Holy Boldness

it is why they could not figure out if He was the Christ or not. They could not imagine a Messiah who suffered. And so it seems that John may have had a similar internal conflict about the one whom he was ini tially so sure about. However, Jesus’ answer was not meant as a dodge to the question but as an assurance. Jesus described His ministry expression by quoting or eluding to numerous scripture passages, especially Isaiah 35, a beautiful prophetic promise of the coming kingdom. Jesus’ answer coupled with the testimony of John’s disciples must have settled John’s heart. It is important to note that once again Jesus is depicted as someone who did not conform to people’s expectations, not even the forerunner, John the Baptist. Jesus walked in the integrity to His unique calling, as only God could fully reveal. The lesson is simple: every person called of God must ultimately submit to God’s understanding of his or her calling. Immediately following Jesus’ exchange with John’s disciples He began to pay tribute to John’s ministry. As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “ What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? (Matt. 11:7) Using metaphorical questions Jesus began to talk with the crowds about the reason they traveled out into the wilderness to listen to John. What, he asked, compelled them to go all the way out into the desert to listen to someone preach? Was John a mere reed shaken by the wind? This is a metaphor for someone who is caught in the wind of public opinion and repeats it but has nothing to say substantially in and of himself. The obvious answer was that John was more than that. What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. (v.8) Again Jesus asked what moved them to go listen to John. He offered a second scenario- was it a man in soft clothing ? This is also a metaphor for someone who is in a powerful place of influence but not necessarily a man of substance. It may have even been a subtle jab at King Herod who had placed John in prison. But finally, Jesus came to Honor to Whom Honor is Due

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