– Scripture:

                      Are You Willing To Accept It?

 When John’s disciples left to report, Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. “What did you expect when you went to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear. He is the prophet Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you to make the road smooth for you.’ “Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer, but in the kingdom, he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. For a long time now, people have tried to force themselves into God’s kingdom. But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him to prepare for the Messiah of the kingdom. Looked at in this way, John is the ‘Elijah’ you’ve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah. “Are you listening to me? Listening? “How can I account for this generation? The people have been like spoiled children whining to their parents, ‘We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.’ John came fasting, and they called him crazy. I came feasting, and they called me a lush, a friend of the riffraff. Opinion polls don’t count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

                        Matthew 11:7–19 MSG

 – Reflection:

This passage is Jesus speaking about John the Baptist to the people. This passage heaps tons of praise onto John, highlighting his greatness and how John prepares a way for the people. This would be great if only John weren’t currently in prison. John is elevated to the status of Elijah in a sense, the same Elijah who, to the people, was often thought of as their greatest prophet. Jesus is telling the people to listen to John and set aside any notions of what a prophet of the Lord should be and listen. Jesus doesn’t stop, however, by praising John. He then turns to the people, saying this generation is like children in the marketplace, not engaging with one another. The people are content to sit and watch from the sidelines while not taking seriously God’s messengers.

Where do we go from here?

God will show up to us in ways that are different from what we think. The Holy Spirit often moves in ways we can’t understand or think about, and we must be able to broaden our minds and open our hearts to think differently. John wasn’t what the people expected, but he was named by Jesus to be the next Elijah. We must be open to how God reveals God’s self to us, not on the sidelines waiting for what we expect or want to have happen.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, we thank you for how you show up in our lives. Open our minds and hearts to new ways of understanding, and may we all see you in the unexpected. Amen.