Matthew 11:2–11 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 11:2–11 on biblegateway.com
Verse 2When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples Verse 3and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Verse 4Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: Verse 5the 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. Verse 6And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."
Verse 7As 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? Verse 8What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. Verse 9What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. Verse 10This is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' Verse 11Truly 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.
Devotion
“Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” The quintessential question of Advent. And it is good for us to see that the answer was not clear, even for Jesus’ cousin John and his disciples. Are you the one? Really?
And the reply from Jesus harkens back to the psalm from earlier in the week. “Go and tell John what you hear and see”: Those needing healing are healed, the dead are raised to new life, the poor experience good news. These are the signs that the one who is to come is now here—for John, for his disciples, and for us.
What signs do you see that the one who is to come has now come into our lives, the lives of our congregations, the lives of our community? Where is the Divine’s incarnate presence shaping life anew?
Prayer
God who has come among us, who continues to dwell among us, and who is to come among us again, be palpable to us in the renewed life of those who are living at the edge, those who wait for Good News, with militant patience, for help and for hope. Amen.
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