Matthew 11: 2 “Meanwhile, John heard in prison about the works of Christ, and he sent two of his disciples 3to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”
4Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and good news is preached to the poor. 6 Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”
John the Baptist had confronted Herod because Herod had divorced his wife, Phasaelis, so that he could marry his brother’s wife, Herodias. Now John was in prison, facing almost certain death. Even though John had witnessed the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus in the form of a dove at his baptism, by this point John is entertaining all kinds of doubts and fears.
”Did I really see that dove descending on Jesus? After all, Jesus is my cousin. Is he really the Messiah, or have I deluded myself? Have I really been following the Lord, living in the desert, traveling around and preaching and baptizing, leaving my aged parents? Most of my disciples have deserted me to follow Jesus. Has all of this been worth it or have I made a major mistake?”
So John sent some of his most trusted friends to seek out Jesus and question him.
“Rabbi, are you really the Messiah, the Sent One, or should we look for someone else?” And Jesus gives them an answer straight out of the 35th chapter of Isaiah. “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Jesus alluded to other passages besides Isaiah 35 (which speaks of the blind, the deaf, the lame, and the mute). Isaiah 26:19 says, “Your dead shall live”; Isaiah 29:18 also refers to the healing of the deaf and the blind; while Isaiah 61:1 speaks of bringing good news to the poor (quoted by Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth (Luke 4:18–19).
Earlier this week, many expatriates flew out of Ghana on a flight arranged by the U.S. Embassy. For those who decided to stay, there were many questions: Are we doing the right thing by staying? Will we help our Ghanaian friends, or will we become a liability? And what about our family members and friends in the U. S.? What if we never see them again? It’s been a week full of tough questions, many times with few answers. We can certainly identify with John as he second – guessed himself in that stinking prison. And Jesus also understood and gave John the answer that John needed. “John, everything you preached about me is coming true. Everything the prophets said about the Messiah is happening before your eyes. Yes, John! It has been worth it! Don’t fall away! Don’t become discouraged! You have heard God correctly, and you have fulfilled God’s purpose for your life.”
As we work here in northeastern Ghana, we pray that COVID – 19 stays far away from us! Our hospital has very few supplies. There are very few ventilators in our entire region. We must depend on a few oxygen concentrators that could quickly become inadequate. But did God send us here? YES! ABSOLUTELY YES! TEN MILLION TIMES YES! GOD SENT US HERE AND GOD HAS KEPT US HERE! Is it possible we might die in Saboba? Yes. But consider this: the distance between Saboba and heaven is no further than the distance between the U.S. and heaven. It is God who has kept us here and who will keep us here as long as it pleases Him. Our prayers are not for ourselves; our prayers are for our patients, for our friends and neighbors here – people who are as dear to us as any relative can be.
John the Baptist was beheaded to satisfy the vengeful nature of Herod’s wife. But once dead, John was free – free of the prison, free of the whims of any tyrant. If COVID – 19 strikes Saboba, either or both of us may die. But know this: the moment we cease breathing, Jesus will stretch out his hand and we will stop out of those failing bodies to be with Him in heaven for eternity.
Today, do you have that assurance? Do you know that you will go to heaven if you die? Nothing any of us does is good enough; that is why Jesus had to die for the sins of the entire world. When we die, we are not trusting in any righteousness of our own; we are trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
PRAYER: FATHER GOD, PLEASE TURN THE HEARTS OF ALL WHO READ THIS TO YOU! HELP THEM TO KNOW THAT OUR TIME IS LIMITED AND THAT TODAY IS THE DAY TO DECIDE TO ACCEPT WHAT JESUS HAS ALREADY DONE FOR US. IN JESUS’ NAME. AMEN.
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