Matthew 11:1-19
Be Still: Lord, please speak to us as we spend time meditating on these verses, individually and as your body, the Church. Amen.
Read: Matthew 11:1-19
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?’ (v1-3)
Encounter: John, Jesus’ cousin: the one who baptised Jesus and referred to him as God’s chosen one (John 1: 29-34), is now in prison. He has been unfairly arrested and is locked away from his friends, family, and Jesus, with little hope of release. What is John's reaction, when the long-expected Messiah has neither overthrown the Romans nor freed him from captivity? He starts to doubt. The same man who confidently preached that Jesus was the coming Messiah, now shut away in the dark, doubts him. How relatable.
We can learn from John, even in his darkest hour. He turned to Jesus. In his doubts and his struggles, he sent to ask Jesus the question on his heart. Jesus answers John – he says miracles are happening and good news is being preached, the kingdom is coming (v:4-6). Yet, among the miracles Jesus is performing (the kingdom breaking through), he's not overthrowing Herod who imprisoned John, and John never does return to freedom.
You may be waiting on God for a miracle or sitting in the ashes of disappointed hopes. The kingdom of God has come and is still to come – it broke through in the person of Jesus, is now breaking through around us, but it is, painfully, not yet fully realised. But like John, we can continue to bring it all to him, seeking hope in his presence.
Apply: None of us is alone in feeling heavy-hearted with our personal circumstances at times. Is there an area in your life that feels like John’s prison cell? Are you struggling to see Jesus at work in the pain? Bring it to him.
This can be challenging, especially when we're too exhausted or angry to find the right words. I’ve been helped to give voice to my heart and my hurt by the words of other believers:
Worship songs e.g. Broken Hallelujah (Gas Street Music)
Praying through Bible passages (Psalms and Lamentations)
Written liturgies (Moore and Elledge have co-written two beautiful books of prayers) *
Devote: Jesus, please help me to bring all my feelings to you so I may receive your hope and peace.
* Liturgies for Hope: Sixty Prayers for the Highs, the Lows, and Everything in Between by Elizabeth Moore and Audrey Elledge