What do you see?
This week we continue the focus on John the Baptist. However, he is no longer baptising in the river Jordon, but in jail having offended Herod by condemning his marital relations. And we know the grizzly ending that awaits.
Perhaps John wants to know whether his predictions have been correct and ministry worthwhile before he dies when he sends out his messengers to ask if Jesus is the longed-for Messiah. In typical fashion Jesus doesn’t answer the question directly but says;
‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’
It is a great response. And one that perhaps might make us think.
Jesus does not point to himself in answer to John’s question, nor to his credentials or authority, but to the fruit of his ministry; the healing and transformation of lives and communities. This in turn speaks volumes about his motivation, method and focus.
He was motivated not by self-justification or promotion, but by love. He did not get people to jump through a series of ecclesiastic hoops or sign up to certain doctrines before he accepted, healed and restored, he just loved. He was not too bothered about being popular or even protecting himself, he was too busy loving.
Are we motivated by promoting or justifying the church (with a little or big C) or are we trying to bring healing and new life to individuals and our community? Are we driven to get people to worship or believe in a particular way before they are deemed acceptable, or do those who come into contact with the church leave in some small way transformed regardless of who they are? And importantly, whether they stay or not, leave us transformed too? Is our outreach about numbers or even making sure we survive, or are we willing to simply trust the future to God and prepared to be unpopular in the cause of justice and peace?
If Jesus said of us today, ‘What do you hear and see?’ What would be the answer?
