Matthew 4: 17 (NIV) From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Matthew 11:2-6 (NRSV) 2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his* disciples 3and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ 4Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the 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. 6And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’
For Jesus, the kingdom of God was the activity of God saving people from their sins and re-ordering their life after God’s will. The Kingdom of God was His belief that in and through His life the Kingdom of God had invaded the kingdoms of this world. And this is where doubt can begin, as it did for John the Baptist. As he sat in a Roman prison, he did not see Herod’s self-will broken. He did not see peace being restored, hope given, love replacing hate, and saw only the ugliness of corruption surrounding him. If Jesus is the long awaited king, why does Herod still occupy his palace and I this prison? Where is the proof of God’s power, the demonstration of God’s rule?
Jesus response is a double edged response. Jesus is saying Isaiah’s prophecy is being fulfilled, and He is saying that John does not see the whole picture from his prison cell. Power is being unleashed. There is evidence of the kingdom, but not the proof John wanted. Not every blind person was receiving sight, not all the dead were being raised, not all the poor were finding hope. Blessed is he who can accept the evidence offered. Blessed is he who can sort out the conflicting proofs and come to believe that the Kingdom of God is here.
Life may be experienced as “heaven on earth,” and it can just as easily shift and feel like hell on earth. And to those experiencing hell, the shouts of praise of those experiencing the heaven can be horribly hurtful and offensive. Jesus knows it, and He says, “Blessed is he who takes no offense at me.” Blessed are you, John, if you do not judge from your own experience in prison that the Kingdom of God has not come. Blessed are you if you can choose to believe the evidence presented. Though it does not release you from your prison cell, it will set you free from darkness, disappointment, disillusionment, and doubt.
We do not make the decision in the dark, but in the light of what we know about Jesus. We decide on the basis of what we see in Him. He demands that He has first place in our life, but the demand comes from One who has given us first place in His. He calls us to turn from whatever doubts have darkened our minds, whatever disappointments and disillusionments have hardened our hearts, whatever promises and enticements have led us away. Turn and look to Him.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope January 29, 1989
copyright Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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