September 2
Suggested Reading: Matthew 11:1-19
CONFUSION
And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’”
Matthew 11:6
For over a half century, The Andy Griffith Show has entertained television audiences. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina. His life is complicated by an inept but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife, a spinster aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee, and a young son, Opie. Local ne’er-do-wells, bumbling pals, and temperamental girlfriends further complicate his life. Though neither Griffith nor the show won awards during its eight-season run, series co-stars Don Knotts and Frances Bavier accumulated a combined total of six Emmy Awards. The series was a hit, never lower than seventh in the Nielsen Ratings and ending its run at number one. The reason the show is still popular is it portrays a world of kindness, gentleness, and goodness. We still love to laugh at Barney Fife and enjoy loveable Opie. Andy and Aunt Bea round out the cast, assuring all is well and things always work out.
The real world is very much unlike this or other television sitcoms. Ours is a very real and raw world of hurt, anger, bloodshed, and turmoil. John the Baptist had no illusions about this evil world. His preaching had gotten him into a lot of trouble, and he ended up in Herod’s prison. Awaiting his fate, John becomes depressed. John the Baptist had been unfairly arrested and understandably began to question whether he had correctly identified the Messiah-Liberator after all. After sending his disciples to interrogate Christ, he was told to consider Jesus’ mighty deeds and then make up his own mind.
Our Lord’s answer to John’s question is instructive. Jesus relates the miracles that affirm the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the promised Messiah. He then says to tell John: And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me (NKJV). This could be accurately translated: “Happy is the person who doesn’t question how I run my business.” There are so many things we cannot understand on this side of eternity. Isaiah reminds us: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Thus, we must live in trust in our loving and gracious God.
September 2
Suggested Reading: Matthew 11:1-19