WEDNESDAY, MAY 11
READ MATTHEW 11:2-6
MATTHEW 11:2 Meanwhile, Yochanan the Immerser, who had been put in prison, heard what the Messiah had been doing; so he sent a message to him through his talmidim, 3 asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for someone else?” 4 Yeshua answered, “Go and tell Yochanan what you are hearing and seeing — 5 the blind are seeing again, the lame are walking, people with tzara’at are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing,[Matthew 11:5 Isaiah 35:5–6] the dead are being raised,[Matthew 11:5 Isaiah 26:19] the Good News is being told to the poor[Matthew 11:5 Isaiah 61:1] — 6 and how blessed is anyone not offended by me!”
In our sensationalized media age I often get the gut feeling that questions that could help the public engage in civil discourse and make wiser decisions are instead intended to embarrass or entrap. Jesus was not immune to this tactic— especially from the religious leaders who wanted so desperately to expose him as a fraud.
Yet questions can generate new thoughts and perceptions. Honest inquiry that seeks to pull back the layers of knowledge and complexity is always in order. So the question in today’s text posed to Jesus by John the Baptist’s disciples is one that allows Jesus to shed light, deepen knowledge, and inspire faith: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answers by citing his actions on behalf of the blind, the lame, the deaf, the leper, the poor, and even the dead. His answer is compassionate yet firm. If John and his disciples are not sure just who Jesus is, they now know.Jesus, indeed, is the one who was to come. But because Jesus came in a different guise and fashion, acting more like a servant than a messiah, people weren’t sure. Jesus showed them and shows us a view of the God who works among the lost, the last, and the least.
We dare not fault John for sending his clarifying question. Remember, Jesus said of John, “Among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist.” The real question now is this: In what ways do we announce to the world that Jesus is the One who has come through our compassion for “the least of these”?
Dear Jesus, you are the way, the truth, and the life. Help us to know you and to see the new thing you are doing. Amen.[Gregory V. Palmer]
[Bishop Gregory V. Palmer has served as Episcopal Leader of the Ohio West Area of The United Methodist Church since September 1, 2012. In 2000, Palmer was elected to the episcopacy by the North Central Jurisdictional Conference. He was assigned to the Iowa Area where he served until assuming responsibilities in the Illinois Area in 2008. Bishop Palmer served as president of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry from 2004 to 2008 and president of the Council of Bishops from April 2008 to May 2010.]
[Special Note: The image with the meditation was designed by Rev. Todd Pick and will be used in today’s worship service at General Conference.]
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