turns those valid, seeking questions into a teaching for the people. Just who is John? What is his purpose and how does this fit into the scheme of the kingdom of God?

First, Jesus explains that John was not someone who sought his own comfort. He wasn’t dressed in soft robes living in a luxury house or even a inviting abode. No, we find in Mark 1:5-7, “The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. He was preaching: “Someone more powerful than I will come after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of His sandals.” John is a God-pleaser not a man-pleaser. Next, Jesus quotes Malachi 3:1, “See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire—see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts.” John was prophesied in Scripture. He was a great prophet of God. Jesus also gives us a list of John’s qualities: steady and sober – not a reed swaying in the wind; servant and sent – a prophet and more; special and second – no one greater than he, yet still the least is greater. John said of himself: “No one can receive a single thing unless it’s given to him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I’ve been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the groom’s voice. So this joy of mine is complete. He must increase, but I must decrease,” John 3:27-30. He wasn’t a person who sought to be lifted up. He was there to lift up the Messiah. He knew his purpose and calling and wanted to make sure he was fulfilling God’s call in his life.

Vs 29-35  And when all the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they acknowledged God’s way of righteousness, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism. But since the Pharisees and experts in the law had not been baptized by him, they rejected the plan of God for themselves. “To what then should I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to each other: We played the flute for you, but you didn’t dance; we sang a lament, but you didn’t weep! For John the Baptist did not come eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

John is an example for us when we come to those times of questioning. He stayed strong and set his face in the right direction. He wanted to hear from God. He was a person of integrity and never sought his own fame. He gladly decreased so that Christ could increase. Because of this testimony about John, many came to a better understanding and were able to acknowledge God’s work in their own lives. “And when all the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they acknowledged God’s way of righteousness, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism.” That is the really amazing thing to me. When we seek after God, others will start to turn in that direction as well. Have you ever come across someone looking intently at something? What happens? It makes you look too. One day at the grocery store, I saw a group of people looking into the sky and pointing. I couldn’t help it. I had to look up. And there was the most amazing thing – a circle rainbow in the sky as bright and brilliant as could be. When we keep our eyes on the One who is the way, truth and life, others will begin to look that way as well.

At the same time, there were a few people who refused to see what was right in front of them. “But since the Pharisees and experts in the law had not been baptized by him, they rejected the plan of God for themselves.” Here we have an example of the types of questions that are shortsighted and unbelieving. They come with non-seeking doubt from those who “knew” Scripture. They too would have recognized each passage Jesus gave as an answer to John. They would have understood the Malachi reference, yet, they remained blind, refusing to acknowledge the obvious. Their questions are not those from men who wanted to know and understand. They are questions from those who assume they know everything there is to know and they are right. They have no desire to seek. Here we find Jesus’ response to them. They are like children in the marketplace aimlessly calling to one another saying, hey we are playing the flute but you’re not dancing. He’s here and you aren’t excited by the coming of the Messiah. Hey, we are singing a lament, but you refuse to mourn. He’s calling for you to repent, but you refuse to acknowledge your sin before God. Jesus also tells them they can’t make up your minds. They called John a demon because he fasted and dressed strangely and called for repentance. At the same time, they called Jesus a drunkard and glutton because he ate, drank and was a friend of sinners. There was no winning with these guys. Neither John nor Jesus did things the way they did, so they approached the whole thing with critical hearts, looking to find something wrong. The message John and Jesus was giving wasn’t to their liking so they would not be satisfied with either of them. “They just don’t do things right.” “That’s not the way we do things around here.” The Pharisees and scribes thought they should be the ones lifted up as the example for people to follow. They thought they were going in the right direction. They couldn’t conceive that, just maybe, God had another way, so they rejected both.

The last phrase in this passage says it all:  Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” The Greek word for vindicated is dikaioó, which means to declare righteous, to acquit or to justify. So, wisdom is declared righteous by her children. What is meant by “her children.” We see in the book of Proverbs that wisdom is often referred to as a “she”. Proverbs 1:2-21: Wisdom calls out in the street; she raises her voice in the public squares. She cries out above the commotion; she speaks at the entrance of the city gates: Proverbs 3:13-15: Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her revenue is better than gold. She is more precious than jewels; nothing you desire compares with her. This is often contrasted by the evil or loose woman. Proverbs 7:2-5: Keep my commands and live; protect my teachings as the pupil of your eye. Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your relative. She will keep you from a forbidden woman, a stranger with her flattering talk. So, we find Jesus using this to remind people what they needed to seek – that is the wisdom of God. Those who are wise and seek after wisdom will be vindicated and declared righteous, for those who are wise and seek after wisdom, will seek Christ. And those who point to God and set their face in His direction will lead others to do the same.

Questioning is a natural process in the human experience. Part of seeking is asking the questions – Is this right? Are you really who you say you are? Can I trust you? Lord, why? There will always be people or circumstances in life that cause a crisis of faith. It was a grumbling people for Moses, a king after his life for David, a really evil queen for Elijah, Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion for Peter… the examples are endless. The key is, Who do you seek after. If you continue to seek after God, and desire His wisdom in your life, you too will be vindicated and declared righteous. I once again recall Jesus’ sermon on the mount, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you,” Matthew 6:33.