"QUALIFICATIONS FOR KINGDOM CANDIDATES"

“QUALIFICATIONS FOR KINGDOM CANDIDATES”[1]

MATTHEW 5:1-5

INTRODUCTION

          J. B. Phillips, in his book When God Was Man, gives this version of the Beatitudes:

          Happy are the pushers, for they get on in the world.

          Happy are the hard-boiled, for they never let life hurt them.

          Happy are they who complain, for they get their own way in the end.

          Happy are the blasé, for they never worry over their sins.

          Happy are the slave drivers, for they get results.

          Happy are the knowledgeable men of the world, for they know their way around.

          Happy are the troublemakers, for they make people take notice of them.

I would like to share with you on the topic: “Qualifications for Kingdom Candidates.”

Background

          The first half of this year, I am presenting a theme, which I call “Back to the Basics.” My reason is for every one of you to search your heart whether you are a true follower of Jesus Christ. In other words, I don’t want anybody to pretend to be a Christian. I want you to be hundred percent positive that indeed you have been saved and if Jesus were coming today you won't be left behind. These series would solidify the faith of those who are saved and would also help the seekers to find authentic faith in Jesus Christ.

          Matthew 5-7 is popularly known as the Sermon on the Mount. The Gospel of Matthew was written primarily for the Jewish people to show them that Jesus is in fact the Son of God, the Promised Messiah. So in the Gospel, Matthew under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit compares and contrasts the nation of Israel and some of their finest prophets with Jesus, the Messiah, and the Redeemer of the world. As God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai, so does Jesus the God-Man inaugurate His public ministry by addressing His disciples and the crowd from a mountain near Capernaum. This “Sermon” probably covered several days of preaching. In it Jesus proclaimed His attitude toward the law. Jesus states that position, authority, and money are not the most important things in His kingdom. Rather, what matters is faithful obedience from the heart. The Sermon on the Mount challenged the proud and legalistic religious leaders of the day. It called them back to the messages of the Old Testament prophets, who, like Jesus, taught that heartfelt obedience is more important than legalistic observance.

          This brings me to the first two verses of our text. Crowds of people are following Jesus. He has just come to the scene after a brief introduction by John the Baptist. Jesus was the talk of the town, and everyone wanted to see Him. The people are tired of hearing from the Pharisees and scribes quoting one another. They want to hear a new breath of wisdom and see the demonstration of power. The disciples, who were the closest associates of this popular man, were certainly tempted to feel important, proud, and possessive. Being with Jesus gave them not only prestige, but also opportunity for money and power. Someone has said that many people do better when they don’t have anything and any power, but the temptation comes when they become wealthy and powerful.

          The crowds are gathering once again, but before speaking to them, Jesus pulls His disciples aside and warns them about the temptations they will face as His followers. Jesus says to them don’t expect fame and fortune, but mourning, hunger, and persecution. Nevertheless, Jesus assures His disciples that they will be rewarded, but perhaps not complete reward in this life. There may be times when following Jesus will bring us great popularity. If we don’t live by Jesus’ words in this sermon, we will find ourselves using God’s message only to promote our personal interests. Instead of advancing His Kingdom, we would be building our own kingdom on the sand. Therefore, let us listen to Jesus’ instructions for us as they are set in what is called the Beatitudes.

I.      SPIRITUAL INADEQUACY (V. 3)

          Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This statement is not made primarily for the poor in pocket but the poor in spirit. However, material poverty is implied because financial and material wealth can make you self-sufficient. There is no virtue in poverty per se; it is certainly not an automatic blessing. In the Greek language there are two words for poor. One means someone who has nothing superfluous, overflow, or extravagant. The second one means one who has nothing at all, one who is bankrupt, and has no resources. The person who is to be envied is the one who is conscious of his spiritual bankruptcy as such he casts himself on God’s abundance and draws on God’s limitless resources. In His earthly ministry Jesus encountered people who were self-sufficient and those who admitted their spiritual inadequacy. Let me give you some examples in the New Testament. The first person that is far from understanding his spiritual bankruptcy is the rich young ruler (Luke 18). Till this man met Jesus, life for him has been a smooth cruise down a neon avenue. But today he has a question: A casual concern or a genuine fear? We don’t know. All we know is that he has come to Jesus for some advice. For a person so used to calling the shots, calling on the carpenter’s son for help must be awkward. For a man of his caliber to seek the counsel of a countryside rabbi is not standard procedure. But this is no standard question. He inquires, “Teacher, what good things must I do to get eternal life?” The wording of his question betrays his misunderstanding. He thinks he can get eternal life as he gets everything else—by his own strength. “What must I do?”

          “What are the requirements, Jesus? What is the break-even point? No need for chitchat; go straight to the bottom line. How much do I need to invest to be certain of my return? Jesus’ answer is intended to make him wince. “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” A person with half a conscience would have thrown up his hands at that point. “Keep the commandments? Keep the commandments! Do you know how many commandments there are? Have you read the Law lately? I’ve tried—honestly, I have tried—but I can’t.” That is what the ruler should have said, but confession is the farthest thing from his mind. Instead of asking for help, he grabs a pencil and paper and asks for the list. “Which ones?” He licks his pencil and arches an eyebrow. Jesus indulges him, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” The rich young ruler grins and says to himself, “a piece of cake.” I have done all of these. In fact, I have done them since I was a kid.” He is self-confident and asks Jesus, “Got any other commandments you want to run past me?”

          How Jesus keeps from laughing or crying is beyond my comprehension. The question that is intended to show the ruler how he falls short only convinces him that he stands tall. He is like a child dripping water on the floor while he is telling his mom he hasn’t been in the rain. Jesus gets the point. “If you want to be perfect, then go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” The statement leaves the rich young man distraught and the disciples bewildered. Their question could be ours: “Who then can be saved?” Then Jesus’ answer shocks His listeners, “With man this is impossible.” Jesus solves the disciples’ dilemma in this verse, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” That is the problem with many people. All your life you have been rewarded according to your performance. You get grades according to your study. You get commendations according to your success. You get money in response to your work. That is why the rich young ruler thought heaven was a payment away. The opposite of the rich young ruler is Zacchaeus. He is also rich, but he is a crook. He has an encounter with Jesus and Jesus asks him to come down from the tree. I want to spend time with you in your house. Everyone around who knows him is protesting. He is a crook, he is a fraud, he is bootlegged, and he takes what does not belong to him. What kind of Messiah would spend time with such a crook? Zacchaeus does not defend himself, rather he says, “If I have defrauded any person I am willing to pay him back four times what I took away from him.” Zacchaeus in the presence of Jesus admits his spiritual and moral bankruptcy. Jesus sees the brokenness of Zacchaeus’ heart and says to him “Today salvation has come to your house.” So we have two people who could have a stake in the kingdom of God, but the rich young ruler leaves with a sad countenance because the price to pay is too dear to his heart. What the rich man wants costs more than what he can pay. You don’t need a system; you need a Savior. You don’t need a resume; you need a Redeemer. Zacchaeus the crook is welcomed to the kingdom because Jesus sees the sincerity of his heart and his brokenness before Him. “What is impossible before man is possible with God.” The thrust of this verse is that you cannot save yourself. Not through the right ritual; not by attending church or Bible study or Sunday school. Not through the right doctrine. Not through the right devotion. It wasn’t the money that hindered the rich man; it was self-sufficiency. It was the possessions; it was the pomp. It wasn’t the big bucks; it was the big head. It is not only the rich who have difficulty. So do the educated, the strong, the good-looking, the famous, and the religious. So do you if you think your piety or power qualifies you as a kingdom candidate. Kingdom seekers do not come to Jesus with an outstretched chest; they come on bended knees.

II. SPIRITUAL CONTRITION (V. 4)

          Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. This is another paradox. It is as if Jesus is saying, “How happy are the unhappy!” This quality is the product of the poverty of spirit of the first beatitude. It is not bereavement that is primarily in view, although that need not be excluded. The word mourn conveys the idea of grief of the deepest kind. It is mourning over sin and failure, over the slowness of our growth in the likeness to Christ—mourning over our spiritual bankruptcy. There are two mistakes that you may make as a disciple of Christ. One is to believe that Christians must never be happy and laughing; the other, that Christians must always be happy and laughing. The book of Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 says “There is time for everything . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Nobody attains full maturity without the experience of sorrow. There is room for you to mourn over the slowness of your growth and the inadequacy of your spiritual attainment apart from any specific sin in your life. Mourning and bliss are not incompatible, for Jesus said, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh" (Luke 6:21). The blessing is in the comfort God gives, not in the mourning itself. “They will be comforted.” Those who don’t mourn have confined themselves in the prison of pride. The prison of pride is filled with self-made men and women determined to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. What matters to them is not what they did or to whom they did or where they would end up; it only matters that “I did it my way.” You have seen the prisoners. You have seen the alcoholic who won't admit his drinking problem. You have seen the wife who refuses to tell anybody about her fears. You have seen the businessman who adamantly refuses help, even when his dreams are falling apart. Perhaps to see such a prisoner all that you need to do is to look in the mirror. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just . . . But confessing sins—admitting failure is exactly what prisoners of pride refuse to do. You know the lingo: Well, I may not be perfect, but I am better than Hitler and certainly kinder than Idi Amin! So you play the game of justification, rationalization, and comparison. Prisoners of pride are good at that. A life that is wrapped up in itself makes a very small package. Pride is like a beard. It just keeps growing. The solution? Shave it every day. Someone has said that many Christians are like the woodpecker that was pecking on the trunk of a dead tree. Suddenly lightning struck the tree and splintered it. The woodpecker flew away unharmed. Looking back to where the dead tree had stood, the proud bird exclaimed, “Look what I did!”

          Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn.” To mourn for your sins is a natural outflow of poverty of spirit. The problem with many people is that they put up a front so they deny their weakness. Many know they are wrong, yet they pretend they are right. As a result they do not taste the sorrow of repentance. “Blessed are those who know they are in trouble and have enough sense to admit it.”

III. SPIRITUAL HUMILITY (V. 5). Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Humility is an exotic flower in our sooty and smoggy world. Humility is no native of earth and it is little esteemed by humans in general. The word meek is more than amicability or mere mildness of disposition. The children’s song “Jesus, meek and mild” has weakened the word meek. The impression the hymn leaves is that Jesus was rather weak and ineffective. Yes, Jesus was meek but He was not mild. In fact, He was the very opposite of weak (When He stormed the Temple). The word meek was used of a horse that had been broken and domesticated. So the word meek conveys the idea of power under control, and this perfectly describes the life of Jesus. The question is are you meek or are you robust?


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            [1]This is the first installment of series of messages from the Sermon on the Mount. Enjoy them.

"QUALIFICATIONS FOR KINGDOM CANDIDATES" PART II

MATTHEW 5:5-9

INTRODUCTION

          Last Sunday I concluded the message on spiritual humility: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (v. 5). The Old Testament teaches us that Moses was the meekest man on earth during his days (Numbers 12:3). In the New Testament Jesus said, “I am meek and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Therefore, there is no wonder that in heaven the seven angels sing the Song of Moses and the Lamb (Rev. 15:3). But both Moses and Jesus could blaze with sinless passion when the interests of God were at stake. Meekness is not weakness but power under control. Meekness challenges the world’s standards. Stand up for your right is the motto of our day. “The world is yours if you can get it.” Jesus said, on the contrary, the world is yours if you can renounce it. The meek, not the aggressive inherit the earth. The meek have an inheritance. The worldly have no future. The meek will inherit the earth. Moses was not meek by nature. Read his credentials when God found him. “Moses,” spoke the voice from the bush, “throw down your staff.” Moses, who had walked this mountain for forty years, was not comfortable with the command. “God, you know a lot about many things, but you may not know that out here, well, you just don’t go around throwing down your staff. You never know when . . .” “Throw it down, Moses.” Moses threw it down. The rod became a snake, and Moses began to run. “Moses!” The old shepherd stopped. “Pick up the snake.” Moses peered over his shoulder, first at the snake and then the bush, and then he gave the most courageous response he could muster. “What?” “Pick up the snake by the tail.” (God might be smiling at this point). “God, I don’t mean to object. I mean, you know a lot of things, but out here in the desert, well, you don’t pick up snakes too often, and you never pick up snakes by the tail.” “Moses!” “Yes Sir.”

          Just as Moses’ hand touched the squirmy scales of the snake it hardened. And Moses lifted up the rod. The same rod he would lift up in Pharaoh’s court. The same rod he would lift up to divide the water and guide two million people through the wilderness. The rod that would remind Moses that if God can make a stick become a snake, then become a stick again—then perhaps he can do something with stubborn hearts and a stiff-necked people. Perhaps he can do something with the common. Perhaps He can do something with you. Perhaps the reason God has used so many inanimate objects for His mission is that they don’t tell Him how to do His job. It is like the story of the barber who became an artist. When asked why he changed professions, he replied, “A canvas doesn’t tell me how to make it beautiful.” Neither do the meek.

IV.  SPIRITUAL ASPIRATION (V. 6).

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. The blessing promised here is for those who have a passionate desire not after happiness alone but also after righteousness—a right relationship with God. The truly blessed person is the one who hungers and thirsts after God Himself, not only the blessings He gives. David knew that aspiration when he wrote, “As the deer pants for water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1). The discovery that happiness is a by-product of holiness has been a joyful revelation to many believers. We should therefore follow after holiness. God is eager to satisfy the holy aspirations of His children. “They will be filled.”     Have you been hungry before? What happened when someone sent a plate of food your way? You devoured it like a lion and its prey. What about a real thirst? Jesus once said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” Admission of thirst does not come easy for many of us. False fountains pacify our cravings with sugary swallows of pleasure. But there comes a time when pleasure doesn’t satisfy. There comes a dark hour in every life when the world caves in and we are left trapped in the rubble of reality parched and dying. Some will rather die than to admit it. Others admit it and escape death. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Righteousness. That is it. That is what we are thirsty for. We are thirsty for a clear conscience. We crave a clean slate. We yearn for a fresh start. We pray for a hand which will enter the dark cavern of our world and do for us the one thing we can’t do for ourselves—make us right again. Only God can make you right through the blood of Jesus Christ. We usually get what we hunger and thirst for. The problem is the treasures of earth don’t satisfy. The promise is the treasures of heaven do. Blessed are those, then, who hold their earthly possession in open palms. Blessed are those who, if everything they own were taken from them, would be at most inconvenienced, because their true wealth is elsewhere. Blessed are those who are totally dependent upon Jesus for their joy.

          Blackmailers once sent Charles Haddon Spurgeon a letter to the effect that if he did not place a certain amount of money in a certain place at a certain time, they would publish some things in the newspapers that would defame him and ruin his public ministry. Spurgeon left at that station a letter in reply: “You and your like are requested to publish all you know about me across the heavens.” He knew his life was blameless in the eyes of men and, therefore, they could not touch his character. Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? God promises that His purposes will be accomplished and that His justice will eventually reign (cf. Is. 55:1).

V. COMPASSIONATE IN SPIRIT (V. 7)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

          Mercy is always extended to the undeserving. If it were deserved, it would no longer be mercy but mere justice. It is possible to have a passion for righteousness and yet lack compassion and mercy for those who have failed to attain it. Mercy is the ability to enter into another’s situation and be sympathetic toward his plight or problem. Like meekness, this is distinctively Christian grace. We are naturally more disposed to criticism than to mercy. Pity can be sterile. Pity can be impotent. To become mercy, it must graduate from mere emotion to compassionate action. Although mercy does not condone sin, it endeavors to repair its ravages. Mercy encourages the one who has fallen to begin again. Our personal experience will be the rebound of our attitudes and reactions.

          Are you planning to get even? Perhaps someone doesn’t meet your expectations. Promises go unfulfilled. Verbal pistols are drawn, and round of words is fired. The result? A collision of the hull of your heart against the reef of someone’s actions. Precious energy escapes, coating the surface of your soul with deadly film of resentment. A black blanket of bitterness darkens your world, dims your sight, sours your outlook, and suffocates your joy. Do you have a hole in your heart? Perhaps the wound is old. A parent abused you. A bully mistreated you at school and you are hurt. A teacher ridiculed you in front of your peers. A mate betrayed you. A business partner bailed out, leaving you a choice of bills or bankruptcy. And you are angry.

          Or perhaps the wound is fresh. The person who owes you money just drove by in a new car. But your own car consumes gas like an alligator. The boss who hired you with promises of promotions has forgotten how to pronounce your name. Your circle of friends escaped on a weekend getaway, and you weren’t invited. The children you raised seem to have forgotten you exist. And you are hurt. Part of you is broken and the other part is bitter. Part of you wants to cry, and part of you wants to fight. The tears you cry are hot because they come from your heart, and there is a fire burning in your heart. It’s the fire of anger. It is blazing. It is consuming. Its flames leap up under a steaming pot of revenge. And you are left with a decision. “Do I put the fire out or heat it up? Do I get over it or get even? Do I release it or resent it? Do I let my hurts heal, or do I let hurt turn into hate?” That is a good definition of resentment: Resentment is when you let your hurt become hate. Resentment is when you allow what is eating you to eat up. Resentment is when you poke, stoke, feed, and fan the fire, stirring the flames and reliving the pain. Resentment is the deliberate decision to nurse the offense until it becomes a black, furry, growling grudge. Being near a resentful person and petting a growling dog are equally enjoyable. Don’t you just love being next to people who are nursing a grudge? Isn’t it a delight to listen to them sing songs of woe? They are so optimistic! They are so full of hope. They are bubbling with life. You know better. You know as well as I that if they are bubbling with anything it is anger. And if they are full of anything, it is a poisonous barb of condemnation for all the people who have hurt them. Grudge bearers and angry animals are a lot alike. Both are irritable. Both are explosive. Both can be rabid. Someone needs to make a sign that can be worn around the neck of the resentful: “Beware of the Grudge Bearer.”

          Is this the way you are coping with your hurts? Are you allowing your hurt to turn into hate? If so ask yourself: Is it working? Has your hatred done you any good? Has your resentment brought you any relief, any peace? Has it granted you any joy? Let’s say you get even. Let’s say you get him back. Let’s say she gets what she deserves. Let’s say your fantasy of fury runs its ferocious course and you return all your pain with interest. Imagine yourself standing over the corpse of the one you have hated. Will you now be free?

          Unfaithfulness is wrong. Revenge is bad. But the worse part of all is that without forgiveness, bitterness is all that is left. Resentment is the cocaine of the emotions. It causes our blood to pump and our energy level to rise. But, also like cocaine, it demands increasingly larger and more frequent dosages. That helps to explain the existence of the KKK, the Skinheads, the neo-Nazis, and other hate organizations. Members of these groups feed each other’s anger. And that is why the resentful often appears unreasonable. They are addicted to their bitterness. They don’t want to surrender their anger, for to do so would be to surrender their reason to live.

          Resentment is like cocaine in another way, too. Cocaine can kill the addict. And anger can kill the angry. It can kill physically. Chronic anger has been linked with elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, and other deadly conditions. It can kill emotionally, in that it can raise anxiety levels and lead to depression. And it can be spiritually fatal, too. It can wither the soul. Hatred is the rabid dog that turns on its owner. Revenge is the raging fire that consumes the arsonist. Bitterness is the trap that snares the hunter. And mercy is the choice that can set them all free.

          The story is told of a politician who, after receiving proofs of a portrait, was very angry with the photographer. He stormed back to the photographer and arrived with these angry words: “This picture does not do me justice.” The photographer replied, “Sir, with a face like yours, you don’t need justice, you need mercy!”

VI.  PURITY OF HEART (V. 8)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Cleanness of heart brings clearness of vision. The emphasis here is on inward purity and reality in contrast to external respectability. The revelation of God envisaged here is not granted to the mighty intellect unless that is accompanied by purity of heart. It is more than an intellectual concept that is in view; it is not a matter of optics but of moral and spiritual affinity. Sin befogs the vision. The word pure here means “unadulterated,” free from alloy, sincere and without hypocrisy. Those who exhibit this virtue will see God. The refinery does for petroleum and other products what your heart shall do for you. It takes out the bad and utilizes the good.

          To Jesus’ listeners, the heart was the totality of the inner person—the control tower, the cockpit. The heart was thought of as the seat of the character—the origin of desires, affections, perceptions, thoughts, reasoning, imagination, conscience, intentions, purpose, will, and faith. That is why Solomon admonishes, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life”(Prov. 4:23). To the Hebrew mind, the heart is the freeway where all emotions and prejudices and wisdom converge. It is a switch house that receives transported cars loaded with moods, ideas, emotions, and convictions and puts them on the right track. And just as a low-grade oil or alloyed gasoline would cause you to question the performance of a refinery, evil and impure thoughts cause us to question the condition of our hearts. When someone barks at you, do you bark back or bite your tongue? That depends on the state of your heart. That is why the state of the heart is so critical. What is the state of your heart? When you are offered a morsel of gossip sprinkled with slander, do you turn it down or pass it on? That depends on the state of your heart. The state of your heart dictates whether you harbor a grudge or give grace, seek self-pity or seek Christ, drink human misery or taste God’s mercy. No wonder, then, the wise man begs, “Above all else, guard your heart. David’s prayer should be ours: Create in me a pure heart, O God. And Jesus’ statement rings true: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

VII. CONCILIATORY IN SPIRIT (V. 9)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

          It is not peace-lovers or peacekeepers who qualify for this beatitude, but peacemakers. Nor is it those who maintain an existing peace, but those who enter a situation where peace has been broken and restore it. The beatitude speaks not of a pacifist but of a reconciler. Very often peace can be made only at the cost to the peacemaker.

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

          What was done to the Savior will be done to the disciple. But even insult, reviling, injury, and persecution can work blessing—not in the persecution itself but in the divine compensations it brings. The tense of the verb conveys the sense. “Blessed are those who have been persecuted. The blessing is in the results that flow from it. Suffering is the authentic hallmark of Christianity. “Even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed,” said Peter (1 Peter 3:14). But not all persecution is blessed. Sometimes Christians bring it on themselves through unwise and unchristian actions. There are three conditions for persecution to result in blessing from the Lord: First, it must be for righteousness sake, not as a result of fanaticism or tactlessness. Second, the evil speaking must have no basis in fact; it must not be something that is the outcome of your sin or failure. Finally, it must be for Christ’s sake—suffering that arises from our consistent loyalty to Him. Let me give you an example from the New Testament. He was a child of the desert. He had a tanned skin, wore the clothing of animal skins. What he owned in life fit in a pouch. His walls were the mountains and his ceiling the stars, but not anymore. His frontier is walled out, his horizon hidden. The stars are memories; the fresh air is all but forgotten. And the stench of the dungeon reminds the child of the desert that he is now a captive of the king. Who is this person?

          In anyone’s book, John the Baptist deserves better treatment than this. After all, isn’t he the forerunner of the Christ? Isn’t he a relative of the Messiah? At the very least, isn’t his the courageous voice of repentance? But most recently that voice, instead of opening the door of renewal, has opened the door to his prison cell.

          John’s problems began when he called the king on the carpet. On the trip to Rome, King Herod succumbed to the enticements of his brother’s wife, Herodias. Deciding Herodias was better off married to him, Herod divorced his wife and brought his sister-in-law home. The gossip columnists were fascinated, but John the Baptist was infuriated. He pounced on Herod like a desert scorpion, denouncing the marriage for what it was, adultery.

          Herod under guilt might have let John get away with it, but not Herodias, the Jezebel of the NT. This steamy seductress wasn’t about to have her social ladder removed. She doesn’t want her social climbing exposed. She persuaded Herod to have John the Baptist thrown into the dungeon. Herod was reluctant to execute that plan but Herodias was persistent. Herod procrastinated but Herodias was insistent. Then Herod gave in to her wish. But that wasn’t enough for the mistress.

          She arranged for her daughter to strip-dance before the king and his generals, who were drinking their hearts out in a stag party. Herod, who was  easily duped  as he was aroused promised to do anything for the pretty strip dancer. “Anything?” “You bet.” You name it and it would be yours. She had a brief conference with her mother, Herodias, who was waiting in the wings. Then she returned with her request. “I want John the Baptist.” “You want a date with the prophet?” I want his head, replied the dancer. On a nod from her mother, she added, “On a silver platter, if you don’t mind.” The king responded, you want what? Herod then, turned and looked at the faces around him. He wished he could retract his promise. He wished he could eat his word. He knew the request wasn’t fair, but he also knew everyone was looking at him. He had given his word. His word is his bond. He had promised her anything. He could have said no, but he valued the opinion polls more than he valued John’s life. So he concluded, after all what is more important, to save face or save the neck of an eccentric prophet? Therefore, John the Baptist’s head was separated from his shoulders and brought on a silver platter to the stripped-teased dancer.

          John dies because of Herod’s lust. The good man is murdered while the bad smirk. A man of God is killed while a man of lust is winking at his niece. Is this how God rewards His anointed? Is this how God honors His faithful ones? Is this how God crowns His chosen, with a dark dungeon and a shiny blade? The inconsistency was more than John could take. Even before Herod reached his verdict, John was asking his questions.

          “When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask Him, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’” (Matt. 11:2-3). Note what motivated John’s question. It was not just the dungeon or even death. It was the problem of unmet expectations; the fact that John was in deep trouble and Jesus was conducting business as usual. Why are many people flocking to false teachers and prophets today? Why do the cults have many followers today? Why is pornography very attractive today? Why is pornography a multi- million dollar industry today? Why would a lady living in a mansion involve herself with a person who lives in a ghetto? They are all because of unmet expectations.

          In his mind John was asking, is this what Messiahs do when trouble comes? Is this what God does when His followers are in a bind? Jesus’ silence was enough to chisel a leak into the dam of John’s belief. Are you the one or have I been following the wrong Lord? Are you the one, or have I been deceived? Have you asked a similar question in your own suffering?

          Such questions are asked anytime the faithful suffer the consequences of the faithless. Anytime a person takes a step in the right direction, only to have her feet knocked out from under her, anytime a person does a good deed but suffers evil results, anytime a person takes a stand, only to end up flat on his face. The questions fall like rain: “If God is so good why do I hurt so badly?” If God is really there, why am I here?” “What did I do to deserve this?” “Did God slip up this time?” “Why are the righteous persecuted?”

         

      Disappointment demands a change in command. That is why the cults are popular today. Clouds of doubts are created when the warm moist air of our expectations meet the cold air of God’s silence. Before I conclude, I want you to listen to Jesus’ response to John’s inquiry (Matt. 11:4-6). Are you disappointed with Christ? Do you expect all your rewards here? You may learn as John did, that the problem is not much in God’s silence when you suffer unjustly for Christ as it is in your ability to hear what He is saying to you. Ladies and gentlemen, we are not yet home. I wish I had time to expound to you what heaven would be.[1]

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            [1]In these series of messages, I received tremendous help from Max Lucado, and Philip Yancey.