During World War II, a congregation in London faced bombings nightly. In the midst of fear, their pastor encouraged them to gather for prayer. One night, after a particularly intense bombing, he found a soldier praying with fervor. When asked why he prayed amidst such chaos, the soldier replied, 'Because I can still believe in a good God even when I don’t understand why this is happening.'
Last week, we began reflecting on the question that plagues so many of us - “why do bad things happen to good people?” or “If God is good, why does he allow bad things to happen?”
While we can come up with pithy replies to provide some hope, we have to recognize that the faith we live out will often be encompassed by tragedy and suffering. As we’ll see today, sometimes that suffering will lead toward doubt, causing our faith to become finicky.
Open your bibles to Luke 7. Right on the heels of Jesus healing the Centurion’s servant and raising the widow’s son from the dead, we run into a situation where one of Jesus’ biggest advocates finds his faith faltering.
Luke 7:18–35 ESV
The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ” In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,
“ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)
“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
“ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”
I find this passage particularly interesting because we have one of the heroes of our faith experiencing a bit of doubt and yet Jesus seems to challenge or even encourage him very specifically. Then, in response Jesus talks about John and how people responded to him and then concludes by talking about the fickle nature of the generation.
It seems like, through all of this, we are urged to have a persistent faith in Jesus. First of all, we should…
Trust in Jesus…
...when faith and doubt reside together (18-23)
As we’ve seen over the last few weeks, Jesus has been busy in ministry. From appointing apostles to instructing disciples; from healing the sick and raising the dead, Jesus has been making an impact in the region. John the Baptist had been the forerunner of Jesus - preparing the region for Jesus’ ministry. In the process, John’s bold witness landed him behind bars (Luke 3:18-20). Now, some of John’s disciples had witnessed a bit of Jesus’ ministry and went back to the prison to report to John about all that they had seen.
In response, John sends a couple of them back to Jesus in order to ask Him if He is “the one who is to come….” I wonder if the report seemed to confirm some things, but also raised other questions for John. It’s possible he was looking, like so many others, for a Messiah who would be a political leader, who would bring judgment and justice. On top of that if Jesus really is the One, why would John be left in prison?
Jesus’ replies to John’s disciples - urging them to report about all that they have seen and then he provided them some specific context.
Luke 7:22–23 ESV
And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Some of Jesus language here would have caused John to remember what the prophets had spoken - specifically Isaiah 29 and 35 (as we read earlier). Jesus was doing exactly what the prophets foretold. But Jesus’ concluding comment - “blessed is the one who is not offended (or scandalized) by me” is rather interesting. It’s as though Jesus acknowledges that ministry will be difficult and often different than what we expect. What’s more, the overarching goals and purposes of the Kingdom supersede even the goals and aspirations of our lives. John himself even said at one point, John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.””
Last week, we reflected on the fact that while suffering is a result of the sin in humanity, God allows suffering to take place. He uses the difficult things in our lives for His glory and for our good. After a couple of years in prison, even a stalwart like John was beginning to have questions.
No matter what form those trials take, they can act to undermine or even strengthen our faith. I think we can learn from John in this in that we should press in to Jesus. We should look to His Word to be reminded of how God is working and what He has revealed in His overall plan. We should also lean in to His people so that we can address our doubts in the safety of community. In that, let me encourage you to lean in to believers you know and who know you. Over the last several years, there have been numerous people who have turned to so-called experts who have walked away from the faith and listened to them in a sort of one-way street of influence, instilling doubt in their audience. To these types of people, Spurgeon has said:
The teachers of doubt are doubtful teachers.
Charles Spurgeon
Just as John called a couple of his guys to go and talk with Jesus, we should call on some of our guys and gals to help us in our time of need. To that point, if you see someone in a need, someone who is beginning to spiral in faith, reach out to him or her - pray, listen, talk, read the Word together. Reflect on what is true.
We are not alone in our doubts and in this walk of faith. Trust Jesus (his word and his family) when faith and doubts reside together.
Secondly, we learn from this passage that we should trust Jesus…
...when faith and fads collide (24-29)
After John’s disciples return to John, Jesus turns to the crowd who was nearby. It is quite likely that they heard what he had said. They certainly saw all that he was doing. He turns to them and asks them three times what they went out to the wilderness to see. He uses three different pictures to describe John:
a reed shaken by the wind - this could be someone who is weak and insecure. This could also be sort of a fad - the wind is blowing that way so lets go see. I think Jesus calling them to question their motives. You didn’t go because everyone else went. You went because of something more.
He then asked them if they went to see…
a man dressed in soft or splendid clothing - as if a bit tongue in cheek - Jesus addresses John’s preferred attire - garments of camels hair with a leather belt (Mark 1:6). Were they going to see a sort of spectacle? Just like in our day, it’s not people like John who are making the headlines, it’s people with a lot of wealth and influence. We don’t typically get our fashion trends from homeless people. That’s not why they went to see John.
Finally, Jesus gets to the real reason they went - because they believed John to be…
a prophet - someone who would proclaim the word of the Lord; someone who would prepare the world for the work that Jesus would do.
Even in the church there will be trends and fads. There will be things that may be well intentioned, but inevitably replace the truth of scripture with extra-biblical add ons that compromise scripture. For example, …
several years ago there was a movement called “Emergent” church or worship. While well-intentioned, this movement elevated an experience about God using tactile and emotional props over an encounter with God through His Word, through the ordinary means of grace, through corporate worship. I think part of the reason that fad faded is because each experience needed to outdo the last.
Another fad that has seemed to ebb and flow both here and abroad is the prosperity gospel. In this, people are urged to give money to churches, pastors, or leaders as a seed of faith that God will use to prosper that individual in the future. They preach a gospel of ease and comfort, rather than a gospel of repentance and forgiveness.
We could go on and talk about:
Universalism - where salvation is found in any number of faiths or religions - and not exclusively in Jesus
Moral shift - where biblical values of morality are set aside as wisdom rather than being God’s ordained way of life.
When fads come, we need to respond with the Word. We need to press into faith in Jesus. John may have had a brief and vibrant ministry, but he was calling people to the Word of God - to Jesus. Let’s trust Jesus when fads collide with genuine faith.
Thirdly, we can glean from this passage that we should trust Jesus…
…when faith displaces tradition (30)
After singing John’s praises, so many of the people who had been baptized by John rejoiced because they experienced John’s baptism and had been admitted into the Kingdom of God. Jesus even went so far as to call the “least in the Kingdom” greater than John - whom Jesus called great.
But there was a group of people who scoffed at this - the Pharisees and religious lawyers. Luke even notes that they “rejected the purpose of God for themselves because they had not been baptized by [John]” (30). It seems like for them, the work that God had prophesied about Jesus and the work that was being revealed through Him did not mesh with the comforts they experienced with their traditions - and likely some of the control they experienced in their own lives and the lives of others.
But how do those traditions and that control apply in our lives and in the lives of people in our culture today?
religious participation when it’s convenient - CEO (Christmas Easter Only)
virtual worship - choosing to participate in a church remotely rather than in the physical assembly. Virtual worship should be an exception and not the rule
in the church, traditions or patterns that may not be rooted in Scripture,
personal cultural/spiritual beliefs that are not rooted in Scripture (angel wings for deceased, God helps those who help themselves, …)
Friend, if you’ve not yet made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you’re listening. I’m glad you’re exposing yourself to the truth of His Word and the true worship that His people offer to Him. But I want you to ask yourself, are you like these religious leaders who “rejected the purpose of God for themselves?” You might say, how do I do that? When you assume that you’re acceptance in the Kingdom of God happens because you attend church, or you generally do more good things than bad, or even because your parents are Christians. While those things are all good, they are not sufficient to gain you entrance into the kingdom of God. Entrance happens when you repent or turn away from your sin and trust in Jesus alone for your salvation. That is then marked publically by baptism. John’s whole ministry was one of repentance and baptism. In the early church, when people would come to faith they would repent, believe and be baptized. If you’ve not yet entered into the Kingdom of God on God’s terms, then I hope you will today. I would love to open scripture with you to help you see this pattern. If you’ve not yet been baptized as a believer, I would love for us to set aside some time in an upcoming service for you go public with your faith. More than that, I would love to welcome you as a brother or sister in Christ into the Kingdom of God.
Finally, we should trust Jesus…
…when faith clashes with culture (31-35)
In these final few verses, Jesus makes some general comments about that generation. Frankly, it’s difficult to know if he is talking about the broad generation or simply culture of the religious leaders. Whatever the case, it seems like no matter who God sends to be his ambassador - it’s never the right thing in the eyes of the generation. It’s as though it’s the wrong tune.
John - had a peculiar diet of locusts and honey and some religious people apparently responded that he was demon possessed.
Jesus - willingly ate and drank with sinners in order to convey God’s love for them and yet some called him a glutton and a drunkard.
Jesus concluded his comments by stating - Luke 7:35 “Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.” Or as the ESV Study Bible rephrases that, “God’s way is shown to be right by the followers of John and Jesus” (ESVSB).
Just as John and Jesus could never seem to do things right in the eyes of some, so too with us in our day, people who live by biblical values will seem to be odd or prudish to some and maybe even radical/liberal to others.
preaching and teaching a biblical sexual ethic - sex between man and woman within the covenant of marriage, marriage for life - is seen as narrow, restrictive, and old-fashioned to some
Sharing a meal with a homosexual or transgendered friend in order to show the love of Jesus is seen as liberal or radical to others
standing up for the dignity of the unborn - because they are created in the image of God - is seen as controlling and even hateful to some.
Throwing a baby shower for an unwed, expectant mother - is seen by some as condoning the very sexual ethic that we say we are against.
Instead of imagining that Christ against culture and Christ transforming culture are two mutually exclusive stances, the rich complexity of biblical norms, worked out in the Bible’s story line, tells us that these two often operate simultaneously.
D. A. Carson
When in our allegiance is to Christ alone, by faith alone, we will find that our actions will not fit into any one particular camp - and that’s a good thing.
Closing thoughts
Throughout this passage, we’ve been reminded to trust in Jesus - to have faith in Him - when doubts arise, when fads collide with faith, when tradition (religious or cultural) conflicts, when cultural norms clash with that faith. One of the promises that we have in His word is that those who come to him by faith, he will never let go. Consider these promises from God’s Word.
Hebrews 13:5 ESV
… “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Romans 8:38–39 ESV
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Corinthians 4:7–11 ESV
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 ESV
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Beloved, Jesus has promised us eternal life in His Word. He has promised that He will return for us. He promised before he was crucified that he is preparing a place for us (John 14). When your faith falters and doubts arise, when the storms of life crash against your bodies - remember Jesus’ promises and bolster your finicky faith.
Friend, if you’re just investigating all of this church and faith stuff, know that coming to faith in Christ will likely rub against every conventional wisdom that you’ve held. Dying to self, living for Christ - seems un-American, even un-human, but the eternal hope of Christ is there. Come to him, lay aside your traditions, cultural values, preference, receive Christ as your Savior by turning from your sin, and trusting in Him - then immerse yourself in His ways. He will not let you go.
Let’s pray.
Benediction
Jude 24–25 ESV
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Questions for reflection and discussion
Read: Luke 7:18-35.
1. In your opinion, what causes most people to doubt?
2. How did John react to the reports about Jesus? (7:18–19)
3. Why didn’t Jesus condemn John’s doubts?
4. How did Jesus answer the visitors’ questions? (7:21–22)
5. How is it possible, in the words of verse 23, to “fall away on account of” Jesus?
6. Why did the people react in different ways to the words of Jesus? (7:29–30)
7. What did the people’s reactions say about their relationship with God? (7:29–30)
8. To what did Jesus compare the people of His day? (7:31–32)
9. What can we do this week to be on guard against faltering faith?
Sources:
Anyabwile, Thabiti. Exalting Jesus in Luke. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018.
Beeke, Joel R., and Paul M. Smalley. Reformed Systematic Theology: Man and Christ. Vol. 2. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020.
Bock, Darrell L. Luke 1:1-9:50. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999.
Martin, John A. “Luke.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
McKinley, Mike. Luke 1–12 for You. Edited by Carl Laferton. God’s Word for You. The Good Book Company, 2016.
Wilcock, Michael. The Savior of the World: The Message of Luke’s Gospel. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979.
