18 John’s followers told him about all these things. He called for two of his followers 19 and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the One who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?”
20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you with this question: ‘Are you the One who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?’”
21 At that time, Jesus healed many people of their sicknesses, diseases, and evil spirits, and he gave sight to many blind people. 22 Then Jesus answered John’s followers, “Go tell John what you saw and heard here. The blind can see, the crippled can walk, and people with skin diseases are healed. The deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. 23 Those who do not stumble in their faith because of me are blessed!”
24 When John’s followers left, Jesus began talking to the people about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed blown by the wind? 25 What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, people who have fine clothes and much wealth live in kings’ palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, and I tell you, John is more than a prophet. 27 This was written about him:
‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare the way for you.’
28 I tell you, John is greater than any other person ever born, but even the least important person in the kingdom of God is greater than John.”
29 (When the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they all agreed that God’s teaching was good, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and experts on the law refused to accept God’s plan for themselves; they did not let John baptize them.)
31 Then Jesus said, “What shall I say about the people of this time? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace, calling to one another and saying,
‘We played music for you, but you did not dance;
we sang a sad song, but you did not cry.’
33 John the Baptist came and did not eat bread or drink wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon in him.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine, and he is a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 But wisdom is proved to be right by what it does.”
Read Luke 7:18-35 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
In Jesus’ ministry, He helped a lot of people. He healed hundreds, if not thousands, He taught and preached to tens of thousands of people, and He launched a movement that in many ways has connected with billions of people.
But Jesus makes an interesting and perplexing statement while talking about John the Baptist. When finishing describing the message John’s followers should take back to him, Jesus says, “Those who do not stumble in their faith because of me are blessed!” (v. 23)
After all that Jesus did to help people, why might He have made this statement?
In some ways, John’s faith in Jesus was wavering; his question for Jesus is filled with doubt. On one level, John is asking Jesus, “Are you going to set up your kingdom already, or have you given up on that idea? Are you going to come and help your cousin who is in prison?”
Of all the people Jesus would/could help, we might think He would make an extra effort to help His cousin and forerunner in ministry, John the Baptist. But Jesus had something bigger in mind, and working to free John the Baptist would not benefit this larger mission.
This also tells us that sometimes God will work in a way that does not make sense to us. God’s perspective is different. But even if God does not send the type of help or encouragement we would want Him to send, we can still trust that He loves us and that in His bigger mission, we are loved for, cared, and that we will be saved for eternity.
Those who stumble in their faith because of Jesus are too focused in on the details of what Jesus didn’t do right for them. Focusing on the immediate answers will always cause people to stumble. Instead, Jesus called John the Baptist – and all of us as His followers – to look at life from a bigger, eternity perspective, because God’s decisions only really make sense with eternity in mind.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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