The one who fully understands the identity of Jesus and the message of the gospel, who does not doubt and does not stumble, is truly blessed in the sight of the Lord.

The one who fully understands the identity of Jesus and the message of the gospel, who does not doubt and does not stumble, is truly blessed in the sight of the Lord.

 

  

 

 

 

“The disciples of John reported all these things to him.  Then John called two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, saying, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’  When they came to Jesus, they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to You to ask, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’  At that very time, Jesus healed many people of diseases, sufferings, and those afflicted by evil spirits, and He gave sight to many who were blind.  Jesus answered and said, ‘Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached to the poor.  Blessed is the one who does not stumble because of Me’” (Luke 7:18–23).

 

  

 

As I meditate on the following passage and seek to receive the lesson it gives:

 

(1)    As I meditate today on the passage Luke 7:18–23, my attention was drawn especially to verse 23, which says, “Blessed is the one who does not stumble because of Me.”  So, I looked to see where else this statement appears. When I did so, I found the same words in Matthew 11:6. Therefore, I wish to meditate on the message given to us today by comparing Luke 7:18–23 with Matthew 11:2–6.

 

(a)    First, why did Jesus say to the two disciples whom John the Baptist (Luke 7:20) had sent to Him (v. 19), “Blessed is the one who does not stumble because of Me” (v. 23)?

 

(i)                 The reason was that John the Baptist, who was imprisoned (Mt. 11:2), was doubting because he was not fully certain whether Jesus truly was the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, or whether he should wait for another (Internet).  Therefore, John the Baptist sent two of his disciples from prison to Jesus to ask, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Lk. 7:19).

 

·         The reason John the Baptist acted in this way may be that, like the Jews of his time, he had expected a Messiah who would politically liberate the people of Israel from the Roman government, a Messiah who would establish social justice, and a Messiah who would bring economic prosperity.

 

-          In short, the reason John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (v. 19), was that although Jesus was carrying out ministries such as healing the sick, His appearance and manner did not match the political, social, and economic image of the Messiah that John—along with the people of that time—had expected.  This caused confusion, and so John sent his disciples to Jesus in order to confirm the truth (Ref.: Internet).

 

(ii)               “At that very time,” Jesus healed many people of diseases, suffering, and evil spirits, and restored sight to many blind people (verse 21).  Then He said to John the Baptist's disciples: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: 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” (v. 22).

·         Here, Jesus quoted from Old Testament prophecies (Isa. 35:5-6; 61:1).  These six signs were all miracles that proved He was the Messiah, the very things the Jews were seeking [(1 Cor. 1:22) “Jews demand signs…”].  Therefore, Jesus avoided directly answering John's disciples' question and instead confirmed His Messiahship by mentioning these signs (Hochma).

 

-          (Isaiah 35:5-6; 61:1) “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.  Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the mute tongue will shout for joy.  For waters will break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.  …  The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”  

 

n  Here, the six signs that testify to the Messiah are: (1) the blind will see, (2) the deaf will hear, (3) the lame will leap like a deer, (4) the tongue of the mute will sing, (5) good news will be preached to the poor, and (6) release and freedom will be proclaimed to captives and prisoners.

 

n  These are the six signs that Jesus mentioned to John the Baptist's disciples in today's passage, Luke 7:22: (1) the blind see, (2) the lame walk, (3) lepers are cleansed, (4) the deaf hear, (5) the dead are raised, and (6) the gospel is preached to the poor.

 

(b)    So then, what is the meaning of Jesus’ statement to the disciples of John the Baptist, “Blessed is the one who does not stumble on account of me” (Lk. 7:23)?

 

(i)                 To understand the meaning of Luke 7:23, I first looked at the Greek text of the Bible. From this, I translated verse 23 as: “And blessed is the one who does not stumble on account of me.”

 

·         Here, the word “And” [“καὶ” (kai)] is a conjunction that connects this statement to Jesus’ preceding answer to John’s question: “… Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (v. 22).

 

-          In other words, after listing the six signs that testify to His identity as the Messiah in verse 22, Jesus continues in verse 23 (“And”) by stating, “Blessed is the one who does not stumble on account of me.”

 

·         The Greek word translated as “stumble,” “σκανδαλισθῇ” (skandalisthē), comes from the verb “σκανδαλίζω” (skandalizō), meaning “to cause to trip or fall” or “to ensnare in a trap.”  This word evokes the image of a baited trap in which a target becomes ensnared and dies. In this sense, it signifies being caught in the devil’s trap, sinning, and ultimately facing spiritual death.  In the New Testament, it is used to mean “to cause someone to sin” (Hochma).

 

-          In the context of this verse, it refers to a situation similar to John the Baptist asking Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (v. 19)—that is, a situation where one does not fully understand Jesus’ identity or the message of the gospel, doubts, and therefore stumbles spiritually.

 

n  Here, “Jesus’ identity” can be summarized as: “Son of God,” “Christ (Messiah),” “Savior,” and as the “Trinity” with the nature of both fully human and fully divine, which is clearly affirmed in biblical teaching and early Christian confession (Internet).

 

n  And “Jesus’ gospel message” refers to the good news that through faith in Jesus Christ, one’s sins are forgiven, the relationship with God is restored, and eternal life is obtained.  The core of this message is that Jesus, as the Son of God, died on the cross in humanity’s place for sin and rose again, and salvation comes to those who believe in Him (Internet).

 

#  Therefore, the one who fully understands Jesus’ identity and the message of the gospel, without doubting and without stumbling, is truly blessed in the sight of the Lord.