CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE IN CHRIST MINISTRIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL BIBLE STUDY ON YOUTUBE
Luke 7:18-23
The mission of John the Baptist was to announce the coming of the Messiah and to prepare the people to receive Him. John the Baptist’s father, Zacharias, prophesied about his newly born son in Luke 1:76-77 (NKJV),
“And you, child, will be called the
prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the
Lord to prepare His ways,
To give knowledge of salvation to His
People
By the remission of their sins,”
The curiosity of John the Baptist is aroused by the report from his disciples about the things that Jesus was doing. John the Baptist wanted to know if this was the One in which he had been waiting for. To verify these things he had heard about Jesus, John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus directly if He was the Messiah. It is significant that John the Baptist sent two of his disciples as was the custom in verification of a man’s actions. Deuteronomy 19:15 states, “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.”
In Luke 7:21-22 we are told of the many healings that Jesus had been performing as the disciples of John the Baptist have arrived to Jesus with the question they were to present Him with. Jesus did not simply answer the question with a “yes,” but He gave the proof necessary that would be convincing to John the Baptist in confirming that He was truly the Messiah (Luke 7:22-23).
Luke 7:23 is a sort of “inside blessing” that Jesus is sending to John the Baptist for his service in announcing the coming of Jesus the Messiah. John the Baptist has stood his ground while being questioned by the people and eventually he would be put in prison by Herod the tetrarch (Luke 3:1-20). Jesus tells John the Baptist through this message sent back to him with his disciples of his reward in the blessing he will receive for not being offended because of Jesus.
This is the verification of Jesus being the Christ; the Messiah which the prophets of the Old Testament prophesied about.
This is a proof of the blessings Jesus gives for standing up for Him and not being offended by His name.
John the Baptist sought verification in believing that Jesus was indeed the Messiah that he had been proclaiming. In like manner, it is not uncommon for us to question who Jesus is; what makes Him the Messiah, the Savior of the world (John 3:17), and why we should put our trust in Him and believe that He died for our sins. These questions are all answered in the pages of the Bible. We can learn about our relationship with God through His Son Jesus by studying His word, the Bible. It is then that we can begin to understand why we need Jesus in our lives to overcome the temptations that Satan will throw at us. Through study of God’s Word, we can begin to understand the blessings we will receive for standing up for Jesus in the face of persecution. We need to keep in mind that we (as Christians) are representatives of Jesus to the secular world, and we need to strive to show the attitude and love that Jesus has shown to us, to others, even in the face of persecution. As we stand up for Jesus and share His word through our testimony, our reward in the blessings He gives us will be great!
Dear Lord,
Many of us have questions about Jesus and our relationship with You through Him. Please help us to open our hearts and minds to receive understanding of Your Word through Your Holy Spirit. I pray that we would put our trust in Jesus and follow His teachings. I pray that we would stand up for Him in the face of persecution by showing others the love that He has shown first to us, as He took our place on the cross and died for our sins so that we may live in Him. In Jesus name I pray, amen.