By Pastor Greg
About fifteen years ago we had a tornado rip through our yard at the house in Shippensburg. Just tore up trees and stuff everywhere. Across town, some friends from church happened to walk by and see the damage. The next day, many people from the church volunteered to help with the cleanup. We took 20 pickup loads of split wood out of that yard. Butch and I ran chain saws all day. My next door neighbor, who had damage as well, asked if he could hire the crew when they were finished at my house. You should have seen the look on his face when we told him that these were people from the church; not to mention his reaction when we all marched into his yard and cleaned it up as well. So accustomed to being alone and looking after himself, Jack was overcome with what a church community is really like.
Church community, a place where a person feels they belong, is something I believe the people of this world long for, yet is very elusive. As the un-churched people of this world live out their lives in isolation, deep in their hearts is a longing to find some place where everybody knows their name. And, as Jack noticed, to see this sense of community and belong will make the un-churched pause and take notice. That’s because community is so unusual in today’s culture. People have become so isolated and alone in today’s culture. And although there are no steel bars before them, many people today are living in their own private prison where nobody knows and nobody cares. But maybe this isn’t a new problem. Maybe people struggled with this even in Jesus’ time. If so then perhaps that explains why Jesus gave us the Church.
John the Baptist had a very short ministry. He baptized people for one year, but spent two years in prison. I know that John said to his disciples, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30), yet it is apparent that John began to wonder and question things as he sat alone in prison. Perhaps this is why John sent two of his disciples to find Jesus and ask Him, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” (Luke 7:19).
John’s life would have hit rock bottom, at least from his perspective. Dejected, depresses, and doubting, John was looking for some assurance; some strength and hope to hold on to when his world was falling apart. But instead of a straight answer, Jesus offered John something far greater. Jesus offered John the community of believers. “Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” (Luke 7:20-22).
Although Luke does not record John’s reaction when his two disciples returned, can you imagine the stories they would have been able to tell! A blind man stumbling through the crowd would have walked away seeing clearly. Someone who was carried to Jesus would have danced with joy. Those with withered hands or skin diseases; those tormented by evil spirits; every affliction you can imagine would have been wiped away by the touch of the Master’s hand. So can you image what these men might have said once they returned to John? They could certainly do more than simply say “Yes, He’s the Messiah”. While facing his doubt, John would have been able to draw strength from these two disciples who now believed because of the evidence they had seen and heard. John would have been able to draw strength from those around him who were convinced that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah. What Jesus gave John was the comfort of two other believers who could assure him that his faith has been placed in the right person all along.
Just before these two disciples of John leave, Jesus pulls them aside and says, when you go back to John, I’m sure you are going to tell him what you have seen and what you have heard. He knows the scriptures well enough. No doubt he is familiar with what the prophet Isaiah said. “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies” (Isaiah 61:1-2). But I want you to remind him of one more thing. Tell him, “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me” (Luke 7:23). Literally it means “Blessed is the person who is not ensnared away from me”. A person is blessed when they do not fall away; when they are not trapped by something else. John was not just behind bars at this point in his life, but he became a prisoner to isolation. And perhaps through no fault of his own, John may have been left alone during this time in his life; abandoned, perhaps, even by those who had been his disciples.
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25), says the author of Hebrews. It’s important to meet together because in community a believer can find strength and encouragement. Of course, I don’t need to tell you that, you already know this. But there are many who do not. There are many who have become ensnared and isolated; trapped by their own loneliness and isolation. And I feel it is the responsibility of the church to reach out to them with open arms and draw them into the fellowship of believers. This is what Jack needed. It’s what a lot of people need.
There are times in each of our lives when our faith wavers. We all struggle with periods of doubt. And it’s times like these that I am thankful for what Jesus has given us. When I see the evidence of your faith; when you tell me of what Christ has done in your own life, I find the strength I need to battle the doubts that haunt me. When you give testimony of what you have seen and heard, each of us is strengthened because of your conviction. That’s the beauty of the Church. That’s the warmth and strength found within a body of believers. That’s what separates a church from the rest of the world. In a Church, you are not alone. In a church, you can find strength when you are weak. In a church, you need not face a crisis alone. Our Savior knew this. He knew we would need each other to hold on to when we are weak and to encourage us when we fail. That’s why Jesus sent these two disciples back to John with evidence and not just an answer.
Christ gave us Himself. But He also gave us each other; people like you and me who gather as a family because of what we have seen and what we have heard. Thank you for the strength you give me on the days when I am weak.
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