Matthew 11:1-19
Reflect
Earlier in Matthew, John Baptizes Jesus. As Jesus comes out of the water, God the Father speaks from heaven and the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus in the form of a dove. John is right there; he witnesses an amazing affirmation of Jesus as the true Messiah. Yet, here in chapter 11 we have John who is now in jail, asking his followers to confirm if He is indeed the Messiah.
Jesus’ kind reply is not condemning, but gracious. To those around, Jesus holds John in high regard. Knowing John will soon die, Jesus understands that John will not see or hear of what Jesus will accomplish through His death and resurrection. In that way, John will not know the great message of the Gospel that restores us to union with God and communion with others. A truth that even the least of those who believe in Jesus as the Messiah will confess.
John’s prison may have caused him to wonder about who Jesus was. Similarly, there may be challenges or uncertainties which we feel are confining us and causing us to doubt Jesus. Jesus does not berate and cut off those who may have doubts. Instead, Jesus gently calls us all to see Him for who He really is and trust that He is truly the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Pastor Mike
Pray
- Pray for our Senior Lead Team Pastor, Lyle Buyer, his ministry, and family.
- Pray for our Church Board members: Beth Cheung, Gerhard Hiob, Hal Reirson, JD Kliewer, Mary Jetha, Mike Ross, Randy Voss, Seth Jansen, Trevor Toews, Uwem Okome.
- Pray for our Custodians, Adit Gamble, Stan Goodnough and Anne King; Facilities Manager, Joe Richards.
- Pray for our office staff: Vicky Bailey, Naomi Voss; bookkeeper Liudmyla Lushchyk.