“What You Hear and See”

(Matthew 11:2-11)

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”  Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.  And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind?  What, then, did you go out to see?  Someone dressed in soft robes?  Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces.  What, then, did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.  This is the one about whom it is written,

‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’

Truly, I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

            I can think of several reasons that Christmas is our favorite season.  Gifts!  We like to shop for them, to give them and we like to get them.  It’s the most wonderful time of the year, just like the song says.  Gift-giving and receiving at their best is about love, sharing the love of this beautiful season. 

But it also has to do with the magical fantasy we have been given: the snow falling gently, the sleigh bells ringing, the dream of getting to ride around in a horse-drawn sleigh.  Of course we don’t think about how cold it probably would be and what us older folks complain about: driving in the snow, shoveling the sidewalks and driveways.  Somehow, though, at Christmastime, we just love the idea. 

Also, we love the decorating and the lights on the homes.  Remember we in the Northern Hemisphere are in the darkest time of the year.  The night is closing in on the daylight, and the lights remind us “Advent Christians” of the coming of the light of Christ.

And we do love the food and the bakery, the meals and other traditions of our families and countries from which our ancestors come.  We love the gatherings of families and friends.  We adore the Christmas music.

I’m sure there are other things we love about Christmas.  This is definitely not a complete list.  But I think we cherish the idea of the Baby Jesus in the manger.  This sweet little Jesus, meek and mild, is so lovable and comforting.  This is the kind of Christ that we long for and, sometimes, even insist upon.  The holiday celebrating his birth is easier to manage than the Good Friday Jesus or the Jesus who disturbs the peace.

This is why today’s reading is kind of a decisive moment in the Gospel of Matthew.  We have this story when even the faithful John the Baptist questions, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”  And though this question comes from John’s mouth, it reflects the concerns of the early church. 

This is because Jesus did not fit the profile of the Messiah they had been waiting for.  In fact, Jesus goes on to say that they may have expected the Christ to be in soft robes and living in a royal palace.

 Jesus puts all this in the context of how John the Baptist is perceived.  He doesn’t come out as a royal type, but, rather, as a rough-hewn prophet.  He is one who they won’t bow down to or celebrate but, rather, one they need to listen to.

Further, Jesus answers the original question from the early followers with this, “Go and tell John what you see and hear; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”  Those acts are the signs we should be looking for, signs of love.  Of course, there is the star in the East, but Jesus says, “If you don’t acknowledge the integrity and the love of what you hear and see, you don’t really have any other sign from me while I walk this earth.”

…So, what does all this mean for us as we come into the Christmas season?  Baby Jesus is so wonderful, humbly born out of love on that Silent Night in a stable to parents of no means, surrounded by barn animals.  This is one great story that we will be playing out over and over through the next week and a half.  Our hearts will be strangely warmed as the beginning to “The Greatest Story Ever Told” is shared again. 

…But for today we are challenged by Jesus, the man, the divine-human who came to dwell among us.  Baby Jesus makes no demands on us, and, it turns out, that is primarily what the church wants.  We want Jesus to look like us, white, non-controversial, easy to be around, walking around like a king, fit to live in a palace, one who never challenges us but just makes us feel good. 

The thing is, as we read the Gospels, sometimes Jesus is offensive.  So we need to be in touch with how we are sometimes offended—and then allow ourselves to be made over, to be transformed, into Jesus’ image.  If we truly and honestly ask and mean to ask, “What would Jesus do?”, we have to be ready to hear the answer, ready to follow in his footsteps.

So, as we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ into our world and our hearts, one thing we need to keep front and center, is Jesus, the one who healed the blind and the lame, the one who wasn’t afraid to touch those with skin diseases, the one who brought the good news to the poor.  The one who wasn’t intimidated by the challengers–no reed shaken by the wind–the one who bravely brought the Good News of the Gospel to the people, to the ordinary folks as well as the well-to-do, to the poor as well as the elite. 

These are the signs that Jesus referred to regarding himself as well as John the Baptist.  We are not to be looking for someone who looks, acts and thinks like us.  Instead, pay attention to what our Savior and Redeemer had to say and do.  Pay attention to whom he paid attention to: the poor, the captives, the blind, the deaf, the imprisoned, the sick, those without power and voice. 

Pay attention to what you have seen and heard from Jesus in today’s lesson.  Pay attention to how this was done out of love for us all, including you and me, because THIS is the word of God.