Sermon -- 3rd Sunday of Advent (December 14, 2025)

THE ONE WITH QUESTIONS FINDS ANSWERS IN DIVINE WORDS.

MATTHEW 11:2-11.

In the name + of Jesus.

    “While John was in prison, he heard about the things Christ was doing.  He sent two of his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the Coming One or should we wait for someone else’” (Matthew 11:2-3)?  There is a debate among theologians over who was asking the question.  Was the question from John the Baptist who was languishing in prison?  Or was the question for the benefit of John’s disciples?  There are compelling arguments for both.

     John had preached a message of repentance and warned of the judgment that would come through the Christ.  But Jesus was not breathing fire or cutting down sinners.  He performed acts of healing, not judgment.  For this, Jesus was wildly popular.  John’s reward for faithful preaching was a prison sentence.  Was Jesus, perhaps, a second forerunner and the Christ was still coming?  On the other hand, John had seen the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus in the form of a dove at Jesus’ baptism.  John had declared, “I saw this myself and have testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34).  How could John ever forget or question that? 

     If John knew that his death was imminent, his disciples needed to follow the one who is the way, not the one who prepares the way.  Perhaps John was getting his disciples ready to transfer their allegiance to Jesus.  They needed to be sure that Jesus is, indeed, the Messiah.  In either case, the disciples of John came to Jesus with a sincere question: “Are you the Coming One or should we wait for someone else” (Matthew 11:3)?  The ones with questions would find their answer in divine words. 

     When they asked Jesus if he were the Christ, Jesus could have simply answered, “Yes.  I am.”  But a fraud would answer the exact same way.  Jesus warned his Church, “If anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There he is,’ do not believe it.  For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive even the elect, if it were possible” (Matthew 24:23-24).  If Jesus had simply claimed to be the Coming One, he could have been a deceiver.

     The one with questions finds his answers in divine words.  “Jesus answered them, ‘Go, report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached to the poor’” (Matthew 11:4-5).  If false Christs can perform miraculous signs, why did Jesus refer to his miracles as proof?  Actually, he didn’t just point to his miracles.  He referred to the prophet Isaiah who had said: “Tell those who have a fearful heart: Be strong.  Do not be afraid.  Look!  Your God will come with vengeance.  With God’s own retribution, he will come and save you.  Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unplugged.  The crippled will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy” (Isaiah 35:4-6).  Jesus was telling John’s disciples, “What the Lord had foretold is being fulfilled right before your eyes.  Do not believe it just because I claim to be the Coming One.  Do not believe it just because you see miraculous signs.  Believe it because divine words are being fulfilled.”  The one with questions finds his answers in divine words.

     Perhaps the most compelling sign that Isaiah had foretold is this: “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened…” (Isaiah 35:5).  Jesus had restored sight to a number of blind people.  This was predicted by Isaiah, but it was unprecedented until Jesus.  There are no records in the Old Testament of a blind person having his sight restored.  So, when Jesus said, “Go, report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight…” (Matthew 11:4-5), he is emphatically stating that the divine words are finding their fulfillment in him.  The one with questions finds his answers in divine words.

     After John’s disciples departed to report what Jesus had said and what he was doing, Jesus asked the crowds about him.  “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind” (Matthew 11:7)?  The answer was a clear, “No.”  John did not bend his message based on his audience.  He held firm to the divine words he had been given.  John told people what was needed, not what was popular opinion or common practice. 

     Our world continues to change its mind about what is right and true.  There is a temptation for pastors and people alike to change with the world.  Only a few generations ago, couples who lived together outside of marriage were told that they were living in sin.  Today, most couples consider it unthinkable that they wouldn’t live together before marriage.  They want to try each other out to see if it would work.  But anyone who enters a relationship with the idea, “I can always walk away if I want,” is likely to feel the same way when marriage gets hard.  You shouldn’t be surprised that couples who live together before marriage are more likely to divorce than those who do not. 

     But this has become common practice in our society.  So, what should the church do?  Do we change the message so that we don’t turn people away?  Many churches have opted for that.  Like reeds blown by the wind, pastors adopt the spirit of the day.  In doing so, they reject the divine words.  In essence, they call God a liar.  They fill people with a false confidence, telling them that they are good Christians when the Bible says they are defying Christ.  Hellfire burns hot for those who defy Christ, and it burns hotter for the pastors who will not sound the warning to those who do. 

     Our Lord does not command his Church to be liked by the world.  He commands us to be faithful to his word.  Now, regarding those who usurped the blessing of a marriage bed apart from marriage, we proclaim God’s mercy to those who repent.  We urge them to rectify their situation—either move to separate places or get married.  We cannot comply to those who want us to bless what God does not bless.  We cannot be reeds blown by the wind.  Since the divine words do not bend, neither shall we.

     Again, Jesus spoke of John the Baptist.  “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? … A man dressed in soft clothing?  No, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses” (Matthew 11:7-8).  John did not preach to flatter anyone.  John did not preach to win a soft life in the king’s home.  For holding firm to God’s words he ended up in the king’s prison.  Eventually, he lost his life for it.  But he did not lose his place in God’s kingdom.  If John the Baptist had any doubts about Jesus being the Messiah or any fears that God had abandoned him, he found his answers in divine words.  These words apply to him: “Do not fear anything that you are about to suffer.  Look, the Devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you will be tested, and you will suffer…. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.  …He who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death” (Revelation 2:10-11).  

     Jesus continued: “So what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I tell you!  And he is much more than a prophet.  Amen I tell you: Among those born of women there has not appeared anyone greater than John the Baptist.  Yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:9,11).  John the Baptist did the work of a prophet.  He proclaimed the divine words which pointed people to Jesus.  While many prophets of the past pointed ahead to Jesus, only John, when he pointed, had a person at the end of his finger.  This made John the greatest prophet of the Old Testament.  To any who wondered if the Christ would ever come, John proclaimed divine words to give answer to those who questioned. 

     And yet, Jesus says that you are greater than John the Baptist.  The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom over which Jesus reigns.  To secure that kingdom, Jesus had to fulfill what God the Father had sent him to do—to pay for the sins of the world.  So, Jesus took up the sins of us all.  All the divine words find their fulfillment in Jesus.  The divine words which command us to do good are fulfilled in Jesus who has done only good in perfect obedience to his Father and in perfect love for his fellow man.  The divine words which expose our sin and condemn us in them have their fulfillment in Jesus.  He hung exposed on the cross and was condemned there in our place, bearing our guilt. 

     John the Baptist said this would be the case.  When he pointed to Jesus as the Coming One, he did not say, “Watch him.  He is a good man,” or “Listen to him.  He preaches interesting sermons.”  He said, “Look!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).  These divine words from the mouth of the prophet declare, “Look!  Here is the one God sent to be slain for sins so that you will not be slain for them.”  John did not get to see his words fulfilled.  You and I live on the other side of his words.  We have the words of the prophets made more certain.  We are baptized into it, covered by the holy blood of Jesus.  We get to feast on the living body and blood of our Lord. 

     So the Church sings, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing” (Revelation 5:12)—the Lamb who was slain.  For, Jesus is risen.  All authority in heaven and on earth belong to him.  He has taken up his throne and reigns over all things.  And he has brought you under his reign.  For you, the salvation from Jesus is not a promise to be fulfilled.  It is a completed act.  If you have wondered if your sins could be forgiven, Jesus lives to declare a full pardon.  If you are a repeat offender against God’s law and question your place in his kingdom, the blood of Jesus purifies you of all sin.  It doesn’t even matter if you are the least in the kingdom of heaven.  Even the least in the kingdom of heaven receives the full benefits of the kingdom.  You don’t need to question God’s grace and mercy.  The one with questions finds answers in divine words. 

     If John the Baptist’s faith was wavering as he sat in prison, I wouldn’t blame him.  When we suffer, especially if we suffer for being faithful to the Lord, we can begin to wonder if it is worth it.  In the case of John or of his disciples, they were even wondering if they were mistaken.  When your life is on the line, you want to be sure that you are trusting in the right things.  If you have such doubts, look where Jesus directs you.  The one with questions finds answers in divine words.  The word of the Lord “revives the soul, …gives joy to the heart, and …stands forever” (Psalm 19:7,8,9).  In his promises, our Lord assures you of his love and faithfulness.  He assures you of your place in his kingdom and under his care.  And what he promises, he brings to fulfillment. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.