1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: Life Audio four. Hello, and thank you for listening to 2 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:17,280 Speaker 1: your Daily Bible Verse, the podcast that examines the Bible 3 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: each day to help us learn more about God and 4 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,799 Speaker 1: his will for us. I'm your host, Shaka Heines, and 5 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,119 Speaker 1: after this short word from our sponsor, will dive into 6 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: today's Bible passage in Matthew eleven, verses two and three. 7 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 1: Today's Bible passage is Matthew eleven, verses two and three. 8 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds 9 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 1: of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, 10 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: are you the one who is to come? Or should 11 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: we expect someone else? You know, there are times when 12 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,759 Speaker 1: life goes sideways from the way, at least I think 13 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: it should go back. In twenty eighteen, my husband and 14 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: I we set out to move to a whole new 15 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: area outside of our city. It was this spirit led 16 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:19,040 Speaker 1: prayed for decision. We'd lived in fear for a while 17 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: as we navigated our youngest son's heart condition, and I 18 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,680 Speaker 1: felt that God was calling us out of fear and 19 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:29,039 Speaker 1: into life. We had one son who was about to 20 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: head to university, and three children who would still be 21 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: at home with us. Our youngest son at the time 22 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 1: helped to pick out our house and even picked his bedroom. 23 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: We were supposed to close on the house on the 24 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 1: same day as his twelfth birthday, so a week before 25 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: his birthday, I jokingly told him, I'm not buying you 26 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: a birthday present. We already bought you a house. Four 27 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: days before his birthday, he died unexpectedly. We still closed 28 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: on the house on the day of his bay and 29 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: on that same day we went to the funeral home 30 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: for his viewing before we laid him to rest. The 31 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: very next day, life didn't just go sideways, it went 32 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 1: completely off the rails. Jesus, did I misinterpret you here? 33 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: It felt like if we did the right thing, the 34 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: outcome it should have been very different. The great prophet, 35 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: the Elijah who was to come, found himself having similar thoughts. 36 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: John the Baptist was born to prepare the way for 37 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 1: the coming Messiah. His father had a heavenly visitation before 38 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,239 Speaker 1: he was born, and the angel told him that John 39 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: would be the long awaited prophet who would begin preparing 40 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: the way for Jesus. John and Jesus were relatives whose 41 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: moms spent time together, so there's a good chance that 42 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: the two also spent time together growing up before Jesus, 43 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: this is ministry began. But John only recognized that Jesus 44 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,079 Speaker 1: was God's chosen one when God told him that the 45 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: one on whom the spirit comes down to rest, he's 46 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:15,960 Speaker 1: the one. He's the Messiah. When John baptized Jesus, the 47 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 1: spirit descended on Jesus as a dove and remained. John 48 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: excitedly testified from that point forward that Jesus was the 49 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: one they'd been waiting for. But in our verse John, 50 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:34,359 Speaker 1: he's sitting in prison. He was arrested for opposing the 51 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: immorality of herod as he took his brother's wife to 52 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: be his own. We can only surmise the difficulties he's 53 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: faced in his life as a forerunner for Jesus. In prison, 54 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: though he has heard of the works of Christ. He's 55 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: heard about the miracles, his teaching, and his growing mission. 56 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: But in John's ministry, John had preached the axes at 57 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: the root of the trees repent. In his mind, the 58 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 1: Messiah's coming would result in imminent blessing and imminent judgment. 59 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: Now he hears from prison of the blessing, but little 60 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: of judgment. After all, he's still sitting in prison. Facing 61 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: the possibility of death, so he asks, are you the 62 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 1: one who is to come? Or should we expect someone else? 63 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: Did I get this wrong? Did I misinterpret? You know? 64 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: Because of Jesus's responses regarding John the Baptist following this question, 65 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: I don't believe that John lost his faith in God's word. 66 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 1: Jesus says in verse eleven that up until then, among 67 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: those born of women, there has not risen anyone greater 68 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: than John the Baptist. John the Baptist isn't even alone 69 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: in his understanding that Jesus would punish wrongdoers and restore 70 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: all things right away, even after the resurrection. The Apostles, 71 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: when they gather with Jesus before he was taken to heaven, 72 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,159 Speaker 1: they asked if the Kingdom of Israel was about to 73 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: be restored. Jesus told John's disciples to reassure him that 74 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:15,799 Speaker 1: the scriptures are indeed being fulfilled. In Jesus, the blind 75 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:19,160 Speaker 1: receives sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are 76 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: cleansed the death. Here the dead are raised, and the 77 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 1: good news is proclaimed to the poor. The Messiah has 78 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,159 Speaker 1: indeed come. What John the Baptist got wrong is what 79 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 1: so many of us get wrong about God, God's method, 80 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: and God's timing. In fact, our growing frustration with God's 81 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,599 Speaker 1: ways and his seeming inactivity can lead us, like John, 82 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: to believe that we got God wrong. We misinterpreted his promises, 83 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: his plans, and ultimately his love and concern for us. 84 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 1: You know, before our son died, I thought that if 85 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: I listened to God, every thing would turn out the 86 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: way I thought it should. According to my understanding, John 87 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: may have felt the same. If he prepared the way 88 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: for Jesus the Messiah would make all things right, the 89 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: Kingdom of Israel would be restored, and John might even 90 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,920 Speaker 1: be released from prison to enjoy time with Jesus. And 91 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: we can learn a few things from John the Baptist. 92 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: First off, John took his doubts to Jesus. There is 93 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:33,040 Speaker 1: often a tension between the Bible and our daily reality, 94 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:37,480 Speaker 1: our understanding of what God says and what He actually says, 95 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: the way we think things should work, and the way 96 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:45,040 Speaker 1: God is actually working. Like John, we must take our 97 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:51,719 Speaker 1: questions and struggles, and our disappointments and doubts to Jesus. Second, 98 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 1: we learn from John that you've got to understand sometimes 99 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: we're wrong about what God's doing, how he's doing it, 100 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: and when he should be doing it. Be humble as 101 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:07,599 Speaker 1: you bring your questions, Be willing to listen and learn 102 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: at Jesus's feet as you take in the words of scripture. Lastly, 103 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: we got to be willing to adjust our expectations according 104 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: to the nature and character of God as revealed through 105 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 1: Jesus in the Bible. I don't know all the whys 106 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 1: of what happened with our son, or even completely understand 107 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: God's timing, but I continue to take my heartfelt questions 108 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: to Jesus and adjust to follow my Savior wherever he leads. 109 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: And we aren't told how John responded to Jesus's answer. 110 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 1: We only know that his circumstances did not change. He 111 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: remained in prison, and he was eventually executed by Herod. 112 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: Yet Jesus's powerful affirmation of him suggests that John did 113 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 1: not abandon in his trust. The Messiah had come, but 114 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 1: not in the way he expected. And sometimes that's the 115 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: reality of life. It's not immediate rescue, but clarified vision. 116 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: It's not altered circumstances, but steadied faith. When life goes 117 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:25,840 Speaker 1: off the rails and God's timing feels painfully slow. We 118 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: can hold fast to what John ultimately held fast to, 119 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: that Jesus is indeed the one, even when the prison 120 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 1: doors stay shut. Let's pray, Abbah. I confess that I 121 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 1: don't often understand your ways. I don't understand your timing. 122 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: I don't have the clarity of vision that you have 123 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: to know how all things work together. But I sure 124 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 1: want to more and more. I sure want to trust 125 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:10,200 Speaker 1: you because God, I want your will and your way 126 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 1: in my life. And I pray for those praying with 127 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:19,559 Speaker 1: me right now. We pray for your will and your 128 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,840 Speaker 1: way and their life. And as God, they are learning 129 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 1: to trust you alongside me many others Abbah. Would you 130 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:36,079 Speaker 1: bring them peace in the present and in the process. 131 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 1: Peace as they deal with their hardship, peace as they 132 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 1: deal with their loss, peace as they await your rescue. 133 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:52,720 Speaker 1: We affirm that you are the King and Jesus is 134 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: indeed the Messiah. Our eyes are on you, and we 135 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:05,840 Speaker 1: ask God your will, your way, and your help. We 136 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 1: love yous in Jesus' name. We pray Amen.