No sooner do we hear of John the Baptist fulfilling the word of the prophet Isaiah, preparing the way for the Lord, than we see him sitting in a prison cell for his troubles. A mere week after hearing him give the holy command to repent, we hear him asking a question seemingly filled with doubt: "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

This is a passage that has had a contentious history in the Church, and for this very reason. Are we to believe that the forerunner of Christ, this voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Prepare the way!", who pointed to Jesus and announced, "Behold! The Lamb of God!", is now doubting the same message he was proclaiming? Here is a guy who did not have to look forward to the coming of the Christ like his prophet predecessors, but could gaze upon Him with his own eyes, embrace Him with His own two arms, and sit at the table and dine with Him; He had more before him in a concrete way than Elijah and Isaiah and Malachi and Ezekiel and Daniel. Yet, he of all people would begin to doubt whether Jesus, his own cousin, is the Christ, the Holy One of Israel? It would certainly seem that way.

And, to be honest, it should not be so surprising; after all, John is a man who wrestled with sin and doubt as every man has since the fall—he's no superman. And we can only imagine that the wrestling with sin and doubt intensifies as he sits in a prison cell, probably wondering why God would let something like this happen to him. After all, if God is for him, how could he end up in prison doing what he was supposed to be doing? Isn't Jesus supposed to be the great and marvelous king come to destroy everything that is "anti-God"? Rescuing someone from prison should be a small feat.

So, "[w]hen Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'" We last encountered John the Baptist last week in Matthew, chapter 3. He was in the desert preaching a baptism of repentance. Now, we find ourselves in St. Matthew's 11th chapter. A lot has happened in those 9 chapters: Jesus was baptized, lead into the wilderness, and subjected to the temptations of the devil; Jesus taught many people, gave the sermon on the mount and the Beatitudes, and taught His disciples how to pray; He healed many people—gave sight the blind and voice to the mute, caused the lame to walk, cleansed lepers, and raised the dead; and He sent out his apostles to do the same, to proclaim that the kingdom of God is as hand, to prepare those places to receive Him.

After doing all of this and starting to go into those cities, today we hear that John is imprisoned. He had fulfilled his calling and completed his mission of preparing the way for The Holy One of Israel. If He had not, God would not have allowed him to be imprisoned. And while in prison, John undoubtedly heard of Jesus' miracles and teaching. So, he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask Him if He was really the one to come, or if they should be looking to someone else. Is He really the Messiah promised in the Scriptures, or would another be coming?

When, John's disciples arrive on the scene, they find Jesus doing what Jesus does: teaching and preaching and healing. And like good little puppets, they ask Him their assigned question, as if Jesus' work wasn't proof enough: "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" It's time to come clean, Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph: are you really the Messiah, or should we look somewhere else to find Him?

Now, you know when Jesus hears a yes-or-no question, He seldom, if ever, answers that way. (And the more you get to know me, you'll find I'm the same way, too.) Instead, He instructs them with His own object lesson: "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them."

And, you have to understand that Jesus did not say this in order to boast. He wasn't thumping His chest and saying, "Look at all the marvelous things I'm doing; that alone should prove I am who I say I am." On the contrary, He's pointing to those miracles and signs because they are just that: signs. His words echo those which we heard from Isaiah this morning, signs that will mark that the Messiah is here:

Say to those who have an anxious heart, Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

These words of Isaiah are just the tip of the iceberg that is the Old Testament, all of which points to the coming of the Christ...looking forward to Jesus as the Christ. In essence, Jesus says, "Go and tell John that the things written of me in the law and the prophets are coming to pass."

And then, here's the kicker verse: "And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." If we are to believe that John is wrestling with doubt regarding Jesus' identity as the Christ, then this statement seemed aimed directly at him. "Blessed is the one who is not offended because I'm not who they expect or want me to be." "Blessed is the one who is not offended because I don't come all glorious and powerful and vengeful."

Or is it directed at John?

John's disciples immediately return to him to report what Jesus had said. And, as they left, Jesus began to speak to the people about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?" Did you go out to see a man who sways to and fro by every teaching and new idea that comes along—someone without any real convictions? "What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses." Did you go to the desert to see a man trying to gain popularity and wealth enough for fine clothes and fine living? "What then did you go out to see? A prophet?" Did you go into the wilderness to find the next prophet, since its been about 400 years since the last one? "Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'" Oh, but John is so much greater than a prophet, for he was given the privilege of preparing the way for the King of kings, as was foretold by the prophet Malachi!

Maybe it wasn't John who was doubting so much, but his disciples. Could John have been wrestling with doubt? Sure. But Jesus doesn't address that so much as He calls John a faithful preacher and the promised forerunner to prepare His way. And in doing so, He was, once again, declaring that the time had come...that the long-awaited Messiah was walking and teaching and preaching among them! Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world John pointed to and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

But what about you, dear hearers? Do you see Jesus as John taught—as the Lamb of God? Do you see Jesus as the Mighty God despite his apparent frailty and weakness and humility? In short, who do you say Jesus is? Better yet, can or do you believe in Jesus and receive Him as Lord and Savior?

Well, of course you can and do. You wouldn't be sitting there right now if that weren't the case. But we must recognize that we are only here and believe in and receive Jesus as Savior by God's grace.

And by that same token, we must recognize our own flesh and blood, and that sinful nature that resides within. Old Adam within will never believe; he cannot believe. He is against everything godly and will use everything in his power to cause doubt to swell up, be it as simple as a personal setback to as grand as a national or global tragic event. He will try to sway you with logic and reason or emotion to counter your knowledge of Christ. And he is always at work; he never rests and cannot be ignored.

With that in mind, it behooves us to ask, "How?" The question was already asked: "Can or do you believe in Jesus and receive Him as Lord and Savior?" And the answer was, "Yes, by the grace of God!" But, how? How does that grace work? In other words, by what means does God's grace come to you?

Dear hearers, look to the Gospel lesson once again and gaze upon what is happening; therein you'll find the answer. John's disciples needed to see and hear Jesus. And in seeing and hearing Jesus, they believed in and received him as Lord and Savior. So, how is it that we can hear Him and see His works ourselves?

Once again, look to the Gospel! But, look not only to the Gospel, look to the Epistle reading, look to the Old Testament reading...look to the entire Word. It is in and by the Scripture that the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us, and in it do we hear Him and see His works! "These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that by believing you may have life in His name," St. John wrote in his Gospel.

It all seems so simple...too simple, perhaps. It is far too easy to want something spectacular. The desire for proof in experience is overwhelming. There should be excitement, hearts afire, some emotional connection to prove that Jesus is the Lord and Savior. Instead, all we get as proof are some words?

Old Adam is always at work, and this is the logic he uses to sway us from the truth. He wants wisdom and miracles. He looks for excitement. The Word of God is foolishness to him. What's more, Jesus was all-wise and He did perform miracles. He taught with a wisdom and authority far beyond his years, amazing the temple scribes and priests. He did give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, cleansed lepers, raised the dead—all spectacular miracles, to be sure.

But, perhaps the wisest and most miraculous thing He ever did was go to the cross and die for the sins of the world. That was the purpose of His first coming. For, there on His cross, He assumed the sin of the world and died with it, destroying it, and creating for the world the tree of life—two simple, wooden beams. It is wise beyond our understanding and most miraculous indeed, for there our sin and death was taken from us and we were given life!

And the world and Old Adam call it foolishness.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

And they take offense at it. Christ's birth and crucifixion aren't spectacular enough. Kings are not born and placed in a feeding trough. Kings are not executed like criminals.

Yet, that is how God descended to earth. Born and wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a simple wooden cradle fashion out of a trough to be nailed to a wooden cross. "They are of the same wood," Helmut Thielicke, a German preacher, often said.

Christ Jesus...though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Listen not to your Old Adam. Be not offended at the humility of our Lord. This is wonderful, Good News! This is not foolishness; this is great and mighty wisdom. God has come down to earth in the person of His Son, taking on our human flesh in order that He might shed His blood and die for the sins of the world, which He did on the cross at calvary. From Bethlehem to Calvary is a miraculous trek; and He has made it out of love and compassion for a fallen world. And if He has shed His blood and died for the sins of the world—if He made this miraculous trek out of love and compassion for a fallen world—then He has shed His blood and died for you, dear hearer; He has made this miraculous trek out of love and compassion for you, dear listener. Take it personally!

And He doesn't stop there. Jesus is the Christ; He was the coming one, He is the coming one, and He will be the coming one. Therefore, we will look for no one else. First He came as the lowly infant to die and rise again. Having accomplished that, He has now ascended with the promise to be with us always, to the very end of the age—so, now He comes by Word and Sacrament; He is with us now in Word read and proclaimed and as we receive His very Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. And, one day, Christ will come again with glory in the clouds to judge the living and the dead. He will come to judge you, dear hearer. Take this personally!

Fear not this judgment, however, dear believer, for you will be found guiltless by the blood of the Lamb. The blood that has come and was born of the virgin Mary, and was shed for you on the eighth day, and was shed again for you in the praetorium and on the cross, and is given for you in the Sacrament of the Altar cleanses you in order that you will stand guiltless before God when He comes again. On that day, the King who has come and will come again will say to you, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

This we know, not because of some great wonder He has performed or because of the authority or wisdom with which He taught or because we feel it in the deepest region of our heart or because we have some emotional connection to Jesus, but because He is revealed to us as the coming Lord and Savior in Scripture. Our experiences and emotions change every moment, but Jesus Christ does not. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." That is to say, He has come, as revealed in Scripture and He is to come again, as revealed in Scripture. And by Scripture we know this truth: Christ has come and died to forgive sinners—therefore, you are forgiven for all of your sins—and Christ will come again to bring us to Himself—therefore, we pray again, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Amen."