Don’t Jettison Your Faith

“When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah,

he sent his disciples to ask him,

“Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Matthew 11:2-3

So what ‘deeds’ did Jesus do that caused John to doubt?

John railed against sinners;

Jesus ate with them.

John called sinners to repent; 

Jesus forgave them.

John and his disciples fasted;

Jesus and His disciples, it would seem, ‘kicked off’ their ministry at a Wedding Feast.

Was John the messenger who prepared the way now questioning how the Messiah was behaving and how he would usher in the Kingdom?

Was Jesus missing it or was John the Baptist misunderstanding it?

Maybe this is a good moment to remind ourselves of Isaiah 55:8 –

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.

Being in prison is never something to celebrate.

We can be alone with our thoughts and sometimes ‘our thoughts’ can be very discouraging and disheartening.

Jesus would usher in the Kingdom but He would do it in a way most never imagined. Perhaps not even John. 

When God “behaves” in a way that doesn’t fit your theology; it’s not time to jettison your faith (and God along with it) but it may be time to rethink your theology.

Trust God even when it contradicts your logic and your reason.

Some may be offended by that statement.

But then again, some were offended by the cross back then, even as some are today.