Trustworthy Witness

Author: Joseph

Date: June 14, 2020

Today, let's go back in time and imagine ourselves seeing the events as they happen when John is imprisoned and Yeshua is out among the people of Israel, preaching the good news. The prophet John hears about the work of Yeshua after being locked away, imprisoned for speaking against King Herod. John is troubled by what he hears. He is so troubled by what he hears that he sends his disciples to Yeshua to question Him. The question John has is whether or not Yeshua is the “Expected One” (the Messiah) and if He is not, then John planned on looking for the true Messiah.

“Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.’” (Matthew 11:2-6)

Why would John, after hearing about the works of Yeshua, doubt that He was the Messiah?

Before we answer this question, let’s look at Yeshua’s response. Yeshua tells John’s disciples to return to John and report all that they have seen and heard, then retelling them what they have witnessed while with Him: the blind receiving sight, the lame walking, lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead being raised up again, and the good news being preached to the poor (Matthew 11:5). Yeshua’s answer sound good, but it doesn’t seem to address John’s inquiry because we are already told earlier in the same passage that John heard of the works of Yeshua. It seems that Yeshua is repeating what John has already heard from others, but He is not. We know this because of what Yeshua says at the end of His response, “And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me” (Matthew 11:6).

The reason Yeshua showed John’s disciples His good works and told them to report what they saw to John is because John was offended at what he was initially told while he was in prison. What John was told while he was in prison was a false report of the good works Yeshua was performing. People weren’t speaking well about Yeshua; they were doing just the opposite. We know this because Yeshua says that many people were speaking evil regarding His ministry.

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds” (Matthew 11:19).

Isolated in prison, John had become distressed. People were falsely accusing Yeshua of committing sins and being in fellowship with evildoers. This was the same Yeshua John had baptized and proclaimed as the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 36). John had no way of determining the truth of the matter on his own, so he sent his disciples whom he trusted to search out the truth of the matter for him. Yeshua answered John and testified that He was indeed the Messiah and that John had no reason to despair over the evil rumors that were beings spread about him. Yeshua told John that those that don’t take offense at His life and ministry were blessed. Because regardless of the evil rumors, God’s kingdom work and the good news of His kingdom was being preached. If people had faith enough to believe Yeshua and see the truth of what He was doing, they would be blessed.

"...we have to stand firm in our faith when others begin to falsely accuse God..."

We can learn two things from this passage regarding the perspective of John. The first is that we have to stand firm in our faith when others begin to falsely accuse God and speak negatively about Him. No matter what Yeshua did, there were always those with evil intentions who twisted and maligned what they saw and heard. If Yeshua was preaching the good news to sinners, they would falsely say He was communing with them because He was Himself one. If someone was healed by Yeshua on the sabbath, they would say that healing was forbidden because it was work, even though the truth of the matter was that Yeshua was bringing that person into true rest by relieving their suffering. The list could go on. The main point is that if someone has evil intentions, they will never accept the fact that God is good and His works are good. Instead, they will always seek to slander His name and make Him appear as evil and hypocritical, to their own shame.

"...we should be in fellowship with trustworthy, honest, and reliable believers..."

The second thing we can learn from this passage is that we should be in fellowship with trustworthy, honest, and reliable believers whom we can rely on to support us when our faith grows weary. Of course, God is our main support, yet we are also in need of community as all believers are united and connected in Messiah and are meant to support one another. Can you imagine the turmoil John would have experienced if he couldn’t trust his own disciples to inquire on his behalf? He would have both physically and spiritually wasted away in his prison cell, never knowing the truth and bearing the guilt of having proclaimed a Messiah he lost faith in.

Although the Scriptures never tell us John’s reaction to receiving his disciple’s report, I strongly believe that when he heard their words he was rejuvenated in his spirit and strengthened in his faith. This would later give him the courage to face death when King Herod finally had him executed.

Evil people will report evil things about God and relentlessly attempt to destroy any faith we have in Him. We have many witnesses that can aid us in maintaining our faith and keep us from doubting God when we are faced with slanderous words. We have the Bible, God’s written witness, reliable and true for all teaching and discipline, which testifies of God’s character and the awesome history He has with humankind. We have God’s Spirit, who reminds all believers of Yeshua and His teachings, helping us in our daily walk of life. We have fellow believers, who are all united through Yeshua, who build us up using their spiritual gifts and their ministerial callings to edify us.

Do not be shaken by the evil reports of slanderers of God. You, as a believer, know God and have a personal relationship with Him. You also have a multitude of witnesses that can aid you when you face opposition and discouragement. God has and He will speak for Himself to testify of His character and His goodness and righteousness. Trust in God, believe He is who He says He is, and do not heed the words of mockers and slanderers.

Matthew 11:2-19

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

Copyright by The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org).