31. John the Baptist

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John the Baptist was a rather unique individual that God had called out to set the scene and announce the arrival of Jesus. John had a clear message, no messing about and he delivered it without faltering even in the face of death.  

Whilst John is in prison he sent his disciples to find out about Jesus and what is going on. They tell John ‘the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.’  Matthew 11:4-5

Idea 1: Physical realm It is interesting to see what John gets told, Jesus could have said ‘yes John, it is as you suspect, I am the Messiah.’ Instead Jesus tells his disciples, tell him what you see! I think what they see and report back is that Jesus has all authority, which they have never seen before, and John knows what’s going on. You can see this authority in the Bible reading I have included at the start of the study. 

Jesus is recorded here, as he so often is in all the gospels, as healing a man with leprosy. An illness in this context that caused the sufferer to live a horrible and outcast existence but with Jesus around, he showed absolute authority over something that medicines were unable to resolve! 

Idea 2: Natural realm There’s more! As you read on in Matthew chapter 8 you will see that Jesus even calms the storm, with just simple words of authority he commands the storm to be still, and it obeys. How can this be? Who can command sea and wind to relent its force? You have been to the coast, right? Seen the breakers and waves on a windy day….absolute authority! 

Idea 3: Spiritual realm The final realm is the one we perhaps have the most difficulty to accept or grasp at times. The spiritual realm. Jesus speaks out over the life of a demonised man (in Matthew it is two fellas) and the demons have only one option, to come out. 

Jesus has all authority over natural, physical and spiritual realms and I think this is what John understood from the report that can back to him.

Action

What does this mean for you, today? To know that Jesus has this authority and invites you to know him, walk with him, come under and into that relationship?

Is there stuff that you need his authority to cover in your life, and areas you want to surrender to him? Maybe take some time now to explore this in prayer.