11/10/2024
Doubts... from the World's Most Faithful Man
On a normal level and on a spiritual level, one of my favorite sections of the Bible has to be Luke 7:18-35. There's a lesson in it I don't hear many people talk about, but it's one of the most important ones in the Bible, given the nature of this book, you'll see.
[If there's anyone reading this website that came here in hopes of only technology and funny music, I'd love for you to stick around, I'm working on more cool tech stuff for the site still. This website is my personal homepage, after all, and I strive to upload here only what is edifying :) ]
Anyways, the passage is largely about our good friend John the Baptist. His job of late has been that of preacher. He has been known to call out anyone who violated the commandments of God, be they passer-bys or even the regional ruler, Herod the Tetrarch. This latter fraternal correction landed him in prison, which is where we find St. John in this passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke.
Above: an actual, colorized photograph of Saint John the Baptist.
Apparently John has been sitting in prison, anxious. You would be anxious too if you were dealing with the likes of Herod. The same guy, who would, not long after jailing John, behead St. John the Baptist because he really liked some dance. Herod is not the pinnacle of virtue or logic here. Not long before being behind bars, John seemed pretty a pretty bold and mysterious figure. We can assume he may have had a relatively normal childhood since the Bible takes no pains to mention any miracles in the time between baby John and adult John, but he ends up being an oddball penitent in the desert that attracted many curious folks to him. Some of that boldness seems to have dwindled during his imprionsment, however, and John, perhaps fearfully, sends some of his followers to ask Jesus right out: are you the Messiah?
Although lots of people in Jesus and John's day were waiting for the messiah, John might be the last person you would expect to ask someone outright if he is the messiah. John is the kind of person who surely has chunks of law and scripture memorized, has been fasting day and night in the wilderness and even told people to follow Jesus instead of him. In John's own words, he's not even worthy to untie the sandals of Jesus' feet - Jesus is the "lamb of God" who will fulfill everyone's messianic expectations and set everything right in the world again.
And yet, that same person who felt so strongly called by God to eat nothing but bugs and wild honey in the desert is now having second thoughts. If Jesus is the messiah, where's the revolution? Where's God's justice? Isn't everything supposed to be like it was in the beginning again, like with Adam and Eve taking strolls with God in Genesis? Surely martyrdom was not out of the realm of possibilities in John's mind when he started butting heads with people like Herod, but... Jesus, the lamb of God, the Son of God, the messiah, the one who is to come... John's own cousin... Surely things would be alright and John would be out of prison soon, right?
In our story here, John seems to be fed up with waiting. Out his disciples go to ask Jesus: "are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
Jesus responds: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me.”
Paraphrasing, Jesus says: "you all know the scriptures. These are the signs that people would see when the days of the messiah come. You have witnessed such things yourselves and you now have proof that we're in the midst of such times - the plan of God is in motion as we speak." The messengers of John scurry off with Jesus' response.
Jesus would have found odd such a question coming from someone like John. Jesus and John grew up in some proximity to each other and He saw John's ministry. Jesus senses the anxiety beneath the surface of this question and goes on to say two fascinating things.
One, that John is "a prophet, and more than a prophet" - that John has taken the role of the exalted Elijah. Basically, someone who's reeeally holy with a mission straight from God. Second, even just having heard John's inquiry, Jesus continues to say "among those born of women, none is greater than John." (There's more to that last quote, but that's for another day - the first part of this sentence can stand on its own, even given the context of the passage.)
Allow me to reword this. Jesus says, "John is one of the most virtuous people I know, and blessed in the eyes of God. He is walking well in the ways of our God. Although he has questioned the plan of God, shown openly his doubt - he is one of the greatest people to have ever walked the earth."
Let that sink in some more. *JESUS* says that this guy who openly questions the plan of God which has already largely been laid out (and which John has shown to consciously be aware of) is one of the best people ever.
Don't get me wrong - John has obviously shown himself to be a friend of God, putting his faith in the most high above all else. John has furthered the building of the kingdom of God on earth with all his might and then some. God has blessed John, God loves John, John loves God, etc.
Despite what many Christians may have told you, faith and doubt are not opposites. Faith and apathy may be more accurate opposites. If our walks with God are truly relationships, then know that doubts are not things that end relationships - not caring or giving up on the relationship is the only thing that can end the connection. The ups and downs along the path of life cannot sever our ties with God, and Jesus confirms this by his comments on the life of John the Baptist. Our goal in life is simple, to love God and love neighbor - but John and Jesus show that the path is not always clear, cut, dry or easy.
You might think that I'm reading a bit too much into this story. But if the entirety of the Psalms are anything to be reckoned with - those venerable poems that lay out everything on the table between humanity in God, from happiness, to anger, to sadness, to destitution and everything in between - then God can handle anything you throw at Him, including even doubt in Him, His plan, goodness or existence itself... anything. Knowing that your relationship with God can be as open as possible is beyond freeing. It has certainly allowed me room to grow, fail, make mistakes and ultimately learn from everything and come out on top of things, by the grace of God.
Speaking broadly, then: the only way you can fail your spiritual journey is to stop seeking truth, greater faith, virtue, goodness and love. So keep it up! But don't take my word for it, take Jesus', as demonstrated above ;) Now go read the rest of the Gospel of Luke and learn every other great truth it contains. And feel free to email me with any questions or comments.
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