Matthew 11:2-6

Matthew 11:2-6

When John [the Baptist] heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 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. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”

This story about John the Baptist has always intrigued me, for a couple of reasons. Number one; why would John the Baptist send his disciples out to see if Jesus was the real deal? Wasn’t John the one who, in his earlier ministry, had announced that Jesus was the Lamb of God saying that had proof, declaring that he had seen the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Jesus. (John1:32)

So, why the questions? 

Maybe it was because in prison John had a lot of time to think—apparently too much time, because for the first time in his mission, he was beginning to doubt. 

After all, it says in Isaiah 42 that “[Jesus was sent] to open eyes that [were] blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who [sat] in darkness.” 

So where was John’s get-out-of-jail-free card?

Throughout his lifetime, John had faithfully followed the mission he’d been given. He’d come as the “voice of one calling in the desert, preparing the way for the Lord.” He had been a true soldier of the faith. For heaven’s sake, the guy had lived in the wilderness, worn clothes made of camel’s hair and eaten locusts for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

 

Didn’t he deserve a break? 

Apparently not, because rather than being rewarded for his work, John got thrown into jail—just because he told the truth; declaring that King Herod was an adulterer for taking his brother, Philip’s, wife. 

For that he was placed in prison. 

And maybe it was this very verse in Isaiah that John kept ruminating on. Maybe it was shaking him to the core, and now he needed to know that everything he’d declared about Jesus was 100% true.

Here comes the second intriguing part of the story—a key verse in Matthew Eleven that gives a glimpse into what John was really struggling with. 

“Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” (Matthew 11:6)

 Jesus gives John’s followers all kinds of examples of what he was doing; healing the blind, making the lame walk, curing leprosy, even raising the dead. But it’s that little verse tucked in at the end of the story that reveals the truth; 

“Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”

Have you ever been tempted to give up on God, to give up on faith and hope, to abandon the truth of God’s Word?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s easy to follow God when you’re on the mountain top. It’s in the valley that things get a little rough. So it gives me hope that John the Baptist struggled, too.  

In those valleys, God can seem far off, like He’s abandoned you. But just as Jesus had a special promise for John, it’s one for us, too. 

Even when we walk through those dark valleys, if we don’t fall away “on account of him”, we are truly blessed. Don’t fall away because you’re figuratively experiencing some “prison time.” Be blessed. Live the blessed life. Stand firm and strong in the truth and know that one day you will be released from your prison, (whatever it may be) too. Hang in there, dear ones. Hang in there.