Matthew 11:7-19
New International Version (NIV)
7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to
the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the
wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you
go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes
are in kings’ palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about
whom it is written:
“‘I will send my messenger
ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there
has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the
kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the
Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and
violent people have been raiding it. 13 For all the Prophets and the
Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it,
he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 Whoever has ears, let them
hear.
16 “To what can I compare this generation? They are
like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
17 “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and
they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and
drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2011:%207%20-%2019&version=NIV)
Before I begin writing about this scripture I would
like to preface my words. I have never
been one to interpret correctly the intent of an author or the true meaning of
what they said. I can remember in school
having to answer the question, “In your opinion what does the author mean in
this passage?” It really wasn’t my
opinion because the answer would have been correct if it were but instead I
would be told I was completely wrong regarding the authors intent or motivation
of the passage. As I read this scripture
I began to contemplate what Jesus meant in this passage as it doesn’t quite
seem to make sense to me. As I read and
re-read and prayed that the Lord would show me what He meant, the following thoughts
came to my mind. I tried to verify my
thoughts through explanations in a commentary but did not find the same
explanations. I would urge you to think
about it and pray about it and see what God might be telling you.
When I left off we had just witnessed an encounter
with Jesus and John the Baptist’s disciples.
Now Jesus continues speaking to the crowd regarding John the
Baptist. He mentions how great John is
and how he prepared the way for the Lord.
We read in Luke 1:44 how he
leaped for joy in the womb of his mother Elizabeth when Mary greeted her. He was a prophet but not just any prophet he
was Elijah who was to come. He doesn’t
say he was like Elijah, he says that he was Elijah.
Even though John the Baptist was a great prophet
Jesus says that even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than
he. Now, I began to wonder what He meant
by this, “kingdom of heaven” because He mentions “kingdom of heaven” again in
the next verse. 12 “From the days of John
the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,
and violent people have been raiding it.”
Most
often when we see the words “kingdom of heaven” we think of heaven itself but I
believe that Jesus is speaking of His time here on earth. A portion of heaven came to earth, Elijah went
to heaven in a whirlwind, II Kings 2:
11-12 11
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and
horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to
heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried
out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha
saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=II%20Kings%202:%2011-12&version=NIV) Then in Malachi
4: 5 we see that it is prophesied that he would return.
5
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day
of the LORD comes. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Malachi%204:5&version=NIV)
This is the evidence that I take to say that
Jesus was speaking of the “kingdom of heaven” as the time when He and John were
on this earth. I believe this even more
when He describes it as a time of “forceful men laying hold of it”. A forceful man held John the Baptist in
prison and forceful men took Jesus to the cross. As He continues He speaks of how John the
Baptist was in the desert and people looked down upon him. They called him a demon. Let’s face it, we ourselves may have rolled
our eyes at a man that ate locust and wild honey, wore clothes that were
clearly not in style, and isolated himself in the desert calling men to
repent. They made fun of John the
Baptist and called him a demon because of his peculiar ways. Thus, he was considered the least of all men
in his time here on earth when the Kingdom of Heaven dwelt amongst men. Jesus goes on to say that He Himself was
scrutinized for His ways being called a glutton and a drunkard because He
associated with the tax collectors and the sinners.
Now, the key words for today, the last part of verse 7, “But wisdom is proved right by her actions.” I wonder today how wise we truly are. We see people who have little, who act strangely, who seem to be the “little people” of this day and age. Some of those people claim to be Christians. They walk in our church doors and seem to only want hand-outs. They take our time and our energy and we become frustrated and tired of dealing with them. We see them on the streets, asking for money, holding up signs about their dismay, walking the streets rather than cleaning up and looking for a job. “We can’t solve the world’s problems”, “we can’t help everyone,” we say. “They may just spend the money on more alcohol or on drugs,” “They won’t spend the money wisely,” “Look at where they are” but those words of Jesus come back to me, from Matthew 25:34 – 40, 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply,
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and
sisters of mine, you did for me.’
John the Baptist, someone who Jesus said was greater than any other man born of woman was scrutinized and beheaded. He was considered “least” by men of his day. Jesus, God incarnate, was spat upon, beaten, and crucified. Just as in the days that Jesus spoke those words, we too are like little children who do not always recognize why we are here or who we should be serving. We don’t recognize when He has done something great for us. We don’t see His mighty hand at work in our lives. We don’t’ recognize those who He has placed before us to serve and to help. As you seek Him and find Him may you realize that nothing is as great as knowing Him and nothing is more important than sharing Him with others. Pray for wisdom today so that you may take the right actions in everything you do.
Seeking Him with All my heart,
Sheila
No comments:
Post a Comment