“Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

Matthew 11:6 (NIV)

Before he was born, John the Baptist’s purpose was to make way for the Messiah. John was filled with the Holy Spirit before birth and preached about Jesus’ coming. Indeed, it was John who baptized Jesus, fulfilling prophecy. However, John was imprisoned for denouncing King Herod, who married his brother’s wife.

While in prison, John sent his disciples to ask Jesus a question, “”Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3 NIV). Although John’s purpose was to make way for the Messiah, John’s view of what the Messiah was to do was constrained by human limitations. In short, John and all those waiting for the Messiah thought he would deliver them from Roman oppression. Indeed, they were waiting on a militaristic Savior. 

Jesus’ reply to John is to tell him to look at everything he’s done:

“The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”

Matthew 11:5 (NIV)

Only the Messiah could do all of these miracles. Therefore, Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. However, Jesus isn’t the Messiah everyone thought he would be. Hence, Matthew 11:6. 

Instead of just delivering the Jews from the Roman empire, Jesus delivered everyone from more significant bondage. The bondage of sin and death. Jesus could have rebuked John and said, “Why do you have so little faith?” but he didn’t. Instead, Jesus answered John with love, demonstrating his compassion for John and anyone else who might fall away because they have expectations they don’t see the Lord fulfill. 

Sometimes we might find ourselves in John’s position. Expecting the Lord to do one thing or another when he has something better in mind. For example, we pray for a loved one who knows the Lord to be healed, and instead of recovering from whatever ails them, they die. As Christians, we live in a paradoxical state where we want to be with the Lord but don’t want to die. It’s unhealthy to want to die, and when our loved ones are ill, we pray for them to be healed. We don’t pray for them to die. Yet, if they know the Lord, they are healed if they die. Indeed, they are delivered from all sickness and go to be at home with the Lord. If we’re not careful, we might stumble in our faith because we expected God to do one thing, but he did something better. 

Therefore, we can also apply Matthew 11:6 to us, remembering that the key to not stumbling can be found in Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverb 3:5-6 (NIV)

When we trust the Lord, we can genuinely say, “It is well with my soul,” no matter what happens. 

Do you know God? God knows you, and he loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, and he wants you to know him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, freed from death, and live eternally with him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe you died on the cross and were buried, and God the Father raised you from the dead on the third day. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart and receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.