Read Luke 7:18-35

JESUS EASES JOHN’S DOUBT
John was confused because the reports he received about Jesus were unexpected and incomplete. John’s doubts were natural, and Jesus didn’t rebuke him for them. Instead, Jesus responded in a way that John would understand. Jesus explained that He had accomplished what the Messiah was supposed to accomplish. God can handle our doubts, and He welcomes your questions. Do you have questions for Jesus – about who He is and what He expects of you? Admit them to yourself and to God, and begin looking for answers. Only as you face your doubts honestly can you begin to resolve them.
The proofs for Jesus being the Messiah are significant. The consist of observable deeds, not theories – actions that Jesus’ contemporaries saw and reported for us to read today. The prophets said the Messiah would do these very acts. These physical proofs helped John, and will help all of us, to recognize who Jesus is.
Of all people, no one filled his God-given purpose better than John. Yet in God’s kingdom, all who come after John have a greater spiritual heritage because they have clearer knowledge of the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection. John was the last to function like the Old Testament prophets, the last to prepare the people for the coming Messiah. Jesus was not contrasting the man John with individual Christians; He was contrasting life before Christ with life in the fullness of God’s kingdom.
The tax collectors and common people heard John’s message and repented. In contrast, the Pharisees and experts in the law, rejected John’s words. Wanting to live their own way, they justified their own point of view and refused to listen to other ideas. Rather than trying to force your plans on God, try to discover God’s plans for you.
The religious leaders hated anyone who spoke the truth and exposed their own hypocrisy, and they did not bother to be consistent in their fault finding. They criticized John the Baptist because he fasted and drank no wine; they criticized Jesus because He ate heartily and drank wine with tax collectors and sinners. Their real objection to both men had nothing to do with dietary habits. What the Pharisees couldn’t stand was being exposed for their hypocrisy.
Most of us can find compelling reasons to do or believe whatever suits our purposes. If you do not examine your ideas in the light of God’s truth, you maybe just as obviously self-serving as the Pharisees. To follow Jesus, is to follow His wisdom and live a changed life.