And 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 our recent readings, Jesus has been speaking to the Twelve as He sends them out on their first apostolic mission.  In yesterday's reading, He taught:  "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.  He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." 

 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 comments that the patristic consensus on this is that John the Baptist asks this question in order to guide his disciples to Jesus.  It adds that, undoubtedly, John's own faith was also strengthened through Christ's response that follows.

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."  These are signs prophesied by Isaiah as those which would accompany the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 61:1).  My study Bible says that Jesus performed these miracles in the presence of John's disciples so they could see with their own eyes works that only the Messiah could do.

Jesus tells the disciples of John to report to him all the signs of the Messiah:  "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."  It is a statement that lets us understand the great works that Jesus has done as manifestations, and in this sense "signs," that the kingdom of heaven has come, the Messiah is present.  He adds, "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  That is, those who can accept His ministry, and accept Him as such.  Let us keep in mind that this story comes in the context of Christ having taught the disciples as He sends them out on their first apostolic mission, all about this Kingdom they will represent into the world.  His first word to them was that they should preach wherever they go, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."   He then taught that He was sending them out "as sheep in the midst of wolves."  They would face great opposition and persecutions.  They are sent out into a kind of spiritual battle taking place in the world and initiated by His ministry, one that is unseen except to manifest in particular signs which those who understand may read, as Jesus indicates to the disciples of John the Baptist.  This is not a kingdom like a worldly kingdom, but rather a spiritual kingdom in our midst, pointing to Jesus' words to the Pharisees in Luke 17:20-21:  "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  There are others who observe these signs or manifestations of the Kingdom, but who have their own explanations and agendas.  There are those who claim that Christ is working by the power of demons, of "Beelzebub," the ruler of the demons (this reading), there are those like Herod Antipas who will treat Jesus as if He is a kind of exhibit in a cage, from whom He can ask to see great signs.  In other words, everybody is not going to understand what the signs point to; neither will they be able to discern that they are not wonders created in order to "convince" anyone of anything.  Jesus will refuse to offer "proofs on demand" about His identity (Matthew 12:39, 16:4).  And in terms of expressions of the presence of the Kingdom in the world, St. Paul will also teach about the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  Jesus' answer to John the Baptist is the same announcement we find in Luke's Gospel that begins His Galilean ministry, when He opens the Book of Isaiah to read in His hometown of Nazareth, and they are offended at Him (see Luke 4:16-30).   While John the Baptist is clearly expected to understand Jesus' answer, Christ's fellow neighbors from Nazareth fail completely to understand, and are offended at Him.  Hence, we also read an echo of that experience in Jesus' reply in today's reading, "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  The signs to which Jesus refers become the center of a question of understanding, and so much depends upon which side of that question we find ourselves in.  Can we read and understand the signs?  Are the signs simply wonders that are meant to convince us, or add to our repertoire of things we might own?  Do we know what the fruit of the Spirit is or means?  Have we seen this fruit manifest in and of ourselves, and as a product of our discipleship?  Can we grasp the mysterious nature of this Kingdom in a way that teaches us about Mystery itself, and the reality of worship and the "great cloud of witnesses" we join in this Kingdom and in bearing it into the world?  Jesus gives His answer to the disciples of John the Baptist.  We might wonder at His confidence in John as a great prophet, and one who will clearly understand, and has borne his own special mission into the world.  In tomorrow's reading, Jesus will expand upon John for our understanding.  But for now, let us consider for ourselves how we read signs and understand them.  Do we have the ears to hear and eyes to see?  Let us consider our own experience of this Kingdom, and how we also might bear it in the world, and know what signs may have appeared in our own lives and experience.  For, just like the apostles, we are also ambassadors, we also bear this Kingdom among ourselves and within ourselves.  But for those who demand proofs and take offense, there will never be the understanding they await.