Jesus and John the Baptist

Luke 7:18-35

Key Verse 7:28

"I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

Today we would like to think about the blessedness of the work of the blessed kingdom through the blessed team-work between the blessed Lord Jesus Christ and the blessed Prophet John the Baptist. The Bible shows that running through human history, in each generation, are two streams: the stream of curses and the stream of blessings. These two streams are represented by the two kingdoms: the kingdom of the evil one and the kingdom of God. More than two thousand years ago, in order to build God's kingdom in men, God raised two powerful servants: John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. In Luke's gospel we already saw how the Lord God sent John as the forerunner of Jesus. Then according to God's time schedule, John's ministry was about to end, and Jesus' ministry began to take off powerfully. The passage for today describes the blessed teachings Jesus gave at this juncture of God's redemptive history. 

The passage for today teaches us how the blessed work of God takes place in a man, and if indeed it does take place in a man, how blessed is that person going to be, and why.

First, go back and report to John (18-23)

At that time, because John the Baptist rebuked King Herod for his sexual immorality, Mr. Herod got upset, and put John in prison. Life in prison was not as comfortable, as it is for a man in a hotel. Nowadays even in a prison cell, inmates are given a lot of privileges such as the privilege to watch TV (particularly religious programs) where you can figure out what's going on outside. But in those days they did not have any TV's or telephones. So, John was in the dark. 

The only connection he had with the outside world was his disciples. Look at verse 18a. "John's disciples told him about all these things." Here all these things refer to the work Jesus was doing plus something more. I think this something more consisted of what came out of the minds of John's disciples. For example, it is very likely that they added their own opinions on Jesus, which tended to cast doubt on Jesus as the promised Messiah. Their negative opinions on Jesus might have been based on such factors as Jesus and his disciples not practicing the strict rule of fasting (such as fasting twice a week like once on Tuesday, and also on Thursday) or Jesus not wielding an ax to cut down every tree which does not bear the fruit of repentance. In Luke 3:9 we see John preaching the message of judgment through the coming Messiah saying, "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." But Jesus did not get rid of evil trees like King Herod. Plus, Jesus did not even visit John in prison. It seemed that Jesus and his disciples were having just a fun time, while their master John was having a terrible time! They thought that some thing was fundamentally wrong with Jesus. In this way, they might have cast doubts in the mind of John. 

So what did John do? Look at verses 18b-19. "Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"" John was a spiritual person. In times of doubt, he brought questions to the Savior. In hard times, especially in tempting moments, he did not allow the devil to turn himself "away from" the Savior, but he brought himself "close to" the Savior. Jesus also set the same example. Each time the devil kept whispering into his ears the thoughts of doubts, Jesus kept coming close to the Father in prayer. For example as one of his beloved disciples betrayed him, and was leading a group of gunmen to arrest Jesus, Jesus went to the Mt. of Gethsemane. There Jesus knelt down before God and prayed to the Lord. And he prayed until his sweat turned into blood. And he prayed until he could pray to God, "Father, not my will, but your will be done." In this way each time we bring our troubles to the Lord in prayer, the Lord always blesses our troubled hearts. The same thing took place with John. 

How did the Lord bless John? Look at verses 21-22. "At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." Here the Lord Jesus blessed John by showing him the blessed work Jesus came to fulfill in the life of everyone who puts trust in Him. 

Jesus' work is blessed in that it removes every trace of the curses that made their way into the lives of fallen men: diseases, sicknesses, evil spirits, and blindness. Think about the four categories: diseases, sicknesses, evil spirits, and then blindness. Your body, mind, soul, spirit are all sick. Your entire person is unsound. Plus, you are blind, not just physically but spiritually. You walk in broad daylight, but still your spiritual eyes remain blind, so that you do not know what to do or where to go. 

But Jesus came to bless them. Indeed he did a blessed work on all who came to him by faith! Then what happened to them? The blind received sight, the lame walked, those who had leprosy were cured, the deaf heard, and the dead were raised. Most importantly the poor heard the good news of the kingdom of God! 

Let us step back for a moment and take a look at the nature of the blessed work Jesus came to fulfill. As we look at the works Jesus fulfilled, we can quickly recognize that Jesus worked on man's person, not on man's possessions. Jesus came to fix men, so men would fix the environment. As Jesus fixes man, man can function properly. The desktop at my office did not work properly. But Missionary Paul Koh reformatted it with new software. Now, it works properly. Likewise, Jesus came to fix man to function as the crown of creation. In Genesis 1:28, after making man in His image, God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number..." 

Who then can experience this blessed work arising in him? Look at verse 23. "Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." The Living Bible reads in this part, "Blessed is the one who does not lose faith in me." Notice that Jesus did not say, “Bless is the one who keeps faith in me”, rather Jesus says, “Blessed is the one who does not lose faith in me.”  You cannot lose what you do not have.  Here, Jesus talks about you not ‘losing’ your faith after you’ve already chosen to live by faith.  Faith is an acronym for "Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him." Here the word "adventure" involves the spirit of “risk taking". It requires a "daring spirit", the spirit that still is betting one's life on Jesus even when things around him fall apart. I cannot tell exactly what is going on with you. But no matter what happens to you, I would like to encourage everyone of you to remember this line: "Blessed is the man who does not lose faith in me, no matter what is going on in your life." Then, as you keep trusting in Him, and learn to turn your life fully to the Lord, and thereby fully open yourself to the Lord, the Lord eventually fulfills all the blessed work he has in mind. In the case of John the Baptist, he did not have any health problems. Of course, sooner or later, he was going to be beheaded. To human eyes, it is a tragedy of tragedies. But to God's eyes, it is a great blessing. It is the quickest way to check into God's kingdom. Do you remember one of the scenes in the drama entitled "The Catacombs" presented by Jonathan and Charles? In the drama, two Christians were beheaded. They suffered martyrdom. But my point is not that all of you suffer martyrdom. Rather my point is that God thoroughly blesses those who put trust in the Lord, no matter what.

Second, the greatness of John the Baptist (24-28a)

God's blessed work took place through the beautiful team work between John and Jesus Christ. God's work is never a one-man show. It always requires God and men working together. In the day of Jesus, the beautiful work between John and Jesus gave rise to the powerful work of God in Israel. 

Because John was in prison, however, many people did not know John’s true greatness. In their ignorance, some of them might even have thought that John was a criminal rebelling against government authorities. In order to enlighten them, Jesus spoke highly of John the Baptist. Look at verses 24-28a. "After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what 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: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John..." Here Jesus says that John is a truly great man. How so? In what respect is he so great? The passage we have just read indicates that he is a truly great man because he lived [and of course died] for a truly great mission. What was his mission? His mission was to live as "Jesus' messenger" whom God sent ahead of Jesus Christ. And God sent him to prepare the way for Jesus to come to the people of this world.

It is a great mission that makes a man truly great. Like all of us, John is merely a human being. And all humans are equal before God. But what made John stands above the multitude of people was the call for him to live as a messenger of the Great Savior Jesus Christ, and he fit his lifestyle to the glorious task for the glorious Savior. Shepherd Jay Irwin prays to go and pioneer the Latin American countries, especially Ecuador. Like all of us, he is just a regular guy. But if he fits his lifestyle to the great task of pioneering the Latin American college campuses, God will make him truly great. And no life is more meaningful (and blessed) than the life that lives and even dies for the name's sake of Jesus Christ, the Blessed King of the universe.

Third, yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he (28b)

The next reason, which by the way is the most important one, why the life in the Lord is the most blessed is found in the words Jesus added at the end of his message to the crowd standing around him. Look at verse 28b. "Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." The point here is that the true reason why one is truly blessed or cursed, is not so much because of what he is doing or not doing, where he is living, or how many blessings or curses he is under, but because with whom he is related, and if he is related with the one, how closely he is related. The deal is this: it is in the context of the relationships that God allows either curses or blessings come to arrive at you and shape your life. 

And here is the mystery of all mysteries: Jesus Christ is the only person who is thoroughly blessed, and blessed all the time. In fact he is the source of all blessings. And his name is The Unlimited Blessing. He desires to bless his people as much as they can bear. In one of the daily passages we covered lately, we came across one verse which supports the point I am making: Isaiah 62:11 which reads, "The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.'" In this verse as we see the expression "the Daughter of Zion" immediately one question arises in mind: "Why daughter? Why not a son? Why not just people? Why of Zion? Why the repetitions of the word "see"? Why the Savior? Why the Savior whose reward is with him? Why the repetition of the reward and then recompense? [Recompense means refund, payment, or simply reward.] When we study the Bible prayerfully it is not difficult to see that God chooses the words according to their functions. For example, daughter refers to a woman who is to be married with a husband. The Savior refers to Jesus Christ. He is the husband or the bridegroom as John 3:29 says, "The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete." 

God is the Father. Zion refers to Jerusalem where the temple of the Lord is sitting. And the temple is the place where God chose to establish his presence among the people. Now, by the Daughter of Zion the Lord God the Father of all means all whom he desires to be in a marriage relationship with Jesus Christ, his Son, the ultimate bridegroom. Supporting this truth, the Bible calls the members of the church of Jesus as the Bride. (John 3:29; Rev 18:23; 19:7; 21:2,9) Then in 2 Corinthians 11:2 the Apostle Paul says, "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him." 

Yesterday Rebekah told me that nowadays only daughters keep coming out of the married couples in this ministry. My daughter Becky gave birth to a granddaughter. Soon Missionary Blessing is going to have a daughter. And about five or six daughters are lined up for landing. Remember then that Missionary Philip has three daughters. And as a father I am pretty sure what is going on in his mind: every once in a while he thinks about the future husband of his daughter Eunice. Is the guy going to be gentle? Is he going to be smart, intelligent, handsome, capable enough to make enough money to support his wife, and most importantly is he going to be righteous? All these questions will come to the mind of any father who has a daughter. The same is true with our Heavenly Father! Knowing how poor we have all gone, he then sent Jesus Christ. Expecting that all of his children would receive Jesus Christ, and live under his blessings, even before 8 centuries before the Christ, he established a servant like Isaiah and proclaimed (say Proclaim!) the coming of the Savior! 

The point here is however not marriage. Marriage is merely a tool. It is a vessel, in which, God can pour out, all the blessings he has in mind. The real point is Jesus Christ, and it is through the union with Him that one can enjoy not just bits and pieces of the blessings but take possession of the source of the blessings himself. Speaking of this blessed truth, Jesus says to the people around him, "the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John!" John represented himself as the friend of the bridegroom. But Jesus calls all who come to him in repentance and love for Him, as the Bride. And the Bride and the Groom, when they are joined together in marriage they are no longer two but one. 

Fourth, they heard Jesus' words and acknowledged that God's way was right (29)

In verse 29, then we see that some of the people in Israel already got into this blessed relationship with Christ. Who are they? Look at verse 29. (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John.) Here, the word "even" deserves our special attention. Even whom? Yes. The tax collectors. The tax collectors were regarded as the dirtiest of all who are dirty. They treated them as dirtier than prostitutes. But even the tax collectors got into this blessed relationship. Consider what happened to Levi, the Tax Collector! This gives us the great hope for all who may think that they are all washed out, that they have no more hope for them.

Fifth, But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves (30)

Another surprising point is found in verse 30. Look at verse 30. "But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John." Here the Pharisees and experts in the law refer to the body of people who categorized themselves as "clean". They were a bunch of clean people. They are so called the self-righteous ones. Why did they reject God's purpose, the purpose to put them in the source of blessings per se? The answer is quite obvious: in their human pride, they thought that they had nothing to repent of. They did not remember that they were rotten sinners. They did not know that on their own they could not save themselves from the power of sin and Satan.

Sixth, to what then can I compare the people of this generation? (31-34)

Unfortunately, however there were tons of people both in Jesus' day and in our own day who heard the message of the good news of God's kingdom, and yet chose to stay out of the relationship with Jesus Christ. And they did so for reasons which are different than the reason that was true with the Pharisees and experts of law. 

Let us read versed 31-34 responsively. In this passage, we see one stumbling block that keeps them from participating in God's blessings. That is, their desire to establish their kingdom here on earth. In the parable, Jesus talks about a marketplace or children remaining unresponsive to one another. One set of children wants this, but the other wants another, so they cannot agree on anything, so they cannot have a fun time together. But all these point to one thing: the desire to build one's own kingdom here in this physical world. Categorically they refer to those who indulge in money and men. To them, their god is money and man. This calls us to wake up from the dire consequences that come out of the materialism and humanism (humanism in the sense of man desiring to build one's own life security with his own abilities, rejoicing in God’s way.)

Seventh, but wisdom is proved right by all her children (35)

But who then is right? Those who live by faith in the Lord or by faith in what they can grab with their bare hands? Look at verse 35. "But wisdom is proved right by all her children." Here, by the wisdom or children of wisdom Jesus refers to those who fear God and live before God. Essentially by the wisdom of children Jesus refers to those who put absolute trust in the Lord, and go by His ways. And it is through the fear of God that we can prove ourselves right.

In conclusion, we learned that Jesus and John the Baptist worked together to build God's kingdom in men. Practically, then, in view of the blessed work Jesus is going to fulfill, daily we must repent and turn our lives over to Jesus Christ. In addition, in order to help people taste the joy of God's kingdom, in the spirit of John the Baptist, we must work hard to lead people to come to Jesus Christ. 

One word: The blessed work of the blessed kingdom through the blessed co-working between the blessed Savior and the blessed Prophet, John the Baptist