Matthew 11:6
"Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me."
When I was a kid, I loved going over to my Aunt Nancy's house. One of my favorite things about going over to Aunt Nancy's was her big storybook Bible. I loved when Aunt Nancy would open that Bible up and read to me. One of my favorite Bible stories was the one about John the Baptist. In her storybook Bible, the pictures of John made him look like a rough and tough dude! He had a wooly beard and long hair. His clothing was ragged and rough looking, as well. But I remember his message: "Repent of your sins and be baptized! The Messiah is coming!" John 1:15 says, "John testified concerning him. He cried out saying, 'This is the one I spoke about when I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" In John 1:34, after John the Baptist baptized Jesus, he said, "I have seen and I testify that this is God's Chosen One." What a man of God! What a powerful message! What a testimony!
Fast forward. In Matthew 11, John the Baptist is in King Herod's prison. John had continued to preach Jesus to the world. He continue to preach a message of repentance of sins and baptism and belief in Jesus. He offended many Jews during his time. He also offended many leaders, including King Herod. His message to King Herod was simple but powerful: You are a sinful man, and you are unlawful for marrying your brother's wife. King Herod had him imprisoned. This is where we find John in Matthew 11. We find him in the prison. We find him IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING. Matthew 11:1-5 says, "After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?' Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.'" John was IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING. He was in a difficult place, and he could not rescue himself.
If a trial for the Christ follower is a test of faith, what is one dangerous temptation that we need to recognize and confront in the midst of suffering??? DOUBT!!! Doubt can be dangerous when we don't recognize it and confront it and give it to God. In his book, When Doubt Becomes Unbelief, he says, "Unbelief is the decision to live your life as if there is no God. It is a deliberate decision to reject Jesus Christ and all that He stands for. But doubt is something quite different. Doubt arises within the context of faith. It is a wistful longing to be sure of the things in which we trust." Paul David Tripp says in his book, Suffering, "There are two kind of doubt. First is the doubt of wonderment. God's ways can confuse you. What God knows is good FOR us doesn't always look good TO us. The doubt of wonderment is a normal part of a healthy life of faith. God won't always make sense to you, and when He doesn't, bringing your doubt to Him is GOOD. But there's a second and unhealthy form of doubt. It is the doubt of judgment. This doubt is not the result of wondering what God is doing. This form of doubt is the result of CONCLUDING that, because of your CIRCUMSTANCES, God is not good and therefore not worthy of your trust. Sowing seeds of this kind of doubt in the hearts of sufferers is one of the Enemy's most powerful tools."
Let's get back to John the Baptist. John was in prison, in the midst of suffering. He began to suffering with DOUBT. He couldn't understand why Jesus was in Galilee preaching and teaching and healing. Why wasn't Jesus in Jerusalem with his "winnowing fork in his hands, clearing his threshing floor, gathering wheat into his barn, and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire"? John was in a difficult circumstance, and he had unmet expectations because he suffered with a limited perception. John was suffering, and doubt was there! But let's not bash John the Baptist. John the Baptist did the right thing in the midst of suffering. John the Baptist did the right thing with his doubt. Instead of giving in to his doubt, he gave his doubt to Jesus. Instead of doubting with judgment, he doubted with wonderment. And Jesus came through for John. No. Jesus didn't stop what He was doing in Galilee to rescue John from King Herod's prison with power and force. Instead, Jesus came through with the Word of God. Jesus gave John biblical revelation. He quoted scripture to John. He quoted passages from Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61. Jesus encourage John to trust Him. That is why Jesus said to him in Matthew 11:6, "Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me." The King James Version says, "And blessed is he, whosever shall not be offended in me." David Platt says, "To not be offended because of Jesus is essentially to trust Him." Wow!
So many times in the midst of suffering in this life, we turn to creation rather than the Creator. We try to rescue ourselves. We call on someone or something else to rescue us. So many times in the midst of suffering in this life, we face doubt. Doubt is dangerous. We will be tempted to doubt God in judgment, to doubt His purposes and plans, to doubt His timing, and ultimately to doubt His goodness. What we do in the midst of suffering will have both an earthly and heavenly impact. What we do with our doubt will make a difference between life and death. No, not just physical death. It will make a difference in life eternal and death eternal. We need to do what John the Baptist did. We need to turn to Jesus. We need to give Jesus our doubt, and Jesus will give us God's Word! Jesus will call on us to trust Him, no matter what! Will it mean immediate rescue from earthly harm? Will it mean immediate power and force? Will it mean physical life or death? I can't tell you what that will mean for you in your circumstance of suffering because I don't know God's plan for you or His timing for you. What I can tell you is this: God will use all suffering for the GOOD of His children and for His GLORY. John the Baptist died in King Herod's prison. I know it is hard to understand how that is for his GOOD and for God's GLORY. However, with biblical revelation and trust in the Lord, we can see that John accomplished his purpose in this life for God's kingdom. John glorified God with his life. When John was struggling in the midst of suffering and plagued with doubt, Jesus didn't bash John or criticize him. Rather, Jesus affirms John as the greatest of prophets, even the greatest of persons born of woman! Jesus says in Matthew 11:11, "Truly, I tell you, among those born of woman there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." Up to this point, John had seen and experienced Jesus in a way that none of the other prophets had ever experienced. John's message was given to him by God, and he proclaimed it boldly to the world. Yet, Jesus reminds us all of the privilege we have today as Christ followers. David Platt says, "All men, including John the Baptist, had an incomplete picture of the Messiah. Their perspective was limited in terms of what to expect from the Messiah. However, even the least person who comes into the kingdom after Jesus has a greater understanding of the Messiah than everyone who came before Him." Wow! I don't know where you are in your suffering at this moment, but I do know that God works for your GOOD and for His GLORY! And I do know that as a Christ follower Jesus' life, death, and resurrection has fully secured your rescue and your redemption! Run to Jesus in the midst of your suffering! Run to Jesus with your doubt! YOUR VICTORY IS IN JESUS!
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