When John the Baptist was in prison, he heard the reports about
what Yeshua was doing. What he heard apparently made him doubt what he knew
about Jesus.
Luke 7:18-19 KJV 18 And the disciples of John shewed him of all
these things. 19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to
Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
At Yeshua’s baptism, John the Baptist testified that Yeshua was the
lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
John 1:29 KJV 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and
saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
What was John looking for that he apparently didn’t see as expected
in Yeshua’s ministry? John’s message was baptism for the repentance of sin.
Matthew 3:1-2 KJV 1 In those
days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And
saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
John preached repentance in preparation for the coming of the LORD.
Luke 3:4-6 KJV 4 As it is written in the book of the words of
Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare
ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be
filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall
be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 6 And all flesh
shall see the salvation of God.
As we go back to the book of Isaiah, we see that the original words
are slightly different.
Isaiah 40:3-5 KJV 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our
God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made
low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And
the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together:
for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
In Luke, we read that all flesh shall see the salvation of God. In
Isaiah, we read that all flesh will see the glory of the LORD. So, we can
conclude that the salvation of God equals the glory of the LORD. Yeshua’s name,
of course, means salvation. His purpose is to glorify the name of the Father.
John 12:27-28 KJV 27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say?
Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28
Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have
both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
Later Yeshua says that the Father is glorified in Him when we ask
and receive in the name of Yeshua.
John 14:13 KJV 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will
I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John spoke of the One coming who would baptize with the Holy Spirit
and with fire.
Luke 3:16-17 NKJV 16 John answered, saying to all, "I indeed
baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I
am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17
"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His
threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn
with unquenchable fire."
The Holy Spirit brings the power and authority of God; fire is the
substance that purifies. The righteous are purified in the fire and wicked are
consumed. The temple of God was built on a threshing floor, and John uses the
analogy of the winnowing the harvest to teach that the coming One will be the
one to “winnow” or separate the righteous from the wicked. His threshing floor or temple would be
thoroughly cleaned. The righteous will be gathered into the barn or temple and
the chaff or wicked burned in the fires of judgment.
In other words, John was looking for the triumphant Messiah! He was
looking for the triumphant Messiah; the
One who would be revealed before all flesh; the One who would appear as the
glory of the LORD bringing the salvation of God.
Yeshua answers John’s disciples by citing the results of His
ministry.
Luke 7:22-23 KJV 22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your
way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see,
the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to
the poor the gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be
offended in me.
Yeshua’s answer to John’s disciples has two levels of meaning. The
first is the literal meaning of His words. The people received physical
healings even to the raising of the dead. The second level of meaning is
spiritual. Each of these conditions speaks to a spiritual state. Isaiah writes of this spiritual state.
Isaiah 6:9-10 NKJV 9 And He said, "Go, and tell this people:
'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'
10 "Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut
their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And
understand with their heart, And return and be healed."
Those who rebel against God are dull of seeing and hearing. They
are dead but don’t even know it. Yeshua chastised the leaders of the Jewish
people telling them they were dead and leading others into death as well.
Luke 11:44 NKJV 44 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are
not aware of them."
Yeshua opens eyes and ears, causes people to walk in His ways, and
brings new life.
Isaiah 29:18-19 KJV 18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words
of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of
darkness. 19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor
among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 35:5-8 KJV 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and
the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then shall the lame man leap as an
hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break
out, and streams in the desert. 7 And the parched ground shall become a pool,
and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each
lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The
way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those:
the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
The poor have the gospel preached to them. What is the “gospel?”
The gospel is the good news that our King reigns!
Isaiah 52:7 NKJV 7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of
him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good
things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
Yeshua sent good news back to John through his disciples. Yeshua is
the coming One; the one who is Salvation and the Glory of the LORD!
Shalom and be blessed
Dan & Brenda Cathcart
Visit our web site at www.moedministries.com
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