Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me

Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the coming One, or do we look for another?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

- Matthew 11:1-6

In yesterday's reading, Jesus completed His discourse to the Twelve Apostles, before sending them out on their first mission. The readings and commentary for this section began with Like sheep having no shepherd, in which He appointed the Twelve. The next is The kingdom of heaven is at hand, in which He taught them what to preach. Then He taught them, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Next, He taught the value of fearless witness, even in a time of betrayal; He said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Finally, in yesterday's reading, He taught about the times they are entering, what it will be to be sheep in the midst of wolves. Betrayal is everywhere, and He quotes from the prophet Micah. But each must carry his cross to be worthy of Him; there may be very hard choices to make. See Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the coming One, or do we look for another?" My study bible says of this passage: "According to the Church Fathers, John the baptist asks this question in order to guide his own disciples to Jesus. It is also possible, according to modern interpretations, that John thought of the Messiah as judge only and was perplexed by the mercy of Jesus." We know that many disciples came from John the Baptist to Jesus, and that John's mission was the preparation of the people for the Messiah. Since John is in prison, it is reasonable that he asks Jesus this question; he is coming to the end of his own mission of prophesy. But the gospel also gives us new reason to take Jesus' words to heart that He delivered to the Twelve before they are sent out: they are sheep in the midst of wolves. It is a time of betrayal, and the gospel is not welcome. The words of Jesus that we have been reading in the past several readings come to light more deeply in the face of John's poignant question, and his circumstances.

Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them." My study bible notes, "Isaiah predicted that at the coming of the Messiah the blind would see, the lame walk, lepers would be cleansed, the deaf would hear (see Luke 7:22). Jesus fulfills the prophesies of Isaiah, bearing the fruit which only the Messiah can produce." For reference to passages from Isaiah, see Isaiah 29:18, 35:4-6, 61:1. The great emphasis on the last phrase here ("the poor have the gospel preached to them") is made more strongly in the readings that have come just before, in the sending out of the Twelve on their first mission. It marks a new period of the gospel being spread, even as John is in prison.

"And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." Here Jesus provides the hint of the judgment that perhaps John is expecting. This is the way the judgment is to happen: the gospel, the good news of salvation, must be preached everywhere. A new period is beginning with the sending out of the Twelve Apostles on their first mission, and a handing off from the work of John, the greatest of the prophets, to the missionaries and evangelists and disciples and apostles of Christ.

In some sense, this beginning that we see here, of the image of the first "missionaries," the Apostles, being sent out is the seed of the time in which we find ourselves today. Christ Himself sends out those first, as He tells John that the gospel is being sent out and preached to the poor. We recall the first words of the Beatitudes about the "poor in spirit," and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. It's all about what we want the most, what we are willing to exchange for this good news. In today's reading, we have a handing off from the period of the prophets - of whom Jesus will say that John is the greatest - to the new period of the gospel. Tomorrow's reading will touch upon Jesus' vision of John the Baptist, and the times in which He finds Himself, of betrayal of the good. When Jesus teaches in today's reading, "Blessed is he who is not offended because of me," He speaks of Himself as stumbling block, something that scandalizes. We are all here to make a choice, and He is here to offer it to us. Elsewhere, the evangelist John will say that "the light shines in the darkness." Into a dark time, Jesus has indicated, He is sending out His apostles, those who bear the kingdom and bring it near to others. He is the light shining in the darkness, His word reaches out to all of us, and even to John sitting in a dark prison cell. We are still in this time of the light of love reaching out into a place where violence, manipulation, betrayal and cruelty may be the norm. How does it reach to you today? Can we hear the words? The darkness doesn't "comprehend" -- is He a stumbling block? Nevertheless, the light can't be overtaken, and still shines. How does it reach to you today? Does it illumine something you need to see?