Year A

Matthew 11:2-11

The Rev. Denise Vaughn

I Am the One

Is Jesus the real thing? Is this business of Christmas and its Christ child only a good tale, charming but certainly not powerful enough against the forces of evil in our world? These questions asked at one time or another by just about every person in the church, if we are honest about it and possibly by most out of the church are usually not questions we tend to ask openly for fear that we would appear faithless. Yet, here in our Gospel today a man who had said wonderful things about Jesus sent his disciples to openly asks Jesus our question “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Are you the real thing, Jesus? When this exchange takes place, Jesus’ ministry is already in full swing. The Sermon on the Mount has taken place, Jesus has healed hundreds and the crowd of believers is fast growing around him.

When out of the blue, it seems, comes this question from John the Baptizer the cousin of Jesus; the one who had recognized Jesus from his mother’s womb and leapt with joy when her cousin Mary came to visit. The prophet who lived in the desert and cried out to anyone and everyone, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.”  Wild, stern John who recognized Jesus the moment he laid eyes on him at the river Jordon and said, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? John who had devoted his entire life to the coming Messiah, who saw the heavens open and the spirit of God descend upon Jesus like a dove is suddenly doubting Jesus’ identity when he asks of this same Jesus, “Are you really the one we have been waiting for?” What has happened?

Well, for one thing, prison has happened. Things have not gone well for John he was in a hellhole of a jail. He was in trouble with King Herod and Salome, the daughter of Herodius. She would soon ask for his head on a silver platter. Nothing was happening the way John had hoped. Jesus was not fitting his idea of a Messiah. The Messiah was supposed to change things and fix it so that the wicked no longer prospered and the righteous, like him-self were saved. Had he been mistaken? Hard experiences like John’s bring such questions upon us along with anger, fear, hurt, disappointment. It is easy to believe in God in the bright sunlight when all is joyful and well but let there be difficulty and the doubt can be there in the darkness. Whether or not it is hard for us to understand what John was going through; who among us has not had doubts or asked John’s question in those hard times?

When we see or experience the evil, the hunger, the sickness in our world, how can we not cry out Jesus are you the one, or are we to wait for another? With John and Isaiah, we want to cry out, “Be strong! Fear not! Behold your God will come with a vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you!” That will happen but not yet, until then, we continue to hand Jesus the ax that is laid at the root of the tree and Jesus lays it down and sends us out into our world with words of love on our lips and healing in our hands. Because at the heart of Jesus’ messianic mission was mercy, just as it remains at the heart of the church’s work today.

Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have good news brought to them.” Look at the evidence. What do you see? I am the Messiah but each person has to decide if I am real not only from analyzing the data but also from a leap of faith. We can realize Jesus is for real when we hear of all those who have witnessed to their faith and to the Lord’s work in their lives…Like the writers of the gospels, Paul, Augustine of Hippo, the mystics, Billy Graham, Martin Luther and on and on. We can realize that Jesus is real when we realize some of the best minds and souls have believed and were committed to his cause. For me, I know the Lord is real because when I look back on those hard times in my life, those times when I wasn’t very sure God was listening or cared, I can see that God was at work in my life. Or when I have been in situations that have caused me to cry out please God help me, and I get strength or peace or guidance. What about all those whom you have known or know now that help you to realize Jesus is real, that he is the one you have been waiting for? Take time during Advent to think back on your own life to the times you have known God is with you.

Yet, wouldn’t it have been nice if Jesus’ death and resurrection changed everything—that once everyone heard what God had done, they would see the light and turn their lives over to God. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone believed? What would our world look like if those who are in prison are freed, those who are blind receive their sight, those who are paralyzed with fear become full of hope, and those who are deaf hear the good news and sing joyfully? Matthew reminds us of the signs to look for because Jesus life, death and resurrection did change everything and what is and has been coming to pass is the kingdom of God. Christ was Isaiah’s prophecy come to life maybe not the part John had focused on about God coming with a vengeance, with terrible recompense, but what of the part about the lame leaping like deer and the tongue speechless singing for joy.

Tell him I am the one, and tell him to continue to look, to search every face for the face of God because John, this is not just the work of the Messiah but the work of God carried out by all who believe. Those with eyes and hearts that are open and looking for the truth will find that Christ is present and real even when things do not work out the way we want them to. It didn’t seem to for John in his life. John was beheaded by Herod but blessed is John for taking no offense and continuing to look at Christ. John was great because he did what he was called to do in the face of doubt, loneliness and disappointment. He recognized God at work, and those who do and are not offended because they were expecting something else will know God’s blessing.

Is Jesus the real thing every Christian asks now and then? Does he fit our hopes and expectations and will we recognize him when he comes? Every Advent, in John the Baptist, we find our answer. “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” John’s example showed us, a disciple is no longer to look at oneself, but rather to look at and point to Christ. We cannot remain complacent because we who have Jesus inside of us have to point to the one who is with us, Emmanuel. It is then we find our identity, our purpose and we find the real thing, Jesus our Messiah. Like all those who have believed, go and tell what you hear and see.