Luke 7:18-35

We’re very near to Christmas now aren’t we, I hope you are all getting ready for a good holiday. In preparation for Christmas, Vannes is looking quite spectacular and this week we have had Josh, Sean and Hannah visiting us and spent a lot of time showing them around the town and other nearby sights. Mhairi was very happy to have a Christmas shopping partner and the boys were relieved we didn’t have to spend all day doing that ! Now we have only 2 weeks left until we leave Vannes, heading home to New Zealand before the end of the year. 

After learning last week that great faith is simple faith, this week the story moves on to one about doubt. Doubt can hit our simple faith when things go wrong, even the best of believers can go through this. It is good to know what to do if that ever happens to you.

Luke 7:18-23

Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ” And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

John 1:29-34

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

At that time John was fully convinced that Jesus was the Lamb of God but now he was in prison and soon to be executed and he wanted confirmation that he’d endorsed Jesus correctly. If he’d got it wrong, his whole life had been in vain. He was really suffering in his doubt.

But Jesus had nothing but good things to say about John. He called him the greatest prophet, that’s higher than Isaiah who had prophesied the coming of Jesus in great detail hundreds of years before.

Luke 7:24-28

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to 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.’ For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Extraordinary statement. What did Jesus mean when he said that the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John.

That would seem to be saying that even though John was the greatest prophet, prophets are the least in the Kingdom of God. If I heard Jesus say that about my work, I could feel discouraged. Far from a put-down, Jesus is highlighting something else, a shift.

John is the greatest among women. WHY? Because he was filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. This is why John was the greatest of all those born from women. But even this, by comparison, is nothing compared to the least of those who have been born again by the Holy Spirit. That’s you and me!

John never saw the crucifixion of Christ or His glorious resurrection. Yet even the “least in the kingdom of heaven” knows of these events and understands their meaning. 

The baptism of John was insufficient to save (see Acts 18:24–26; 19:1–7). The disciples of John in Ephesus needed to hear the whole gospel, not just what John had taught. They needed to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, the one John had predicted. They needed the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John was truly the greatest prophet of his era—the Old Testament time—yet all Christians today have a fuller perspective on the work of Christ.

It is a good thing to remember when we’re in ministry. We could reflect with pride at our own achievements but instead God brings someone after us who does more than us. It’s the Lord’s way of keeping everyone humble.

John 4:37-38

For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

We should be pleased with the way the Kingdom of God works, instead of being offended that someone else might receive the blessing for our hard work. God had not rejected what John had achieved. Jesus commended John as the greatest of all prophets. But that time was up. God was doing something new.

But as for the Pharisees, they were never happy.

Luke 7:29-35

And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

The Pharisees weren’t happy when the people were sorrowful and repenting of their sins. But they also weren’t happy with Jesus teaching sinners while eating and drinking with them. They were never happy.

It is too easy to create a God in our own image rather than worshipping and following the one true God.

But what does wisdom is justified by her children mean? 

When Jesus challenged His listeners that wisdom is justified by her children, He was saying that the soundness of wisdom can be judged by the fruit of that wisdom. The people of that generation thought they had sound wisdom and were prideful in their own ability to discern and judge. But Jesus challenged their wisdom by looking at the “children” of their wisdom—what did their “wisdom” produce? Their deeds were woeful, in that they failed to recognize both the forerunner of the Messiah and the Messiah Himself. It is remarkable that those who were proud, Jesus rebuked soundly, while the one who was struggling with doubt Jesus affirmed and encouraged. Jesus had reminded John that Jesus was the King and that John was the forerunner, but it was important not to stumble over the King and His methods. On the other hand, Jesus chastised those who had made arrogant and wrongful judgments against John and Jesus. This is an important reminder that God is patient with His children even when they are doubting, but God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). We should never be arrogant in our judgments but should develop our conclusions humbly and by seeking God’s wisdom revealed in His Word, just as Jesus was encouraging John to do.

Doubt ≠ Unbelief

Doubt is not unbelief.

Unbelief shuts the door. It will not even consider whether God is real, it doesn’t want anything to do with Him.

Doubt leaves room for faith, room for God.