26 July 2023 - Is this what you were expecting?

Matthew 11:2-6 & 11(MSG) John, meanwhile, had been locked up in prison. When he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?” Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on: The blind see, The lame walk, Lepers are cleansed, The deaf hear, The dead are raised, The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side. “Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves most blessed!” and verse 11 “Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him.

John the Baptist had been in prison for as long as a year. He had declared that Herod's choice to divorce his own wife and marry his brother's wife was not lawful. Herod had him arrested and imprisoned.

The question being posed here suggests John is expecting the arrival of the Messiah. He heard about what Jesus was doing, and he sent his disciples to Jesus with a question, “Is this what we were expecting?”

Luke 7:20(MSG) says: “The men showed up before Jesus and said, “John the Baptizer sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?’”

John is waiting with expectation for the revelation of Jesus. Jesus amazes with his response in Luke 7:21-23(MSG) In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight. Then he gave his answer: “Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard: The blind see, The lame walk, Lepers are cleansed, The deaf hear, The dead are raised, The wretched of the earth have God’s salvation hospitality extended to them. “Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves fortunate!”

The Bible says that in the next two or three hours, Jesus healed many diseases, distress and evil spirits. In the presence of John’s disciples, He meets the expectation of John. He then answers, “Is this what you were expecting?” Thus, go and give a report to John, I have met his expectations. The Messiah, the son of God, the miracle worker, the promise keeper and the light in the darkness has arrived? When I read this passage, they reply of Jesus: “Is this what you were expecting?” stood out for me. The question to each one of us is: What are you expecting? Remember, John was imprisoned. Even during this difficult time, he has not lost focus. He was full of expectation.

What are you expecting today?

The Bible says that creation keenly waits for the sons of God to be revealed. So, what are your expecting? Romans 8:19 (ESV) For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

Proverbs 13:12(ESV) Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 10:28(ESV) The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.

Proverbs 23:18(ESV) Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

Psalm 62:5(KJV) My soul, wait thou only upon God; For my expectation is from him.

I conclude with Ephesians 3:20-21(MSG) God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

27 July How is the least in the Kingdom more significant than John the Baptist?

Matthew 11:11(AMP) I assure you and most solemnly say to you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

In Matthew 11:7-10(MSG) J_esus gives us a great account of who John was. When John’s disciples left to report, Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear. He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.’_

John was the best prophet. Thus, he was more significant than any other prophet before him. John was the prophet chosen to introduce Jesus. Then Jesus continues and makes the following statement, “yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

What does this mean? It means that we are more privileged than John the Baptist and the prophets before him because of what Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary. He brought salvation to us, he came to fulfil the law, and Jesus restored the fallen kingdom of Israel. Through Jesus, we have access to God the Father 24 hours a day. In the Old Testament, you could only go to God through the High Priest. Now we have access to God through our High Priest Jesus. We have a benefit, none of the Old Testament people ever had. Thus, Jesus makes the statement, “yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Enduring Word Commentary explains it in these words: “Though John was great, he was not born again under the New Covenant. This is because he lived and died before the completion of Jesus’ work at the cross and empty tomb. Therefore, he did not enjoy the benefits of the New Covenant.”

Hebrews 8:6-13(NLT) But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said: “The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the LORD. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbours, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

I conclude with: “As we may say, as a rule, that the darkest day is lighter than the brightest night; so John, though first of his own order, is behind the last of the new or Gospel order. The least in the Gospel stands on higher ground than the greatest under the law.” – Charles Spurgeon