John was in
a crisis of faith. He had proclaimed a Messiah who would bring judgment and fire,
purifying Israel and ushering in God’s new age. Now he was in prison, probably
facing execution. His timeline was getting shorter and shorter and he wanted to
know when Jesus was going to get busy with the fire.
“Go tell John
what you see and hear: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the good news is
proclaimed to the poor,” Jesus says in reply to John’s doubts. It’s Jesus’ way
of saying, “You’re reading the wrong prophets. Go back and read Isaiah.” Isaiah’s
vision of the Messiah is a vision of one who brings healing and wholeness, it
is of a Messiah who acts as God’s beloved servant, a servant who ultimately
suffers for the people (cf. Isaiah 53).
So, the
Baptizer’s expectations of Jesus were wrong.
Fast
forward to our day. These kinds of days can provoke a crisis of faith for us. “Where
is God in all this mess?” we ask. We expect a Messiah who will bring healing
and wholeness, and yet here we are locked in our houses for fear of a sickness.
When Luke tells this same story, he includes this line, “At that very time
Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight
to many who were blind” (Luke 7:21). Man, would we like to see that!
So, we seem
to have the right expectations—healing not judgment—but we can be every bit as disappointed
as John. What gives?
The ministry
of miracles that Jesus did were signs of the reign of God; they weren’t
the fullness of the reign of God. Jesus struggled with this misunderstanding throughout
His ministry. For example, in John 6, following the miraculous feeding of the
5,000, the crowds that pursued Jesus were more interested in full bellies than
anything else. “You were only looking for me because you ate your fill,” Jesus says.
(John 6:26).
The
fullness of the reign of God wasn’t made known until Jesus hung on the cross.
It’s on Good Friday that Jesus wears a purple robe (put on him in mockery) and
a crown (of thorns) and a scepter (in fact, just a walking staff). It’s on Good
Friday that He is declared Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. The healing
that He brings is not just of the ailments of the body; the healing He brings
is a healing of the whole person, starting by making us right with God by His
atoning death and extending to the resurrection on the last day, when death,
the last enemy, will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26).
So, we need
to keep our expectations of Jesus the Messiah firmly focused on the cross. John
wasn’t completely wrong, but he failed to see that the harshest judgment would fall
on Jesus the Messiah for our forgiveness. We aren’t completely wrong when we
pray for and expect healing, but we fail to see that the deepest healing is
ours already. There’s so much more to say, but let it suffice to say, when we
are focused on the cross of Jesus and His resurrection, then we know the truth
of Jesus’ saying, “Come to me you who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
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