OF WHOM THE WORLD WAS NOT WORTHY (LK 7:18-35)
I had a severe ministerial midlife crisis ten years into full-time ministry. I pondered the meaning, value and effectiveness of what I was doing. My esteem, confidence, and drive were at an all-time low. Church work was wearisome, people disappointed me, and I felt that I was in a rut, a hole, and a crisis. An older pastor agreed to meet with me once a week for a few months so that I could ask him specific questions on the ministry. My first question when we met was, “What is the value of what we do? Why do we do what we do?” He sobbed continuously, tears trickled down his face as he pointed to some photos displayed on his office wall.
The first picture the pastor pointed to was the picture of a baby. He gestured, “This baby was almost aborted. Her mother was a frightened, pregnant and unmarried teenager who came to see me with her confused and ashamed parents. I told them, ‘You’ve got to keep the baby’. Now the baby is a beautiful teenager and a joy to the family.”
Next the pastor directed me to the picture of a couple and said, “This elderly man was uneasy around people. He had practically no friends. His wife asked me to help make him feel welcome in church, so that he would want to return. Now he is her biggest helper in the senior fellowship and one of the most generous person around.”
The last picture he pointed to me was a picture of himself with a man in his 60s. The story was more poignant this time: “When the former senior pastor died, this man woke from a long slumber of ministry passivity. Since then, he has been coming to church every Sunday at 6:30 a.m. to make sure the church doors, air conditioning, microphone, pulpit, pew, and sanctuary would be ready for worship. The only time he had missed those duties, besides vacation, was when he was admitted to the hospital for heart problems.”
I cried with the pastor, I had no more questions, and I recovered from my ministerial existential crisis.
One of the most controversial, the least understood, but most unlikely role model in the Bible was John the Baptist. John was the last Old Testament prophet, the first New Testament martyr, and the greatest born of women. Born of a priest (Lk 1:5), he shunned the temple for the desert, turned many to the Lord, and chided Herod for marrying his sister-in-law (Lk 3:19-20), which landed him prison, with release unlikely and death apparent. When Jesus came, John sent his disciples to ask John’s last recorded question: “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” Jesus commended John before the messengers and the crowd for his mission, courage, and perseverance.
Where is our help when we are discouraged, disappointed or depressed? What can be done when fatigue, frustrations and fears increase?
LIVE FOR THE AUDIENCE OF ONE (Lk 7:20-23)
18 John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'" 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: 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. 23 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." (Luke 7:18-23)
One of the main characters in the new Star Wars trilogy, Jar Jar Binks, drove even the most loyal Star Wars fans nuts. Complaints were made about the character’s ample screen time, annoying speaking tone, and bumbling buffoonish actions. Many moviegoers walked out of the theaters for the thirty minutes the elephant face Jar Jar appeared. When Barnes and Nobel offered Star Wars posters, mugs, and plush toys at 50% off, I noticed the only plush toy left unclaimed was none other than Jar Jar.
At the 1999 Visual Effects Society seminar, the media asked Rob Coleman, the movie’s effect supervisor, his reaction to the character. Coleman explained that George Lucas intended the character to appeal to children ages nine to fifteen. To be fair, Jar Jar did his job. The character was an immediate hit with children.
Coleman added: “When I first read the script the first time, I had a reaction similar to what many of you had when you saw the movie.” The audience laughed with satisfaction. The effects whiz ended with these words: “I only had one audience member to please, and that was George Lucas. If he were happy with what we were doing with Jar Jar, then I was happy.” (Los Angeles Times 6/22/99 “Even an Insider Found Jar Jar, Well, Jarring.”)
John the Baptist was eager for an answer from Jesus not about his or his disciples’ welfare but about Jesus’ identity and mission. John’s time was running out and he had nothing to lose. He was about to be beheaded by Herod (Mt 14:10, Mk 1:9), yet he had not seen Jesus in action though he himself had baptized Jesus (Matt 3:13). Jesus' public ministry began after John was imprisoned (Mt 4:17, Mk 1:14).
Jesus informed John of His identity, the miracles He had done that authenticated His Messianic claim, and the mission of the Messiah to preach good news. Jesus’ answer in Luke 7:22 was a quotation from the Messianic passage of Isaiah 35:5-6 and 61:1 to reveal who he was. Jesus assured John that He was the promised Messiah predicted in Isaiah, that no one else was expected, and that salvation had come. However, Jesus said something more, something unexpected, and something tender to John, the iron man: “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” (Lk. 7:23)
Jesus gave John a parting blessing, a fond goodbye, and a touching eulogy (Lk 9:9). The verb “report” (v 22) is an imperative. What Jesus gave John served as an invaluable verse, confession, and meditation for John’s last days in prison. Jesus admonished John to hold his head high, hang on to the quotation, and handle death with dignity. Jesus cared for John’s welfare. No one ministered or spoke to John the way Jesus did and could. John was a no-compromise, old-school, die-hard warrior. He was tough as nails, stubborn to the core, and good to the last drop. Not a bad bone was found in him.
John lived his life to please one audience member. He completed the tough assignment he had and preached the recurring theme of repentance. Jesus Christ defended, commended, and elevated John for fulfilling his life mission. John asked for information, knowledge, and truth, but Jesus provided more. Jesus warmed John’s heart, soothed his pain, and gave him solace, optimism, and closure. Jesus’ words of comfort, understanding, appreciation, recognition and support for John accompanied the head-strong, battle-hardened, and brave-hearted soldier to a rousing end.
The second discourse of Jesus was to tell the crowd what eyewitnesses like John could expect – enter gloriously into the kingdom of God.
LISTEN TO THE ASSESMENT OF ONE (7:24-28)
24 After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' 28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (Luke 7:24-28)
Nightline (9/6/99) had a report about the passionate task of moving the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States, and saving it from the eroding and encroaching coastline. The lighthouse was built in 1870, 1,500 feet from the North Carolina shoreline, to guide ships along the coastline. The replacement for a previous lighthouse built in 1803, the 300-feet tall black and white lighthouse stood 160 feet perilously from the sea by late 1987. Further, it was still inadequate for ships at sea. http://abcnews.go.com/onair/nightline/transcripts/nl990906_trans.html
Finally, engineers, scientists, and lawmakers proposed that the only way to save the maritime treasure for the next hundred years is to move it. So, for three weeks the town people came together to see their beloved lighthouse weighing nine-and-a-half million pounds of brick, mortar, and memories move a little more than a half-mile toward their new home.
Why were the people so fascinated with, emotional over and passionate about the lighthouse, especially since radar has taken the place of lighthouse beams for larger vessels? For more than a century, the Cape Hatteras lighthouse guided seamen through a 70 miles stretch of barrier islands known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” More than six hundred ships were lost to the dangerous currents of the Atlantic waters. Bob Reynolds, superintendent of Cape Hatteras, explained: “The lighthouse is ‘a symbol of people’s romance with the ocean, a symbol of the willingness of people to sacrifice themselves, their comfort for the safety of others.’”
John was one of the most misunderstood, most victimized, and the most ill-treated in the Bible. He was in a no-win situation, a lame duck, and an open pinata to critics. John did not care about what men would do to him, what they think or say of him. He did not care if people would like or dislike him, praise or pan him, and jail or kill him. To his death, he did not ask about his future, not even a peek into or a hint about his destiny.
Life is not a popularity contest or poll, but a report card. The only voice that matters at the end of the day is the Master’s voice, the only vote that counts is the divine vote, and the only words that endure are, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matt 25:21) Pleasing God is the only perfect, lasting, and adequate motivation for service and in life. Pleasing the Lord is the only motivation that makes one’s day and lasts one’s life. Paul says that we labor to be pleasing to Christ or accepted by Him (2 Cor. 5:9), and that we cease to be servants of Christ if we try to please men (Gal 1:10).
hI was shocked at the level of criticism directed at John by some well-meaning Christians. One internet writer held this negative but popular opinion of John:
“John’s question, or rather John’s challenge, was wrong for various reasons, but one of these was that it was Christ’s purpose not to publicly identify Himself as Messiah, the very thing John demanded, or else he and others would find themselves another “messiah.” Put in its crassest form, John was saying to Jesus, ‘Put up or shut up! Enough of the way You have been functioning. Either you identify Yourself as Messiah (and get on with the program, of judgment and of arranging for my release) or else we’ll find ourselves another Messiah.’ Given this perspective of John’s words here, conveyed by two of his disciples, we can see that John has fallen far from what he once was. He who gladly accepted his role at one time, is now threatening to change things. He who was given the great privilege of identifying Jesus as Messiah, now challenges Messiah to prove Himself, not altogether unlike the challenge of Satan during our Lord’s temptation. He who once encouraged his disciples to follow after Jesus now sends two of his disciples after Jesus, not to follow Him wherever He would go, but to change His course.”
http://www.bible.org/docs/nt/books/luk/deffin/luke-23.htm#TopOfPage
Contrary to the unflattering comments, Jesus appreciated John’s not-for-sale character, valued his one hundred percent effort, and praised his plain-as-vanilla lifestyle. John had little interest in exquisite, expensive, or excessive items. He ate, dressed, and lived simple (Lk 7:24-27). John was stern, hermitlike, and eccentric, but he had guts, principles, and dreams. He was straight as an arrow. John was someone the Pharisees and experts in the law cannot bend, break, or buy. He was reliable as a bearer of the good news (Lk 3:18), proud to be a backdrop for Christ (John 3:30), and unchanging as a beacon and a light to the world (Lk 3:6).
Jesus said that no one was greater than John. Not prophet Elijah who did not die, the no-fault Daniel, or Moses who divided the Red Sea, gave the Ten Commandments, and saw the glory of God.
Why? John saw the Messiah in his lifetime, testified to the Son of God (Jn 1:34), and pointed people to the Lamb of God (Jn 1:36). John was humble, unselfish, and sacrificial. He pointed, testified, and deferred to the Lord every opportunity he had. John said that Jesus was more powerful than him, His sandals John was not fit to carry (Matt 3:11), the thongs of His sandals John not worthy to untie (Luke 3:16), that Jesus had surpassed him because he existed before John (John 1:30), and that Jesus must increase and he must decrease (John 3:300. John was harsh but never heavy-handed. He wasn’t interested his legacy, make a name, or creating a movement.
The third discourse of Jesus was specifically for crowd decision – exercise wisdom and choose.
LOOK AT THE ACT OF ONE (7:31-35)
31 "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.' 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children."(Luke 7:31-35)
The Indians asked their Chief in autumn, if the winter was going to be cold or not. Not really knowing the answer, the chief replied that the winter was going to be cold and that the members of the village were to collect wood to be prepared. Being a good leader, he then went to the nearest phone booth and called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is this winter going to be cold?" The man on the phone responded, "This winter is going to be quite cold indeed." So the Chief went back to speed up his people to collect even more wood to be prepared.
A week later, he called the National Weather Service again, "Is it going to be a very cold winter?" "Yes," the man replied, "it's going to be a very cold winter." So the Chief went back to his people and ordered them to go and find every scrap of wood they can find.
Two weeks later he called the National Weather Service again and asked "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?" "Absolutely," the man replied, "the Indians are collecting wood like crazy!'
How do you decide things in life? Do you have a compass, handbook, or guide? What is the right thing to do? Who are you trying to please? Who are you trying to fool? Who is right?
John did not follow the conventions of the day, obey the rules of the game, or heed the wisdom of men. The social wisdom or climate of the day was like this: No party poopers allowed. You’ve got to play wedding or funeral. We don’t take kindly to people with uncool outfit, unkempt hair or unusual diet. Sing the same tune; do not play an unexpected song. John, however, would not compromise, conceal, or capitulate. He refused to toe the line, tone down the rhetoric, or throw in the towel. He was not a shoe-shiner, an apple-polisher, or a hoop-jumper.
John aimed high, acted accordingly, and walked tall. Opinions did not sway him, tides did not sweep him, and bitterness did not swallow him. He did not care or mind to be the forgotten man, the fall guy, the fading star. He was unlike his generation, the gap was not close, and they were undeserving of him.
The only comfort for John was not only that he had good references but also that he was in good company. Jesus could feel for him, identify and empathize with him. He had similar criticisms, controversies, and clashes, too. Jesus received bad press, cold shoulders, and unwanted labels. In life he was lumped with sinners and in death he was numbered with the transgressors (Lk 22:37). He endured such opposition from sinful men (Heb 12:3). As Abraham Lincoln said, “I am not at all concerned if the Lord is on our side; but only that we should be on the side of the Lord.” (7,700 Illustrations 339)
Conclusion: The Lord, the Judge of all the Earth, is the only critic that counts. The critic is never pleased, his den is always dangerous, and his presence does not disappear. Jesus Christ is our sole audience, assessor, and advisor in life and in death. Paul says, “I do not even examine myself,” (1 Cor 4:3) “The one who examines me is the Lord,” (1 Cor 4:4) and “Each man's praise will come to him from God.” (1 Cor 4:5). God, the judge of all men (Heb 12:23), has appointed Jesus Christ, the righteous Judge (2 Tim 4:8), as Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42-43). Are you ready for Him, for His second coming and imminent return?
