When God Sits on His Hands
Introduction: Have there been times when your world seemed to be crashing down on you, and God was silent? I know that has happened to some of you, because I have heard about it in my counseling. A loved one dies, you lose your job, one of your children is stretching you to the breaking point, your health is threatened, your spouse tells you he doesn’t love you anymore. And some of you have had all those things happen to you in a relatively short period of time. Even if you’re not personally facing tragedies like this, you see all around you homelessness, drugs, crime, corruption, abortion, child abuse, terrorism, famine, war, racism, immorality, AIDS, everywhere in society. And you wonder, “Where is God?”
Our Scripture text for today tells the story of a great man of God who struggled with his faith because it seemed God was sitting on his hands while he rotted in prison. It begins in Luke 7:18:
John’s disciples told him about all these things (the sermon on the Mount, the healing of the Centurion’s servant, the healing of the son of the widow of Nain). Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'”
Max Lucado gives the background to this situation as only he can.
He was a child of the desert. Leathery face. Tanned skin. Clothing of animal skins. What he owned fit in a pouch. His walls were the mountains and his ceiling the stars.
But not anymore. His frontier is walled out, his horizon hidden. The stars are memories. The fresh air is all but forgotten. And the stench of the dungeon relentlessly reminds the child of the desert that he is now a captive of the king.
In anyone’s book, John the Baptist deserves better treatment than this. After all, isn’t he the forerunner of the Christ? Isn’t he a relative of the Messiah? At the very least, isn’t this the courageous voice of repentance?
John’s problems began when he called a king on the carpet. On a trip to Rome, King Herod succumbed to the enticements of his brother’s wife, Herodias. Deciding Herodias was better off married to him, Herod divorced his wife and brought his sister-in-law home. The gossip columnists were fascinated, but John the Baptist was infuriated. He pounced on Herod like a desert scorpion, denouncing the marriage for what it was—adultery.
Herod might have let him get away with it. But not Herodias. This steamy seductress wasn’t about to have her social climbing exposed. She told Herod to have John pulled off the speaking circuit and thrown into the dungeon. Herod hemmed and hawed until she whispered and wooed. Then Herod gave in.
But that wasn’t enough for this mistress. She had her daughter strut before the king and his generals at a stag party. Herod, who was as easily duped as he was aroused, promised to do anything for the pretty young thing in the G-string.
“Anything?”
“You name it,” he drooled. She conferred with her mother, who was waiting in the wings, then returned with her request.
“I want John the Baptist.”
“You want a date with the prophet?”
“I want his head,” replied the dancer. And then, reassured by a nod from her mother, she added, “On a silver platter, if you don’t mind.”
Herod looked at the faces around him. He knew it wasn’t fair, but he also knew everyone was looking at him. And he had promised “anything.” Though he personally had nothing against the country preacher, he valued the opinion polls much more than he valued John’s life. After all, what’s more important – to save face or to save the neck of an eccentric prophet?
The story reeks with inequity. John dies because Herod lusts. The good is murdered while the bad smirk. A man of God is killed while a man of passion is winking at his niece. Is this how God rewards his anointed? Is this how he honors his faithful? Is this how God crowns his chosen? With a dark dungeon and a shiny blade?[i]
The initial message I see here is that …
Even a mature believer can be confused by the outworking of God’s plan.
We sometimes put our biblical heroes on a pedestal and think that they could never have struggled with their faith like we do. The fact is, most of them struggled in a major way at one point or another, and the Scriptures are not afraid to record their weak moments for us. A significant struggle is obviously going on in John’s mind as we meet him in this passage. He is locked up in the gloomy fortress of Machaerus, awaiting execution. Though in prison John is apparently allowed visitors, including his own disciples. From these he learns about the wonderful words and works of Jesus, but what he hears doesn’t add up. He seems to be wondering, “If Jesus is that powerful, why doesn’t he do something about my incarceration?” He asks two of his disciples to go and ask Jesus, “Are you the one who was to come (i.e., are you the Messiah?)? Or should we expect someone else?”
Now what has happened here? Just 18 months ago John himself was pointing to Jesus and crying,
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Matthew 3:11)
“I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:34)
What has happened to the uncompromising faith of this great man? Has prison broken his spirit? Has persecution produced a chink in his armor?
Perhaps, but frankly, I don’t think this is so much a case of circumstances undermining faith as it is confusion regarding the unfolding of God’s plan. If you recall from chapter 3, John’s preaching put a lot of emphasis on repentance (and the threat of judgment if people did not repent): “His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Luke 3:17).
John believed that Messiah was coming for two purposes: to rescue the righteous and to judge the wicked. The word he is hearing from his disciples is that Jesus is preaching beautiful sermons and healing people right and left, but where is the judgment? He, John, is the one in prison facing execution, instead of the bad guys.
By the way, before moving on to Jesus’ answer, I want you to notice where John brings his questions—straight to Jesus. When we have spiritual doubts it’s best not to keep them to ourselves, and it’s certainly not helpful to stew and get bitter. The thing to do is to express our doubts to the only One who can help. We can be honest with God. I have often said that God is not afraid of your questions. He may not give you the answers you want, but at the very least He will let you know He’s there and still in control.
Jesus provides reassurance that God’s plan is on schedule and on track, though it’s not always discernible to us.
Look at verses 21-23 of Luke chapter 7:
At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”
John is probably surprised at these words. I think what he is expecting is something more like: “John, I am amassing my armies, but keep it under your hat.” Or, “Caesarea is about to fall. Jerusalem is next.” Or, “Sinners are about to be obliterated, judgment has begun, the wrath of God is on the march.” But instead, Jesus says in effect, “The mercy of God is on the march.”
John is the last of the Old Testament prophets. He stands between the Old and the New Covenants. In the Old Testament, when the prophets foresaw the coming of Messiah, His mercy and judgment were blended together in their sight into one final act of God at the end of the ages. Jesus says that He is coming now in mercy to offer salvation, while God holds off His judgment so that all men may repent and avoid judgment. What the Old Testament prophets saw as one event, the New Testament interprets as two events—Jesus’ first and second comings.
John is probably thinking of the messianic prophecies of Isaiah chapters 35 and 61, which speak of both mercy and judgment:
say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. (Isaiah 35:4-6)
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion. (Isaiah 61:1-3)
In his answer, Jesus alludes to these signs of the Messianic age, but He says this is not the day of vengeance. Judgment will come later.
The proof Jesus offers that he is indeed Messiah is, first of all, that his kingdom is one where the rejected are received. In the first century none were more shunned than the blind, the lame, the lepers, and the deaf. They had no place, no name, no value. They were seen as canker sores on the culture, excess baggage on the side of the road. But those whom the people called trash, Jesus called treasures.[ii]
Not only that, His kingdom is one where the Gospel is preached, the good news that salvation is by grace through faith. No other world religion offers such a message. All others demand the right performance, the right sacrifice, the right chant, the right ritual, the right seance, the right experience, maybe even the right suicide. Theirs is a kingdom of tradeoffs. You do this, and God will give you that (you hope). The result? Either arrogance or fear. Arrogance if you think you’ve achieved it, fear if you think you haven’t. Christ’s kingdom is different. It is a kingdom where membership is granted, not purchased. You are adopted, not when you do enough, but when you admit you can’t do enough. The result is you serve, not out of arrogance or fear, but out of gratitude.[iii]
Jesus concludes his response to John by pronouncing a blessing on those who take no offense at him. Verse 23: “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” How gentle is this rebuke! Jesus does not scold John for doubting. Instead he reminds him that a special blessing awaits those who continue to trust despite the circumstances. Jesus may not offer immediate vindication to the righteous or immediate judgment on the wicked, but He reassures us nonetheless that God’s plan is on schedule and on track.
Now while Jesus is having this dialogue with John’s messengers, a crowd is gathered around Him. The possibility arises that they might think Jesus is rebuking or repudiating John, so He quickly removes any such impression in the paragraph beginning in verse 24:
After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”(Luke 7:24-25)
Far from repudiating John, Jesus goes out of his way to praise him. The message I get here is that …
Jesus affirms the believer’s faithful service, though He does not promise to spare us from the crucible.
He praises John both negatively and positively.
A negative tribute reveals what John is not. He is not a reed waving in the breeze; that is, he is not one easily swayed, not a spineless man, not a fickle, vacillating person. He is a sturdy oak. And Jesus goes on to say that John is no silk and satin courtier. His actual garments described in Matthew 3:4 are a camel’s hair coat and a leather belt around his waist. John is no pantywaist, no bootlicker ready to kowtow to the political authorities. He has lived the hardest of lives on the simplest of rations in the roughest of places. Instead of indulging in luxury in a king’s palace he has openly rebuked the king, earning himself a reservation at Herod’s Hanoi Hilton. But Jesus also offers …
A positive tribute to reveal what John is.
He is a prophet; in fact, he is more than a prophet. He is God’s special messenger, the one whom the great Old Testament prophet Isaiah predicted would come before Messiah Jesus to prepare the way for him. But then Jesus goes even further, and tells us that …
He is the greatest of Old Testament saints. Now when you first hear that, you may be a bit confused. The story of John the Baptist is recorded in the New Testament, yet I have called him an Old Testament saint. The reason is that the historical line between the old and new covenants is not technically to be drawn between Malachi and Matthew; rather the line is drawn at the cross of Christ. Every believer living before the Cross was, in effect, an Old Testament saint; those living after the Cross are New Testament saints. And that’s why Jesus says that the one who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John. John belonged to the time of promise; we belong to the time of fulfillment. John was a servant; we are sons. John was the friend of the bridegroom; we are the Bride.
On occasion we may fantasize about how great it would have been to be with Moses, Isaiah, Elijah or John the Baptist. How closely these great heroes of the faith walked with God! But this passage says that anyone who truly knows Jesus experiences far greater blessings and can experience a far more intimate relationship with God than anyone under the Old Covenant experienced.
How did the people respond to these words of affirmation regarding John? Look at verses 29-30:
All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.
The reaction to his message reveals John’s absolute faithfulness to his calling. The truth John taught, the baptism of repentance he urged upon people, served as a wedge to force people to choose between repentance and religion. The common people accepted John’s call to repentance, and when Jesus began to preach, they acknowledged that He was speaking God’s truth.
But, on the other hand, the religious leaders refused John’s call to repentance. The result was they were not ready for Jesus’ words, refused to accept Him as Messiah, and ended up rejecting God’s purpose for themselves. To me, that’s one of the most terrible statements in the Bible: “they rejected God’s purpose for themselves” (Luke 7:30). God’s purpose for them was good; God’s purpose was forgiveness of sin and eternal life; God’s purpose was fulfillment, joy, and a peace that passes all understanding. But they rejected it by refusing to be baptized by John. And why did they refuse his baptism of repentance? Because they didn’t think they had anything to repent of. After all, they were the most religious people of all. They knew the Law forwards and backwards. They kept all the rites and rituals with exquisite care. They tithed all their income.
But tragically they missed out on God’s purpose. You know, there will be a lot of people who tithe in hell. There will be a lot of good people in hell. There will be a lot of religious people in hell. Only those who repent of their sins and receive forgiveness through faith in Messiah Jesus will be allowed to spend eternity with God in Heaven.
But please notice that while Jesus affirms the Baptizer’s faithful service, and by extension affirms ours, he does not promise to spare John (or us) from the crucible of suffering. John never gets out of prison. Within weeks of this incident John’s head is severed from his body and presented to this wicked king’s wife on a silver platter.
I suggest to you that the problem may not be with God’s silence, rather we may be listening for the wrong answer. John had been listening for an answer to his earthly problems, while Jesus was busy resolving heavenly ones. That’s worth remembering the next time you think God is sitting on his hands. I quote Lucado once more:
“If you’ve asked for a mate but are still sleeping alone, if you’ve asked for a child, but your womb stays barren, if you’ve asked for healing but are still hurting, don’t think God isn’t listening. He is. And he is answering requests you are not even making.
Saint Teresa of Avila was insightful enough to pray, “Do not punish me by granting that which I wish or ask.” The apostle Paul was honest enough to write, “We do not know what we ought to pray for.” The fact is, John wasn’t asking too much; he was asking too little. He was asking the Father to resolve the temporary, while Jesus was busy resolving the eternal.[iv]
This doesn’t mean Jesus is unconcerned about your problems or the injustices you face. He cares about inequities and persecution and prejudice and pain. He knows what it’s like to be punished for something He didn’t do. In fact, He knows what it’s like to feel the silence of God. At the most traumatic moment of his life He cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). As God sat on his hands, Jesus died. But viewed another way, God never accomplished more than He did at that very moment – our redemption was purchased, our sins were forgiven, and we were given the right to become children of God.
Our text concludes with a word from Jesus to the crowds following him.
Jesus denounces the unbeliever’s frequent childish excuses.
Listen to the text beginning in verse 31:
“To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
A number of expositors have called this “the parable of the Brats.” Jesus uses it to point out that …
Unbelief is often irrational. He compares the generation to whom he is speaking with little children playing in the streets. One group says, “Let’s play wedding,” and they choose a girl to be the bride, a boy to be the groom, another to be the preacher, and they start whistling a wedding march. But their playmates say, “Phooey, that’s silly girl’s stuff. We’re not going to play.” “OK,” they respond, “then let’s play funeral.” And they choose someone to be the funeral director, different ones to be the pallbearers, and even someone to be the corpse. Then they begin to sing a doleful funeral hymn. But they are drowned out by loud protests: “Cut it out. We want none of this sad stuff.” So a petty quarrel develops in which those who suggested the games are shouting to the rest, “You’re never satisfied. You don’t want to play wedding and you don’t want to play funeral. What do you want to play?”[v]
Jesus seems to be saying to the crowds, and particularly to the religious leaders, “You critics are being childish. You’re never satisfied. John came living with a hermit’s austerity. You called him a mad eccentric and said he was possessed. But then when I came to you, I did not come as an ascetic. I ate and drank like ordinary people. I attended weddings and parties. I freely associated with sinners. And your reaction? You called Me a glutton and a drunkard.”
Frankly, I think if Jesus were speaking today, he might say it a little differently. He might say, “When you hear the gospel, you constantly bring up excuses, like:
‘What about the heathen?’
‘How could a good God send anyone to Hell?’
‘Where did Cain get his wife?’
‘Why does the Bible condemn homosexuality when people are just born that
way?’
Or you object,
‘There are too many hypocrites in the church;’
‘The church is too emotional, too intellectual, too large, too small, too
evangelistic, not evangelistic enough, too doctrinal, etc., etc.;’
And when one of your problems or issues is answered, you just think up three more to justify your rejection of the good news.
The choice of repentance over religion is vindicated by what it produces in one’s life. In the end such skepticism and cynicism will get you nowhere. Only the truth will produce lasting results. Here’s how Jesus concludes: “Wisdom is proved right by all her children.” In other words, “the proof is in the pudding.” When you see the changed lives of those who have come to God in repentance, when you see Christ turn a messed-up addict into a family man who brings his paycheck home, loves his children, and serves the Lord—that’s all the proof you need.
Conclusion: I wish this story had a “happily ever after” ending, with John released from prison and ministering side-by-side with Jesus for the remainder of his days. But God didn’t choose to do that. He also may not choose to spare you from the trials you are facing. He will, however, provide reassurance that His plan is on schedule and on track. He will affirm your faithful service. And He will vindicate your efforts in the changed lives of those whom you touch with the gospel.
The chorus to Scott Skief’s song earlier in our service said it well:
When answers aren’t enough there is Jesus.
He is more than just an answer to your prayer.
And your heart will find a safe and peaceful refuge.
When answers aren’t enough, he is there.
One final thing. Jesus is coming again to make all things right. If this life were all there is, it would be grossly unfair. But it is not all there is. In 2 Peter the question is asked, “Where is the promise of his (second) coming?” (2 Peter 3:4, NRSV). And the answer is given:
The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up (2 Peter 3:9-10).
Everything you own – your home, your car, your investments – will one day go up in smoke. Only God’s Word and God’s people will survive. Jesus has delayed His coming so a few more of His chosen ones have the opportunity to believe. If you have never put your faith and trust in Him, won’t you do it today?
Tags:
John the Baptist
Unbelief
[i]. Max Lucado, The Applause of Heaven, 159-161.
[ii]. Lucado, 170.
[iii]. Lucado, 175-176.
[iv]. Lucado, 177.
[v]. Hendriksen, William, The Gospel of Luke, 400.