WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
LUKE 7:18-28
The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, [19] calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" [20] And when the men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?' " [21] In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. [22] And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. [23] And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
[24] When John's messengers had gone, 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? [25] What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. [26] What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. [27] This is he of whom it is written,
" 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.'
[28] I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."
In the name of Jesus:
“Can I help you,” a young man inquired, “what are you looking for?” I was in the shopping aisle at the grocery, looking for something I needed to pick up for dinner. I must have had the deer in the headlights look, just staring off into space, looking for something that I knew was there, but I couldn’t identify. It took the stock boy to reach up onto the shelf, and pick the item for me that was right in front of me! You wives know what I am talking about, don’t you, when you ask your husband to get something for you, and they look for it but can’t find it, it takes YOU to show them where it is at, and the man was looking at it all of the time!
We need things, more importantly, people, to be identified for us in our lives, things which we need but most importantly, people whom we are to follow. A few weeks ago at the airport, Luann and I were taking the escalator down to baggage claim. When we got off of the escalator, we noticed two men holding up two white sheets of paper, with people’s last names on the sheets of paper. These were couriers, people who were to pick up others at the airport but the problem was that they had never met them, they had no clue as to who these people were or what they looked like or what they were wearing. They just knew the last name of the person, or party, so they held up that last name in hopes that they would be able to identify their party.
Who are you looking for is the issue addressed in our text for today. In the Gospel of Luke, we see entering into the town of Capernaum. He had healed the centurion’s servant and then raised from the dead the son of the widow from Nain. Two great miracles, one of healing, the other the giving of life in resurrecting the dead, and the response of the people suggest that this Jesus is Someone to whom people need to pay attention to. The people proclaimed: “"A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!" [17] And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. [18] The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, [19] calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
Who IS Jesus? John sent His disciples to ask Jesus this question. John knew the answer. It was John who was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus. John the Baptist was the voice crying out in the wilderness, “repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” John knew who Jesus was, for it was John who stated that the One who came after him, he, John, was not worthy to untie His sandals. And it was John who, at Jesus’ baptism, proclaimed that he, John, needed to be baptized by Jesus, not the other way around. Yes, John knew and believed who Jesus was, for John was filled with the Holy Spirit since his birth, God had revealed to John who Jesus was and is, and John in his life and ministry dedicated himself to the sharing of the news of who Jesus was and is with others.
This is why John sends His disciples to Jesus to ask the question. They needed to find out for themselves. John’s disciples had heard the news of miracles, my land, they had seen the RESULTS of the miracles. And so these followers of John went on their own discovery mission, asking Jesus “are you the One who is to come, or are we to look for another to come?” They were asking of Jesus the simple question, “Who should we be looking for?”
Jesus’ answer is simple: He, in that hour, healed many of their diseases. He showed His power as God’s Son, and seeing God’s power, these disciples returned to John so that they could tell and witness to a fellow sinner of what God had done in Jesus and of what God IS doing in Jesus.
Friends, you know that we live in troubled times. There are people who live their lives like a ship without a rudder or like an automobile without a steering wheel. On this pilgrimage called human life, many are living without a road map, not knowing where they are or to the place where they are going. Certainly all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, every sinner turns inward to the sinful heart to look for meaning and direction in life. As their hearts and our hearts turn inward, we see and feel the effects of sin and unbelief. When in trouble, there is doubt. Where there are stormy waters, there is anxiety. Disagreements breed anger, wealth breeds discontentment, death brings fear. We live in a world which not only needs direction in life, but also seeks an answer to what ails us. People today are asking questions, questions as to the meaning of life, the tribulations of life, and the future of life. What the world needed in John the Baptist’s day is the very same which the world needs today: A Savior, a Savior from sin, Satan, and death, a Savior who will forgive sins and be the Way in which sinners will not only find life but also direction in life.
This is why John pointed people to Jesus, for Jesus IS the Way, Truth, and the Life. John’s mission was not to glorify himself, but to glorify Christ. John’s mission was not to build up his own entourage, but to build and increase the Kingdom of God through faith in Jesus. Jesus established who He was to John’s disciples, they went back to John to testify to what they had seen and heard. John’s disciples became Jesus’ disciples, following Jesus, for this was the mission of John and the will of God. Seeing Jesus, John’s followers knew that Jesus was the Son of God in human flesh, sent by God to seek and save those lost by sin.
Today, God has revealed to you His Son Jesus Christ. At the precise correct time in human history, God sent His Son Jesus to pay the price for the sinfulness of a lost and fallen world. You have heard and seen what great things God has done in Jesus: He healed the sick, He raised the dead, He kept the Law for sinners, He died for sinners, He rose for sinners, and today He sits at the right hand of God, to whom all honor and glory is due.
Certainly you have seen God’s power and mighty Hand in your life, for in your Baptism He has claimed you as His child, in His Word He speaks to you His words of forgiveness, life, and truth, and in His Supper he gives Himself for you, for your strength. His Word, the Holy Scriptures, remain for you a lamp for your feet and a light for your path. This Advent season, God’s messengers have pointed you to Jesus, so that in believing in Him you might have life in His name.
Just as Jesus pointed John’s followers to go and tell what they had seen and heard, so too today Jesus sends you, pointing you to your family, to your neighbor, to the community and world in which you live, so that you will tell others what you have seen Jesus do and follow in the direction in which He leads.
In a world which asked the question, who is Jesus, John the Baptist played a vital role in pointing those whom he knew to Jesus, that they might follow Him and have life in His name. So too, we live in a world questioning the very existence of God. But you have heard Jesus speak this day, He has blessed, He has empowered, He sends you to tell those you know who Jesus is and what He has done. May God empower each of us to be like John the Baptist!
In Jesus” name.
Amen