by Bishop Bill Gohl
"Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" – Matthew 11:3b
"Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"
This was a surprising question coming from John.
It’s unclear exactly when John first knew that Jesus was the Son of God, whose way he had come to prepare. I mean, John’s mother, Elizabeth, knew because John announced it to her in utero by leaping when he heard Mary’s voice!
What is clear is that John did know. When Jesus approached him at the Jordan, John couldn’t contain himself: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
This was a surprising question coming from John.
It’s unclear exactly when John first knew that Jesus was the Son of God, whose way he had come to prepare. I mean, John’s mother, Elizabeth, knew because John announced it to her in utero by leaping when he heard Mary’s voice!
What is clear is that John did know. When Jesus approached him at the Jordan, John couldn’t contain himself: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of the end of John’s ministry. Now he sat in Herod’s prison. Prophets who rebuke sinful kings usually don’t have much of a future - John had not been an exception.
What he hadn’t expected was the new prison of doubt about his life, his ministry – and Jesus.
The thought of being executed for the sake of righteousness he could bear. But had he been wrong? His one task was to prepare the way of the Lord. If he had gotten that wrong, his ministry, his life, was in vain.
But even with his doubts, there remained in John a deep, unshakable faith. "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"
And Jesus was compassionate and loving, just as John might have expected. So he invited John’s disciples to sit with him as he healed and delivered many from life-limiting "prisons."
“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." John would recognize in these words that his life had been for something greater, he would have faith and strength for the days he had left.
It was an interesting text to preach in a community of older adults at Augsburg Village on Sunday. In the congregation there were lots of variations on blind, lame, leper, deaf, grieving over death, and poor. Our own bishop emeritus, George Paul Mocko, speaks eloquently, if not bravely, of faith as he continues to lose his own sight as macular degeneration robs this pastor of the church from his beloved reading and writing. His apartment is lined with books which have become a prison of sorts.
Though I am clear that the pink candle on the Advent wreath bit was settled a long time ago and points to former lectionary, I can honestly say that in the midst of my visit to Augsburg, and in the tension of preaching of Jesus', "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," I saw and heard much for which we should rejoice.
Our senior saints do, in fact, experience deep and visceral struggles – many physical and surely some spiritual, just as most of us will at one point or another in our own lives. Perhaps, like John the Baptist, even in our faithfulness we might feel as if we’ve been abandoned.
And still, with compassion, Jesus hears our pleas for help and is patient with our doubts. He does not condemn us.
We may not always know the physical deliverance we hope for and pray over, but in conversation with our friends at Augsburg on Sunday, I know that Jesus’ promise is still real and sufficient; grace is still amazing.
I realized that even in my own sense of evangelical urgency to get around our synod to encourage our ministerium and share good news, sometimes I come up against hard words in difficult contexts.
Still, Jesus is compassionate and merciful, and just as he sent a promise to sustain John’s faith – in Pam, Dick, Lois, Ray, Grace, Joan, Joe, Louise and so many others at Augsburg, my own faith is strengthened, too.
Rejoice, indeed.
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." – Matthew 11:2-11
What he hadn’t expected was the new prison of doubt about his life, his ministry – and Jesus.
The thought of being executed for the sake of righteousness he could bear. But had he been wrong? His one task was to prepare the way of the Lord. If he had gotten that wrong, his ministry, his life, was in vain.
But even with his doubts, there remained in John a deep, unshakable faith. "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"
And Jesus was compassionate and loving, just as John might have expected. So he invited John’s disciples to sit with him as he healed and delivered many from life-limiting "prisons."
“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." John would recognize in these words that his life had been for something greater, he would have faith and strength for the days he had left.
It was an interesting text to preach in a community of older adults at Augsburg Village on Sunday. In the congregation there were lots of variations on blind, lame, leper, deaf, grieving over death, and poor. Our own bishop emeritus, George Paul Mocko, speaks eloquently, if not bravely, of faith as he continues to lose his own sight as macular degeneration robs this pastor of the church from his beloved reading and writing. His apartment is lined with books which have become a prison of sorts.
Though I am clear that the pink candle on the Advent wreath bit was settled a long time ago and points to former lectionary, I can honestly say that in the midst of my visit to Augsburg, and in the tension of preaching of Jesus', "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," I saw and heard much for which we should rejoice.
Our senior saints do, in fact, experience deep and visceral struggles – many physical and surely some spiritual, just as most of us will at one point or another in our own lives. Perhaps, like John the Baptist, even in our faithfulness we might feel as if we’ve been abandoned.
And still, with compassion, Jesus hears our pleas for help and is patient with our doubts. He does not condemn us.
We may not always know the physical deliverance we hope for and pray over, but in conversation with our friends at Augsburg on Sunday, I know that Jesus’ promise is still real and sufficient; grace is still amazing.
I realized that even in my own sense of evangelical urgency to get around our synod to encourage our ministerium and share good news, sometimes I come up against hard words in difficult contexts.
Still, Jesus is compassionate and merciful, and just as he sent a promise to sustain John’s faith – in Pam, Dick, Lois, Ray, Grace, Joan, Joe, Louise and so many others at Augsburg, my own faith is strengthened, too.
Rejoice, indeed.
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." – Matthew 11:2-11