Matthew 11:1-6 – Christ the King

The ministry of the Lord did not stop even though He had assigned the 12 to go and spread the news and extend the Kingdom. Having instructed His disciples on what they needed to do, the Lord Himself went to teach and preach in the cities. In Matthew 4:12, we have already been told that John the Baptist was arrested. It would not be until Matthew 14 that we would be given the reason for his arrest and imprisonment.

 

We need to understand a bit of the backdrop that led to the question John had, concerning Jesus. He had been pointing to Jesus as the coming Messiah and indeed He was and still is. In the mindset of the Jews, the Messiah would be one like King David. He would help them to get rid of their oppressors. The Jews were looking forward for the Messiah to come and help free them from the Roman oppressors. In John’s mind, if Jesus was that coming Messiah, then why were there no sign or activity to evict the Romans. And here he was, having preached about Him and yet languishing in prison and discouraged. So he sent his own disciples to ask Jesus if He was the coming Messiah or should they look for another.

 

If we fail to understand the background we will be confused with the Lord’s answer. Instead of a simple yes or no, the Lord spoke about some of His exploits which the disciples of John themselves had heard and seen.  He told them to tell John that the blind saw, the lame walk, the lepers cleansed and the deaf heard, and the dead were even raised up, and the poor had the Gospel preached to them. He was sure that John would understand the implication.

 

What was Jesus saying? He was essentially saying, “Yes, I am the Messiah, but I operate in the realm that the physical eye may not see. But where I operate from, the impact can be felt in this physical world, in terms of healing, deliverance and restoration.”  The message of the Lord is about His Kingdom. It is about the domain of the King’s rule. It is about the King and not so much the territory. And He is reigning and freeing man from the dominion and slavery to sin that had brought with it sickness and death. And truly blessed is everyone who does not take offense with Him. For then they are poised to receive the blessings that He, the King, came to give.

 

Praise the Lord! We all have been called into the Kingdom of heaven that Christ came to proclaim. We have been enlisted into the service of the King and now a member of His occupational force here on earth to expand that Kingdom. Know this: our calling in life is not only to touch that Kingdom, our calling is to enlarge the Kingdom!