Thursday, December 8, 2011
Matthew 11:2-3 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"
DOUBTFUL DURING ADVENT
When I went to Christian Day School my parents made the commitment of driving me 60 plus miles a day -- there and back. For that I am grateful. However, living in a metropolis there was often quite a bit of traffic, especially after school. Sometimes I would wait an hour or more before I was picked up. Often times I wondered, "Are they coming at all, or should I expect some one else?"
It's rather interesting that John the Baptist said this phrase at all. Wasn't he the one who had proclaimed in the wilderness so boldly when Jesus was coming to Him to be baptized, "Behold, the Lamb of God! Who takes away the sin of the world!"? So why would John question Jesus now? Why does John seem to be doubting Jesus as being the one who he and Jesus Himself claimed Him to be -- the Messiah, the Anointed Lamb of God?
I shouldn't be quick to give John such a hard time. After all, I doubted my parents not picking me up at school after an hour, but John had spent quite a bit of time in prison. John possibly wondered why Jesus hadn't done anything he maybe thought Jesus should be doing -- like, getting him out of prison! As I rot in this sinful prison of this world I am tempted a lot to doubt Jesus. Is He really the Coming One? Is He going to ever set me free? Is He really the Christ?
Thankfully, we see how Jesus used John has a witness, as a martyr for the truth of God's word, as an example! We read and hear through God's word about Christ's coming so we don't have to doubt, but simply trust that Christ has already set us free from sin and will come again to deliver us from this sinful world to our heavenly home. We may have doubts during this Advent season and before Christ's final Advent, but let us turn from them to rejoice with confidence in the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, trusting that we don't have to look for another!
