Simply Jesus

By guest blogger - John Dangana

Matthew 10 -11

‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ (Matthew 11:3)

Feeling tired, burnt out, betrayed and belittled? John the Baptist experienced it all. He prepared the way for Israel to receive their Messiah and when it was time for Jesus to bail him, He doesn’t. How disillusioning!

Imprisoned and humiliated. No visits from Jesus. No prayer for deliverance. No miracle. No angelic intervention. Not even the slightest sign of concern.

‘Is this what I signed up for? Where’s Jesus (God) when I need Him the most? Surely if He can do all these miracles, He can get me out of this dump.’ Silence. Dead silence.

In frustration John sends the message, ‘Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ I think what John meant was, ‘Hey Jesus, if you can’t help me, I might as well look for another’. Does that sound familiar?

Question: If Jesus wouldn’t help, who else will help?

Philip Yancey in Reaching for the Invisible God says, ‘The only thing more difficult to having a relationship with an invisible God is having no such relationship’.

Jesus’ reply to John’s tirade is, ‘Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.’ Annoying, bizarre or even more disillusioning? Hmmmmh!