A.When Jesus was performing many miracles in Galilee, His fame spread throughout the land to Judea and even beyond.Everyone was talking about Jesus of Nazareth.
B.One of those who heard of the Lord’s works was John the baptist, who already knew who Jesus was.News of Christ’s miracles prompted John to send his disciples to Jesus, and the following events are the subject of our lesson.
II.THERE IS NO ONE GREATER THAN JOHN
A.When John heard about the Lord’s miracles, he sent two disciples to ask whether Jesus was the "Expected One” (Luke 7:17-20).
1.John was in prison at the time because he had rebuked King Herod for having an unlawful marriage (Matt. 11:2-3; 14:3-5).Therefore, he could not come himself.
2.At the beginning of Christ’s ministry, John had declared of Jesus, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” and He saw the Holy Spirit descend on Him (John 1:29-34).Why then would he ask whether Jesus was the "Expected One”?Consider a few reasons.
a.Neither Jesus nor His disciples were publicly declaring that He was the Christ yet.Jesus did not allow such testimony to be given until after His resurrection (Matt. 16:20; 17:9).Perhaps John was hoping that Jesus would now declare Himself openly.
b.The Lord’s miracles had prompted John’s question, so it seems that he was seeking confirmation of what was becoming obviously true to everyone – Jesus was the Christ.
c.John may have asked this for the benefit of his own disciples so that they would become disciples of Jesus.John had said, "He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
B.In response, Jesus performed many miracles and directed John’s disciples to report what they had seen and heard (Luke 7:21-23).
1.Rather than answering directly, Jesus let His works speak for Him.Consider Christ’s words in John 5:36 – "But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish – the very works that I do – testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”
2.In describing His own works, Jesus referred to several prophecies of the Christ from the book of Isaiah (29:18-19; 35:4-6; 61:1).The answer to John’s question was obvious.If Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Christ, then He was the Christ.
3.Jesus also pronounced a blessing on those who did not stumble over Him.Indeed, He would become a stumbling block to those who do not believe and will not be saved (1Cor. 1:22-24).
C.When John’s disciples had gone, Jesus declared the greatness of John and the superiority of the citizens of God’s kingdom (Luke 7:24-28).
1.Consider what the Lord taught in His description of John.
a.John was not a "reed shaken in the wind.”In other words, he was firm, constant, and steady.He did not shift his teachings or his practices to suit his audience (Matt. 3:7-12).
b.John was not a "man dressed in soft clothing.”Unlike those who dwelt in palaces, John lived in the lowly and rough conditions of self-denial (Matt. 3:4).
c.The reason thousands of Jews had gone out to see John was to witness a true prophet who was foretold in Malachi 3:1.
2.There was no doubt that John was a great prophet ("among those born of women, there is no one greater than John”), but Jesus said that "he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
a.Both John and Jesus had been preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2; 4:17).They were both laboring to bring about the kingdom of God.
b.When the kingdom of God came, its citizens had a greater message, mission, understanding, and results than John had.In these ways, they were greater than John.
D.The people and tax-gatherers recognized the truth of Christ’s words about John, but the Pharisees and lawyers had rejected John (Luke 7:29-30).
1.The people and tax-gatherers "acknowledged God’s justice” or literally "justified God.”In other words, they proved the righteousness of God’s conduct and wisdom because they had heeded John’s message of repentance and had been baptized by him for forgiveness (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3).
2.However, the Pharisees and lawyers had "rejected God’s purpose for themselves” when they were not baptized by John.
a.Some of them had gone to John for baptism, but they had not repented (Matt. 3:7-12).In their case, John’s baptism was ineffective.
b.Notice that God’s purpose included the salvation of the Pharisees and lawyers.God did not predestine them individually to condemnation, but they chose to be disobedient.
E.This generation of people was fickle, for they criticized John and Jesus in opposite ways (Luke 7:31-35).
1.They were like children who wanted a certain response and were disappointed and critical when they did not get it.
2.Their accusations against John and Jesus were nonsensical, inconsistent, and foolish.The future would expose their foolishness and prove that those who followed John and Jesus were truly wise.
III.LESSONS FOR US
A."Go and report…what you have seen and heard.”
1.John’s disciples and later the apostles (Acts 1:7-8; 2Pet. 1:15-18; 1John 1:1-4) were witnesses of Christ’s works.It was their mission to testify of these works to others so that they would believe in Him (John 20:30-31; 21:24-25).
2.We are not eyewitnesses, but we have the confirmed testimony of these witnesses and their instructions by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Heb. 2:1-4).It is our responsibility to go and report what we have seen and heard by way of the Scriptures so that others will believe in Christ (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; 2Tim. 2:2).
B."He who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
1.John was the greatest among the prophets.His mission and message were the greatest any of the prophets ever carried.In his day, no one was greater than he except for Jesus.
2.Nevertheless, citizens of the kingdom of God are greater than John, and these are who we are.
a.As Christians, God has "rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13).Our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20).
b.This makes us greater than John not by abilities or merit but by position.Being in the kingdom places us in a more desirable and valuable position than John had.
c.In this way, we also have a greater responsibility than John had."From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more” (Luke 12:48).
C."But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves…”
1.It was God’s purpose for the Pharisees and lawyers to believe and obey John and then to believe and obey Jesus.God wanted the same salvation for them as He wanted for all sinners.Unfortunately, most of them rejected both John and Jesus.
2.Today, it is God’s purpose for all men to be saved.
a.This was the purpose for Christ coming into the world."For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
b.God desires for this salvation to be extended to all men."This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1Tim. 2:3-4; see also 2Pet. 3:9).
c.Do not believe the Calvinists, who contradict the plain meaning of the Scriptures and teach a special election and a limited atonement for individuals whom God chooses for salvation.They do not believe that every man can be saved through the gospel, but the Bible teaches that the gospel "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16).
D."Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
1.The Pharisees and lawyers were some of the rulers of the Jews who opposed Jesus, and eventually they stirred up the majority against Him.While opposing both John and Jesus may have become popular, it was nonetheless wrong and foolish.This became evident after the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2:22-24, 36).
2.Today, wisdom is still vindicated by her children, for those who are faithful in Christ know that they have eternal life (1John 5:13).
3.At the judgment, wisdom will be further vindicated by her children, for every eye will see Him (Rev. 1:7) and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:11).
