I’ve loved soda as long as I can remember. On many occasions, when I was young, I’d see my dad’s glass of iced Pepsi sitting out and I’d sneak a quick sip when he wasn’t looking. I remember one summer day, as I walked through our house, I saw his glass on the countertop, and with quiet glee, I took a giant swig. To my horror, the brown liquid inside wasn’t the sweet, bubbling beverage I’d imagined. It was sun tea—pretty different than what I was expecting.
Have you ever experienced something that didn’t match your expectations?
In Matthew 11, Jesus is approached by disciples of John the Baptist. We read in verse two that John is in prison, and he’s heard about the activity of Jesus in the region, so he sends his disciples to ask him, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
John is well acquainted with Jesus. John was the baby who leapt inside Elizabeth’s womb when she heard pregnant Mary’s greeting (Luke 1:44). It was John’s voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord (Matthew 3:3). In John 1:32, John testifies of what he witnessed when he baptized Jesus: “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him.” In fact, John already proclaimed Jesus as Messiah when he said, “So I testify that he is the Chosen One of God” (John 1:34).
John knew Jesus. He knew who Jesus was and why he came. So, you can almost hear the ache in his voice when he asks, “Should we keep looking for someone else?” John is in prison. John is suffering. And I wonder if he might have expected the life of a Jesus-follower to look a little differently than what he was experiencing.
Pain has a way of challenging what we believe is true sometimes, doesn’t it? When we are hurting, we might be tempted to ask, “Have I done something wrong?” or “Is Jesus not who I thought he was?” And when we are suffering, like John, we can safely bring our questions and doubts to Jesus.
When Jesus responds, we see no rebuke, no correction, and no ego to defend. Instead, he sends John’s disciples back to him with this encouragement, just as it was promised, “The blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” And then Jesus closes his message to John by saying, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.” As if to say, “Hold on, my dear friend.”
Life can surprise us. And like John, when following Jesus doesn’t look like we’ve planned, we can bring him our questions and offer him our doubts. In that tender space, we can expect to hear the Messiah reminding us of what is true, comforting us with community, and strengthening us with hope, saying, “Hold on, my dear friend.”
Reflection:
- When in your life have you been surprised by what following Jesus looked like? How did that experience form your idea of who Jesus is?
- What are spaces in your life that remind you of what’s true? How present are you in those spaces, and are there adjustments that might be helpful to make?
- What doubts or questions do you have that can be offered to Jesus in prayer today so you can be reminded of his unfailing love for you?