Jesus’ works speak for themselves. Is he the Messiah? The lame walk, the blind see, and the poor get good news: Yes!
What Are You Looking For?
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the 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. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
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? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’
Truly 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.”
~ the Gospel According to Matthew, Chapter 11, verses 2 to 11, from The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. 1989, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. (Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, the Third Sunday in Advent: 11 December 2016)
What do you look for in a church?
When we first came to believe in Jesus Christ, and we had to look for a Christian community to invest in—or we went off to college, or left home, and had to find a new congregation—what were our criteria? Did we look for a place that had people similar to us (which of course meant young and cool)? Did we look for a place where the music was our style? Were we hunting for an “emotionally authentic” worship service? Or maybe important points of doctrine consistent with our beliefs?
When I graduated high school, I chose my university because of the city around it. I was enamored with the nightlife of that urban setting more than I was attracted to the work of a particular professor, or the employment rate of graduates. God of course used the experience to better me, but if I ever have to fork over money to an educational institution in the future, I’m looking for different things.
John asks his disciples to find out if Jesus is the real deal. Is he the one to invest in? His disciples look for a declaration that he is “the one who is coming”—the real Messiah.
Jesus doesn’t give his pedigree. He doesn’t say what he believes about himself. This is not the time for a test of his disciples’ orthodoxy, either. He invites John’s disciples to look at the results. Because—by implication—where God’s saving results are, that’s where the kingdom of heaven is. Just as John was called for a mission, so was Jesus. John wasn’t called to don soft robes; he wasn’t commissioned to do the will of the masses. He was called to announce God’s bright entrance into the world.
Jesus’ works speak for themselves. Is he the Messiah? The lame walk, the blind see, and the poor get good news: Yes!
When we seek to invest in Christ’s disciples and yoke ourselves with them, what do we look for? What did Christ call his followers to do?
Does this congregation worship God faithfully in the name of Jesus Christ? Does it seek to abide by his teachings? Does it love in self-sacrificing ways? Does it behave as if the blessing it has been given is offered to the whole world? Does it want mercy for sin more than sacrifice? Do people enter broken and leave healed?
Shaker of Reeds, Giver of Sight, Host of Good News, help us ask the right questions. Keep us on the lookout for where your name and redemption are coming to life. Make us messengers of that redemption, ready to pray for and seek the healing of a broken world. And give us courage to enter uncomfortable new relationships that will make us more faithful. We ask it for the Spirit and the joy of Jesus Christ!
~ emrys tyler