Matthew 11:1-6 ‘When you feel that Jesus has let you down’

I

n Disappointed with God, Philip Yancey quotes a letter written by a Christian mother, Meg Woodson, who lost two of her children to cystic fibrosis.  The death of her daughter at 23 was particularly traumatic.  ‘I was sitting beside her bed a few days before her death when suddenly she began screaming … God who could have helped, looked down on a young woman devoted to him, quite willing to die to give him glory, and decided to sit on his hands’  God failed to deliver.  He is a healer, but he had not healed her daughter.  Understandably, it caused Meg to doubt God’s goodness.

Have you ever felt let down by God?  If we are honest all of us can think of times when our prayers were not answered the way we hoped.  We feel let down by Jesus.  As John the Baptist languished in prison he felt let down by Jesus.

Don’t be surprised that you doubt

John the Baptist never had it easy.  He had ministered in the hot Jordanian desert.  He had eaten wild locusts.  He preached a message of judgement.  He had no shortage of opponents.  Now he is in a dungeon in the suffocating heat of fortress Machaerus which was located in the burning mountains by the Dead Sea.  He is physically and emotionally drained, and he begins to wonder if he was right about Jesus.  His situation affected his mood and thoughts.   He is struggling with doubt.  Our energy levels, our emotions and our spiritual life are all connected.  Remember Elijah when he doubts after defeating the prophets of Baal—the first thing that God did for him was to give him food and rest.  Don’t be surprised that you doubt at times, for the greatest of God’s people were not immune to it.

Make sure that your expectations are right

Why was John the Baptist wondering if he was right about Jesus?  Well, if we look back to John’s earlier teaching we will see that he had declared that Jesus would come as a great judge.  He declared, ‘The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and destroyed’ (Matthew 3:10).  That was true.  Jesus comes and brings an end to hypocrisy and evil. 

But if Jesus was the Messiah who would bring judgment against all evil, why does evil still seem to be triumphing?  If Jesus was the Messiah who would bring an end to all evil why is John the Baptist in prison?  Where is the conquering Messiah?  Has Jesus failed to deliver?  He has actually made a common mistake that is still made by Christians today: he has not seen the difference between the ‘now’ and the ‘not yet’ of God’s kingdom.

Jesus has brought some of the blessings of the kingdom ‘now’.  ‘Now’ there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1).  You don’t need to worry about the day of judgement because the verdict of not guilty has already been pronounced over you.  ‘Now’ you are an adopted and beloved child of God (Ephesians 1:5).  You will not be more loved in heaven than you are now.  You are fully loved and accepted now.  In the ‘now’ God will never leave you or forsake you’ (Hebrew 13:5).

But some of the blessings of the kingdom are ‘not yet’.  They await the triumphant return of Jesus.  The final day of judgement when all evil will be put to an end is a ‘not yet’ (Acts 10:42).  That is why John the Baptist was in a dungeon—evil still happens in the now.  Similarly, it is not until Jesus returns that there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4).

In this life the apostle Paul endured a thorn in the flesh, even though he prayed three times for its removal (2 Corinthians 12:8).  Timothy had to take a little wine for his recurring stomach problems (1 Timothy 5:23).  Paul had to leave Trophimus in Miletus because Trophimus was ill (2 Timothy 4:20).  Paul had to go the hill country of Galatia to recover from sickness (Galatians 4:13).  The Apostle John ended up imprisoned on Patmos (Revelation 1:9). 

Yes, God does heal in this life, but not always.  Yes, God does answer prayer, but not always the way we want.  This is what is so terrible about what is called the ‘Prosperity Gospel’—preachers make themselves popular and rich by giving people false expectations.  They speak as if the end of suffering should be ‘now’ rather than ‘not yet’ and so people are left disappointed in the God who didn’t respond to promises that he never actually made.

Seek answers

What do you do when you feel disappointed with Jesus?  You should seek answers.  John doesn’t understand how the conquering Messiah could let him languish in a dungeon.  So, he sends his disciples to Jesus to ask, ‘are you the one or should we expect someone else?’  When you are doubting the goodness of Jesus, pray.  When you feel disappointed with God, ask him to help you understand.  Examine his Word.  Ask wise people for their insights and prayers. 

Jesus gives John the Baptist an answer.  ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see.  The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is being preached to the poor.’  Jesus is proving that he is the Messiah by pointing him to the prophesies of Isaiah.  He is doing exactly what was foretold the Messiah would do.  ‘Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.  Then the lame will leap for joy’ (Is 35:5). ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor’ (Is 61:1).

You might not be doubting whether Jesus is the Messiah of God, but I imagine some of us are doubting whether he can be trusted.  So, what words would he send to us this morning?  Well, take some teaching from the Gospel we are studying: Matthew.  ‘A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out’ (12:20)—you may be struggling, but Jesus is your gentle friend.   ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls’ (11:19).  When the demanding and needy crowds gathered around him we read Jesus had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd (9:36)—even though we sometimes only come to Jesus when we are in trouble he still is moved by our pain.  While you may feel alone in your suffering you are never alone for Jesus promises that I will never leave you until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).  Most importantly think long and hard about the cross of Christ—hear Jesus cry out ‘My God, my god, why have you forsaken me’, as he experienced punishment for our sin and guilt so that we need never be forsaken (Matthew 27:46).

Don’t try to have all the answers

The final verse of our reading is interesting: ‘Blessed is the one who does not stumble on account of me’ (6).  You see many, like John, hoped that Jesus would come as a conquering Messiah.  That straight away he would put an end to all evil.  Many wanted him to be a military Messiah who would deliver his people from their Roman occupiers.  They were in danger of giving up on a Messiah who did not met their expectations.  You might be ashamed of the Messiah who doesn’t answer all our questions or remove all our pain.

When I first started doing pastoral work and had to visit the homes of the suffering I used to wonder what I should say when people asked, ‘how can God let this happen to me?’  I don’t try to answer that question anymore because I don’t know the answer.  It might be hard to represent a God who doesn’t always answer people’s prayers the way they want.  But he is with his people, he does have compassion, he is often mysterious, and there will come a day when he will wipe away the tears from our eyes.

A life-long Bible teacher found his faith troubled in his final years.  A degenerative nerve disease confined him to bed.  His thirty-nine-year-old daughter battled a severe form of diabetes.  Financial pressures mounted.  During his most severe crisis, he composed a Christmas letter and mailed it to others in the family.  Many things he had once taught he now felt uneasy about.  What could he believe with certainty?  He wrote these three things: ‘Life is difficult.  God is merciful.  Heaven is sure.’

 

Conclusion

Have you ever felt let down by God?  If we are honest all of us can think of times when our prayers were not answered the way we hoped.  What do we do when Jesus fails to meet our expectations?  Don’t be surprised when you doubt God’s goodness, we all do at times.  Remember that Jesus has not promised to answer all your prayers the way you want or that you will be spared suffering and death.  Seek answers, but don’t think you will get all the answers. 

So, what would you say to Meg Woodson, who feels that God sat on his hands as her daughter died.  I would suggest that the best thing you might do is say nothing at all.  Remember that Job’s friends comforted him when they wept with him as he wept and got it wrong when they opened their mouths.  ‘But’, you might ask, ‘didn’t Jesus give answers?  Aren’t their verses that can help?’  Yes, but Meg is a Christian, she has probably heard all the answers.  The best time to prepare yourself for suffering is to be listening to and studying God’s Word before suffering comes.  I supposed I am biased on this for I remember a friend who had a nervous breakdown and became frustrated that people who remind her that God works all things together for those who love him.  She knew that truth but she didn’t feel it.  She felt that by firing verses at her, people weren’t willing to listen to how she felt.  Pray that the person can feel the truths they know.

What if you feel like Meg Woodson—you feel let down by God.  Well don’t give up letting God’s Word minister to you.  Don’t give up meeting with God’s people.  Don’t give up praying.  Don’t cut off your nose simply to spite your face.  When you are doubting the goodness of Jesus, pray.  When you feel disappointed with God, ask him to help you understand.  Examine his Word.  Ask wise people for their insights and prayers.