QUESTION #17 But what went ye out there to see, a prophet?

    QUESTIONS JESUS ASKED BIBLE STUDY 

 

     Read Matthew 11:7-15 KJV: 

 

 What went ye out to the wilderness to see? *A reed shaken with the wind? (Matthew 11:7)

  But what went ye out there to see? A man clothed in soft raiment (dressed in fine clothes)? (Matthew 11:8)

          But what went ye out there to see, a prophet? (Matthew 11:9)

 

JOHN THE BAPTIST

Reference: Matthew 11:7-15; Mark 1:1-14; Luke 7:18-28

 

John the Baptist was put into prison by Herod Antipas (son of Herod the Great) because he had preached against the king for taking his brother’s wife (Luke 3:19-20). John’s ministry, then, was a short one of a couple of years. He had had the privilege, though, of introducing Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And that prophetic message he was given to proclaim was confirmed to him when he baptized Jesus and witnessed the divine approval from heaven (John 1:29-34). And still, those events, compelling as they were, lost some of their effect on him when he was in prison.

 

When John heard the things that Jesus was doing, he sent his disciples to ask, “Are you the Messiah or should we expect someone else?” John had certainly been convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, but things had not been going as he thought they might if Jesus was the promised one. John’s doubts were likely the result of his prolonged imprisonment.

 

Part of the explanation of John’s question can be learned from Jesus’ answer. He simply told John’s disciples to go and tell John what they heard and saw. The miraculous works such as giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, the lame to walk, and healing to the lepers. Jesus listed a number of works that the prophet Isaiah said would be done by the Messiah; most of these come from Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61. These works that Jesus was doing could only be recognized as works only the Messiah could do. Jesus’ answer to John only confirmed that He was the Messiah; the silence about the prison indicated that John was to stay in prison.

 

Jesus ended His reply to John with “blessed is he who is not offended because of Me”. Jesus knew that the focus of His ministry was offensive to the expectation of the Jewish people, who longed for political deliverance from Roman domination. Jesus then pronounced a blessing on those who were willing to suffer without being offended in Him. 

 

Blessed is he who can be left in prison, can be silenced in his testimony, can seem to be deserted of his Lord, and yet can shut out every doubt. If it was part of the Messiah’s plan for John to die in prison… well, that was just fine with John as long as He received word from the Lord (Matthew 14:3-12). John thus serves as a model for those who persevere in faith despite suffering.

 

After John’s disciples departed Jesus turned to the crowd and asked concerning John, “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A reed blowing in the wind?” He then asked again, “But what did you go out there to see? A man dressed in fine clothes?” Jesus said, “Look, the ones in fine clothing are in the kings’ houses. Then a third time He asked, “But what did you go out there to see, a prophet?”

 

Jesus said, “Yes, he is more than a prophet. For he is the one written in the scriptures, “behold I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee” (Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3) Jesus then honored the prophet with these words: “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist”. John certainly did not see himself as “great” -- he did not see himself as worthy enough to baptize Jesus or even to carry His sandals (Matthew 3:11-14).

The “greatness” that Jesus refers to concerning John has to do with John’s unique position in history, not with any special talent, holiness, or personal merit. One reason that Jesus called John the Baptist the “greatest” was that John held the honor of being chosen by God as the forerunner to the Messiah. John’s mission was to personally prepare the world for Christ’s arrival.

 

John was also the “greatest” in that he preached with the power of Elijah (Luke 1:17; 3:7-18). John shared many qualities with Elijah, including calling a nation to repentance, rebuking the king, and persevering in the face of public misunderstanding and malicious persecution (Matthew 11:16-18; Mark 6:14-19).

 

John was the Spirit-anointed bridge from the Old Testament to the New Testament. John was the last of the Old Testament prophets and stood on the edge of a new dispensation. His preaching was the end of the Law and the beginning of the Promise. He was the last in the long line of prophets who predicted Christ, yet he was the only one who could actually see Christ in the flesh. Moses, Isaiah, and the rest of the prophets had pointed to a far-distant personage they could see only faintly. John pointed at an actual human being who stood directly in front of him. No other prophet had that privilege.

Jesus’ full statement in Matthew 11:11 is seemingly contradictory when he said: “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” How can John be the greatest, if even the “least in the kingdom” is greater than John? Again, the answer has to do with the Christian’s unique position in history, not with his personal merit. John died without seeing the fullness of God’s plan in Christ (see Mark 6:17-29). 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 the Baptist 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 Ghost. 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.

 

*A reed shaken with the wind is a metaphor for someone who lacks conviction and is easily swayed by public opinion. You could compare a reed to a spineless person that as soon as adversity comes they change direction. Jesus knew that a reed shaken by the wind was the very opposite of John’s character. As a prophet of God, he was faithful to rebuke sin and crime in all their forms, in kings and nobles as readily in the un-honored and unknown.  John could not be moved by flattery, nor be deceived by prevailing errors. Neither could he be turned aside from the work he was sent to do. He swerved not, was loyal to his God, and stood firm until the end.

 

Let this lesson about John teach us to “be strong in the Lord and be not blown about by every wind of doctrine or by popular opinion (where the cunning lie in wait to deceive)” (Ephesians 14:14). 

 

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