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by Sandy Shaw
Matthew Chapter 11 could be called reactions to the ministry of Jesus, and this is a characteristic in Matthew’s Gospel. There are three reactions to the ministry of Jesus and these works of power.
In verses 1 to 14 we see a degree of honest doubt.
Verses 16 to 19 reveal a spirit of criticism.
In verses 20 to 24, we come across a spirit or attitude of apathy to the ministry of Jesus.
Doubt grew in the heart and mind of John the Baptist.
Have I been mistaken after all? Have I got it all wrong, and should I be acknowledging that I have made a mistake? Should we be looking for someone else?
Would you not be upset if people came and asked you this type of question?
Are you really the one we have been looking for and waiting for? John had declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. John’s work was over and he was about to be beheaded. Was John not disappointed with Jesus performance? Only a man in despair would have asked such a question.
Circumstances have so changed. John had drawn people from all over the land, even from the establishment. John had become a national leader, but not so Jesus, as John observed.
They would not dance to Jesus tune, and they would not mourn as a result of John, and both men died violent deaths.
“Go back and report to John.” Do read the record of what actually took place and what was actually said. We are seeking to study the Bible. Our aim is to arrive at the truth which God is revealing.
Doubt is not the same thing as unbelief. Unbelief is an act of the will when a man refuses to believe in and trust and obey Jesus Christ.
Doubt can be asking questions or voicing uncertainties, and it may well be from the standpoint of faith. Doubt can be a point of real growth when confessed and thought through. Doubt is very different from scepticism.
Faith and doubt at times can sometimes go together.
John was in the middle of the most distressing circumstances, and that can cause doubt to arise.
Did John think tyrants like Herod would be swept away? But Jesus did not come to be a political Messiah. John had an inadequate understanding, and many doubt because they have a misunderstanding of what is involved in being a disciple, thinking that all the struggles will have gone and all the obstacles will have disappeared.
John’s idea of the kingdom of God appears to be more political than spiritual.
Did John think Jesus was going to follow his type of ministry? Did John think national revival was going to break out now? Many of us have thought that!
How did Jesus deal with John’s doubt? Read on. We will deal with that next time.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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