Yet the One Who is Least in the Kingdom of God - a podcast by Rev. W. Reid Hankins

Sermon preached on Luke 7:18-35 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/21/2021 in Novato, CA.















Sermon Manuscript







Discerning the times and the things of God can be challenging.  Often our own presumptions and expectations can get in the way of properly understanding what God is doing.  For some people, no matter what God is doing they are never satisfied.  But today’s passage is a reminder to look to God’s Word to help us understand the times we live in and to discern what God is doing through them all. 







Here we find John the Baptist trying to understand the times he was living in and particularly as it relates to Jesus as Messiah.  Recall that we last heard about John’s ministry of baptism back in chapter 3, where we saw him calling people to repent ahead of the coming of the Messiah.  John’s baptism ministry included baptizing Jesus where he then witnessed the Holy Spirit descend upon him in bodily form.  We learn in John’s gospel why that fact was especially important to John the Baptist.  In John 1:31-34, John recounts that he received divine revelation that told him how to identify the Messiah.  John was told that the one on whom he sees the Holy Spirit descend upon and remain – that one is the Messiah.  So, then John witnessed this happen to Jesus.  It’s why in John’s gospel he is recorded in John 1:29 as proclaiming that Jesus is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.  But remember how we left things with John the Baptist back in chapter 3.  He had confronted King Herod about his sin and Herod put him in prison.







So then, by the time of our passage, John had been languishing in prison for some time when word comes to him with an update about Jesus’ ministry.  We see this in verse 18 and should see it in light of the previous verse which said that Jesus’ miracle to raise the widow’s son from Nain was reported throughout all Judea.  So, word of Jesus’ miracles, including this amazing resurrection make it to John.  Now you might think that would make John all the more certain that Jesus was the promised Messiah.  If you had any doubts before, you might think that reports of such mighty miracles would solidify your faith.  Yet, we see instead him asking this question in verse 19.  “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”  In one sense, this is hard to believe John would have any doubts.  Besides the recent reports of such miracles, John had personally received that revelation from God that identified Jesus as the Messiah.  How can he have such doubt now?  Yet, I suspect the answer is simple.  John is still in prison.  Surely, with such wonderful reports of miracles through Jesus, you might imagine John might wondered if he’d be getting saved from prison soon.  Surely, when the fulness of God’s kingdom came, God’s people wouldn’t be still in prison.  So, we can appreciate John’s inquiry here.







So then, John sends his question via two of his disciples.  We can appreciate two messengers being sent.  Not only will John have two accounts of Jesus’ response, to make sure he doesn’t miss anything.  But as two people going to Jesus, it means that Jesus’s answer is witnessed to by multiple witnesses.  It essentially asks Jesus to go on record about his identity.







So then, the two messengers bring John’s question to Jesus.  We see in verse 21, that they bring the question to Jesus at the same time as when he had just been performing yet more and more miracles of healing of people and casting out of demons.  So then, Jesus answers their question.

Further episodes of Reformed Sermons and Sunday Schools at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Petaluma, CA

Further podcasts by Rev. W. Reid Hankins

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