here is the Link for today’s reading: http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=323585046
Messengers from John the Baptist 7:18-35
Following the Dramatic raising of the young man from Nain, we have reached something of a culmination of events in Jesus’ Galilean ministry. Jesus has now healed the sick, cleansed lepers, and raised the dead. This culmination of sorts has drawn the attention of John the Baptist.
What is interesting to me is the fact that John the Baptist is still questioning whether Jesus is the chosen one, indicating that his baptism did not invoke a voice for all to hear. It’s almost as if Jesus was just another of the crowd when John Baptized him and kicked off his ministry.
As the passage goes on, Jesus highlights that there are those to think John the Baptist is a demon for eating nothing, and think Jesus is a glutton for eating and drinking normally, implying, to me, that people will always find some reason for not following Christ.
Also found in the passage is an odd play on words in which Jesus proclaims John the greatest of all those born of woman (playing to a crowd that for the most part highly regarded John), but that in the Kingdom of God, the least are greater than he.
Questions:
- The Pharisees were refusing to be witness to the roles of John the Baptist and to Jesus because they were not normal (john’s not eating) or too normal (jesus’ feasting and drinking). What might you be refusing to see because it doesn’t match up with expectations?
- If the Pharisees dismissed both John and Jesus, what were they expecting in a Messiah? What are you expecting?
- How do you make sense of Jesus’ proclamation that the least of the Kingdom of God are greater that John, the greatest born of woman? What do you think Jesus is trying to say?