The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” 21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

24 When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus [6] began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. 26 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written,

“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’

28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, [7] having been baptized with the baptism of John, 30 but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”
Luke 7:18-35

Introduction

I don’t know if you know about the big brouhaha created by Rick Warren being asked to pray at President Obama’s inauguration, but it caused quite a stir. One reason it was controversial to some was that Rick Warren supported Prop 8, the marriage amendment in last year’s election. But the second reason was one that also struck a nerve with some people, and it was over this question, “Would Rick Warren pray in Jesus’ name?” US News and World Report noted: “If Warren mentions Jesus, Jews, and Muslims, secular Americans will be put off.” The fact is, people don’t mind invoking the name of God because God can suit many faiths. But the name of Jesus is quite specific. His name leaves no such room for ambiguity. The fact of the matter is, the person of Jesus has offended people past, present, and future.

Who is Jesus that He should be so offensive to so many? In Luke 7:18-35, this was the question of the moment. But surprisingly, it wasn’t just the crowd who wanted this answer. John the Baptist wanted this answer as well. It would make all the difference to a man in a dank dungeon awaiting his execution. And knowing who Jesus is and why we should trust Him makes all the difference to each one of us, as we live our lives as Christians. So I’d like to answer these 4 questions from the text: 1) Who Is Jesus (from John’s point of view)? (vv. 18-23), 2) Who is John (from Jesus’ point of view)? (vv. 24-28a), 3) Who rejects Jesus? (v. 29-35).

Who Is Jesus? (vv. 18-23)

So first, who is Jesus? What’s most notable about this question is the questioner. Luke records: “The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” 21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” I know when I read this text, I ask myself, “I thought John the Baptist knew fully well who Jesus was. Why should he even be asking the question, ‘Are you the one who is to come?’” After all, this is the same John who saw Jesus and pronounced in front of all who gathered at the Jordan River: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’” (John 1:29-30) What’s going on here?

You have to understand. John is languishing in prison, arrested for opposing Herod’s marriage to his sister-in-law Heordias. He had stated that Jesus would come and judge the world and all who opposed God according to Luke 3:16. But there seemed to be a disconnect with John’s prediction that the Messiah would burn the chaff with unquenchable fire, and the fact that the Romans and Herod were still governing without opposition. Wasn’t the Messiah supposed to come and create a new world order? Maybe in the back of John’s mind, there was a slight doubt, a wondering just who Jesus really was.

There’s something almost encouraging from our vantage point in this struggle we see in John. If there was one person who would have no doubts about who Jesus was, it would be someone like John the Baptist, a man who laid it all on the line for the promised Messiah. We might easily think of John as a spiritual superman. If anyone can live as a hermit, eat locusts and honey every meal, and wear itchy camel’s hair for clothing every day, surely no one would outrank John the Baptist on the spiritual barometer. But here’s John, under very difficult circumstances, doubting, questioning. The question that John ultimately asks of Jesus, and one that perhaps some are even asking today is this, “Jesus, who are you and can I trust you?”

To get the answer to this question we only need to look at Jesus’ answer. His response reveals a vast array of miracles. And every miracle listed is a reminder to all Jews of OT prophecy (Isaiah 35:3-6; 61:1ff.) that depicts such miracles that the Messiah would accomplish. These miracles would occur only as the last days were approaching. In other words, John is not wrong about Jesus because everything that Jesus has done is perfectly aligned to the testimony of God’s Word. John can trust in Jesus because Scripture fully attests to His works. And this is really the first place we need to turn if we should ever feel any doubt about God and His faithfulness, especially when we are facing difficult circumstances. Does God’s Word give us hope during trials or does it leave us empty during such times? I can’t tell you how many Christians have clung to God’s Word as their only source of hope through difficulty, but in doing so, not only saw the Lord in away they never could have apart from God’s Word, but also, they received joy even in the midst of sorrow. As I shared a couple of weeks ago, when Sinclair Ferguson’s brother died and he needed to deliver the news to his mother, it was God’s Word from Romans 8:83ff. that gave him hope and peace during such a tumultuous time. When Jerry Bridges’ first wife was diagnosed with a large tumor in the abdomen, she turned to God’s Word in Psalm 42:11, choosing to trust God in difficulty. When Pastor Duane Willis’ kids were killed in the minivan explosion, he turned to Isaiah 55:8-9, dwelling on such promises. There is nothing that draws us near to God and answers questions of doubt more than turning to God’s Word to remind us of the truth of a text like Psalm 56:3-4: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”

But not only did Jesus’ answer to John give him comfort in the confirmation of Scripture, it was also a reminder to John of the power of Christ. Again, John is sitting in prison about to be executed. Would Jesus be able to do what He had said He would do, or as John stated, ‘shall we look for another’? In other words, was Jesus ABLE to save? Pointing to the miracles, especially as I shared a couple of weeks ago, the miracle of Jesus’ power of death, was absolutely critical to John’s hope. After all, what good is it if Jesus gives wise words, great speeches, is humble and delightful, but powerless. He’d be no different than any other man. But Jesus is no man. Paul tells us: “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” (Col 3:16) Jesus is God incarnate, Creator of all things on earth and in heaven. Jesus controls death and life, disease, disability, childbearing, nature. Jerry Bridges comments:

God does not willingly bring affliction or grief to us. He does not delight in causing us to experience pain or heartache. He always has a purpose for the grief he allows to come into our lives…Trusting God in the midst of our pain and heartache means that we accept it from Him. (Jerry Bridges, Trusting God, 102)

We need to come to realize as Christians that God simply does not promise an end to all suffering and trial once we trust in Christ. Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that in this world we WILL have trouble. But what God does promise is that all pain and suffering and trial according to Romans 8:28, when we trust in Him, is used ultimately for the good of those who love Him. Lamentations 3:31-33 tells us:

For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33 for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

Whether you believe in Jesus or not, everyone grieves, suffers, and has trials. So long as there is death, there will be such times for all who are born. So the question is not why is there suffering, but rather, how will you allow suffering and trial to impact you? Will you trust that God even uses your most difficult circumstances for His glory and your ultimate joy?

When John was sitting in his prison cell feeling perhaps a bout of self-pity and doubt, he needed to know that his reason for being in that cell was for what he had lived his life for. Jesus’ response I exactly what he needed to hear. He could have said essentially, “John, look at all I have done. Don’t you see that every prophesy of Scripture points to the Savior doing such things. But furthermore, don’t you know that there is not one thing in this universe that is beyond my power. I created this all. And even though I could with a snap of my fingers destroy this Roman Empire and its evil systems that will eventually murder you and crucify me, I choose not to do so because by going to my death, the family of my Father increases.” Jesus has the power to turn evil on its head and nothing will stop John from enjoying eternity with Jesus forever. So even the darkness of that cell will not stop the power of God to save sinners.

Who is John (from Jesus’ point of view)? (vv. 24-28a)

The second question we see answered from this text is, “Who is John?” And Jesus provides this answer in verses 24-28: “When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. 26 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is he of whom it is written,“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ 28 I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

The reed was a favorite symbol of Herod who put it on the coins of the day. It symbolized beauty, power, and fertility since they were known the move to and fro with the wind in mass quantities on the Judean shores. And so when Jesus compares John and the reed, no doubt that every listener understood that Jesus was comparing John to his captor. Herod was motivated by the fads of the day. Even though he did not want to execute John the politics of the moment caused in to cave in to his wife’s demands. He was a man driven by new fashions and grandiose architectural projects. Whatever the people wanted, he was quick to accede. In this way, Herod was very much the reed motivated by his lust for the approval of others. But John was not like this. He didn’t dress in the soft luxurious clothing of Herod. He didn’t live in the courts of kings. He lived in the desert and ate off the land. He wore the most uncomfortable of clothing not out of asceticism of out of necessity.

John’s lifestyle and his imprisonment by a king who lived in the lap of luxury were as stark of a contrast as there could be. But the irony is that though Herod outwardly looked like a king and John outwardly looked like a beggar, it would be John who would introduce a King far greater than Herod could ever imagine being. In this way, John was no ordinary prophet. He was much more. He was the preparer for the Messiah King. And His Kingdom would far outlast any that Herod could desire for Himself.

And here is one more remarkable thing about Jesus’ statement concerning John, though John has this crucial role of announcing the coming of the Messiah King, according to verse 28, anyone after John who trusts in the name of Christ is ‘greater than he.’ This is not to say that John doesn’t receive the blessings of being in heaven with Christ eternally. And no one before John was greater than he since only he would have the privilege and honor to announce the coming of God incarnate. But John is the last of the age of people who merely speak about the coming King. On this side of John, we are recipients of the full blessing of being in Christ. That is, you and I who believe in Christ are greatly privileged to be loved by our God who as adopted as sons and daughters. As Paul writes in Romans 8:37, “we are more than conquerors.” He also tells us in Ephesians 2:6 that God has “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” As great as John the Baptist was, Jesus tells us that you are greater than he in Christ.

Do you understand how significant Jesus’ statement is to you as a Christian? Jesus is destroying the idolatry of comparison. He’s saying to every follower of His that if there was one person who is on the supreme scale of Christian holiness, it was John the Baptist. But John could only dream of what we as Christians experience because He did not live to understand what the cross of Christ did. He could only dream of living with the full knowledge that their righteousness was credited as a gift of God and not as a merit of our labors. And he could only dream of our understanding that our root identity rests not in what we achieve, but our identity in Christ. Christians identify with their Savior and they are free to be as God created them to be, as sons and daughters of God. Every struggle then is a struggle of unbelief or a lack of realization of exactly what God has accomplished for His people at the cross.

I just recently read the story of a transsexual man who came to know the reality of this new identity in Christ. And when I read this story, I realized just how much of his struggle rested on his longing to be satisfied and valued. He writes:

My biggest mistake was that I did not see my feeling of being “out of place in the world” as really a rebellion against my Creator. Yes, I know that I responded to the problems of my childhood by thinking “If I was a girl, everything would be all right.” I believe that’s why many or most of us want to be women. It wasn’t a conscious choice. It seemed so innocent to simply wish to live as I felt most comfortable and natural. But it doesn’t work! We were not born to be women but men. And just being a man would not fulfill me—but being a Christian man. I saw plenty of unhappy men and women around. It’s not being a man or being a woman but being in Christ that counts. Because I could not find fulfillment as a man, I pitied myself and hated the world. I wanted God to correct His “mistake”! But my misery did not flow out of the unfairness of the universe. It came because I did not know the Maker of the universe. Only when we serve our Creator- King and give Him back the rule of our lives do we become our true selves. For years I wondered if God “understood” my problems. But He came to earth in Jesus Christ. The rich became poor, the all-powerful became weak, the Prince of Life was torn to pieces for me. Think of the pain and emptiness He experienced here! For me. Stunned by the realization of this undeserved mercy, I could no longer resent His commands and His call to holiness. (Anonymous, “’I Was a Transsexual Male…’: A Testimony to the Grace of God,” The Journal of Biblical Counseling (Volume 13, Number 3, Spring 1995), 34)

And this man is absolutely right. Only serving Christ, only understanding and soaking in deep into our hearts, will allow us to live for our true selves. You don’t have to be struggling with sexuality to be struggling with identity. If you have ever felt that a situation you faced was beyond the Gospel, you are not believing that Christ has made you an heir with Him through the cross. Christians who say they cannot love enough, forgive enough, are too tired to deal with a situation, are too inexperienced to know what to do, simply do not see who they are in Christ. You are greater than John. You reign right now with Christ. You have a view of heaven that is meant to effect you and others around you here on earth. And when we feel sorry for ourselves, when we harden our hearts towards others, when we are unyielding and unkind, we are simply settling for far less than what God has created us to be. Again, Jesus has paid the price of His own blood so that you are even greater than John. You don’t need to be an ascetic to enjoy God. Instead, you need to remember what Christ has doen for you by dying for your sins and making you a child of God to enjoy Him. And by doing this you will not only enjoy Him, but yourself, and others as well. As great as John was, this is what God has made those in Christ to be.

Who Rejects Jesus? (vv. 29-35)

If this is the promise for those who follow Christ, then why would anyone reject Him? Who ultimately rejects Jesus? Luke tells us who in verses 29-35: “(When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, 30 but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.) 31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ 33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

Notice that the Pharisees and lawyers ‘rejected the purpose of God for themselves’ and Luke adds the comment that they had not been baptized ‘with the baptism of John’. To understand the significance of this statement, we need to go back to Luke 3. There, John is baptizing by the Jordan River and as he sees this same group of people, he has these words for them in verses 7-8: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’” You see, John was preaching a baptism of repentance. Those who were baptized were confessing that they were sinners who had fallen short of God’s law and His glory. Baptism symbolized the humble heart and self-examination as a sinner. And this is exactly what the Jewish leaders rejected. They rejected the notion that they did not understand God’s law enough and that they had fallen short and needed a Savior.

In verses 31-35, Jesus compares them to a group of people who are forever complaining, forever criticizing, and finding nothing worthy of their approval. They are the children who play flutes and expect dancing. If you have a child who throws a tantrum because they do not get the pack of gum they desire, and the parent gives in because of such a tantrum, I think you can imagine what motivates that child to do such a thing. It’s called pride. It’s ingrained in every human being, the worship of oneself as God. When you don’t get what you want, you pout, become angry, and get even. It happened to Cain. God didn’t receive his sacrifice because his heart was not genuinely worshipping Him and so he became angry and his face fell (Gen 4:5). It’s the same self-righteous heart that fuels warring passions as James writes about in James 4:1-2: “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” Such a heart is never satisfied, always warring with oneself and with others. Thus, these Pharisees and teachers of the law criticize John for his supposed ‘asceticism,’ even telling him he has a demon, and then they turn around and criticize Jesus for his alleged ‘licentiousness,’ calling him a ‘friend of sinners’. Nothing pleases the self-righteous. Nothing makes such a person look deep into his own heart and recognize that he is desperately sick and even more a sinner than those he looks down upon. And these are the people who reject Jesus.

Professor Stuart Scott teaches at Master’s Seminary, and in his article entitled, “Pursue the Servant’s Mindset,” he makes some keen observations about the self-righteous. You might say this is a good self-test to see if we too have a Pharisaic mindset when it comes to self-righteousness. The self-righteous:

1. Are blind and unable to see pride. They might say “I’m proud,” but the words are insignificant for them.
2. Are unthankful. They have a sense of entitlement in all things.
3. Have outbursts of anger, withdrawing, pouting, are moody or impatient because one’s rights or schedules aren’t being met.
4. Are prone to perfectionism. He likes excelling to look good and to be noticed. Prof. Scoot says: “It reminds me of a cartoon of Garfield talking to Odie, the dog. He says, ‘Odie, I’m tired of talking about me. You talk about me for awhile.’”
5. Are a seeker of independence. He has difficulty working with others. He always needs to be in charge.
6. Monopolizes conversations, and often times need to be the center of attention.
7. Are people pleasing and people fearing.
8. Are devastaed by criticism.
9. Do not listen well because he is more interested in listening to himself speak than listening to others.
10. Are unteachable. He always seems to know it all, but can falsely claim he doesn’t just to exhibit false modesty.
11. Are unwilling to change. Their mottos are, “That’s just the way that I am,” “You have to accept me,” “You can’t change me.”
12. Need to be coerced to serve or to be part of the Body. Such people are just consumed with themselves, jealous, envious, not glad for others’ successes, deceitful, covering up faults, rarely seeking help, fake, and hypocritical.
13. Are defensive. They rarely admit sin. They rarely say, “I’m sorry” to a specific sin or ask for forgiveness.
14. Lack in serving others sacrificially.
15. Resist authority and are disrespectful. (Stuart Scott, “Pursue the Servant’s Mindset,” The Journal of Biblical Counseling, (Volume 17, Number 3, Spring 1999), 13.)

This is exactly what Jesus faced when he encountered the Pharisees. And because of this deep-seated pride, they rejected Him. Anyone in here find themselves to be self-righteous sometimes? Anyone here fit one of these qualities? Do you know that these are only symptoms for the person who places himself as Lord over his own life? As Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” And so when you are busy worshipping yourself as God, which is ultimately what self-righteousness is (determining that you are right and all else must submit to your rightness), you simply cannot worship Christ as well. You end up rejecting Christ. Or as Jesus tells us, you despise Him.

And so this is why we need to put death our pride in Christ. Or as Paul puts in Galatians 2:20, we need to be crucified with Christ and no longer do we live any more, but now Christ lives in us. We no longer are controlled by me. We are no longer fighting for personal worthiness and identity. We are no longer striving so ahrd to defend what people think of us. We are no longer destroyed by the criticism of others. IN Christ, by His blood, we are set free from the worship of ourselves. And so, like a thirsty man wandering in a barren desert by days, when he comes to take a drink from a cup of water, and tastes just how refreshing it is, wants so much more. This person in Christ is never forced to want to honor Jesus and worship Him. It is a delight to do so. And so author/counselor Paul Tripp is right on when he says:

The Christian life should be a state of thankful discontentment or joyful dissatisfaction! We live every day thankful for the amazing grace that fundamentally changes our lives, but we should not be satisfied. Why not? Because, when we look at ourselves, honestly, we have to admit that there is still need for personal growth and change. We are not yet all that we could be in Christ. We are thankful for the many things in our lives that would not be there without His grace, but we should not settle for partial inheritance. We should want nothing less than all that is our in Christ! (Paul Tripp and Tim Lane, “How Christ Changes Us By Grace,” The Journal of Biblical Counseling, (Spring 2005), 19)

Conclusion

Who is Jesus? He is God the Son. He died for you. He calls you to Himself. He is what Spurgeon calls the captain of your salvation. Every part of Scripture points to this truth. And every miracle he ever did reminds us that He has the power to save. If you are willing to come to him as one weary and heavy laden, His promise is that He will give you rest. When He was forsaken on the cross, He bore your forsakenness, your right place in hell, when you trust in Him. And so when you see Him face to face, you will see just how horrific your sin truly is, but how terrific He is in granting you grace.