When Jesus Does Not Work the Way I Expected Matthew 11:2–6

When Jesus Does Not Work the Way I Expected

Matthew 11:2–6

John the Baptist was in prison.

The man who had once boldly preached repentance in the wilderness and prepared the way for Jesus was now confined behind prison walls.

While he was there, news reached him about what Jesus was doing. Matthew describes these things as “the works of the Christ.”

After hearing this, John sent his disciples to Jesus with a surprising question:

“Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

John already knew Jesus. He had baptized Him and had been called to prepare the way for the Messiah.

Why, then, would John ask such a question?

The Messiah John Expected and the Jesus He Saw

John’s preaching had strongly emphasized judgment.

He had proclaimed that the axe was already at the root of the trees. He spoke of the coming One holding a winnowing fork, separating the wheat from the chaff, and burning the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Yet after Jesus began His ministry, Herod was still in power.

Even more troubling, John, God’s prophet, was in prison.

If Jesus truly was the Messiah, why did evil still appear to prosper?

Why was God’s prophet still behind bars?

Jesus did not begin by rebuking John for asking.

Nor did He simply say, “Yes, I am the Messiah.”

Instead, He said:

“Go and tell John what you hear and see.”

Then Jesus pointed to what was happening.

The blind could see.

Those who could not walk were walking.

Lepers were being cleansed.

The deaf could hear.

The dead were being raised.

And the poor were receiving the good news.

This was more than a list of miracles.

These were signs that the salvation promised through Isaiah was beginning to appear in Jesus.

It was as though Jesus were saying:

“Do not judge Me only by the Messiah you expected. Look at what God promised the Messiah would do.”

Yet John’s Prison Door Remained Closed

This is where the passage becomes much deeper.

The blind could see.

The lame could walk.

Even the dead were being raised.

Yet John remained in prison.

Jesus did not say, “John, wait a little longer. Your prison door will soon open too.”

And we know what happened later.

John eventually died as a martyr.

So this passage cannot mean, “If you believe in Jesus, eventually every problem will be resolved in the way you want.”

Instead, it asks us a much harder question:

Can I still trust Jesus when my prison door does not open?

Can I trust Him when it seems that others are receiving miracles while my circumstances remain unchanged?

Can I still believe that Jesus is the Christ when my prayers are not answered in the way I expected?

“Blessed Is Anyone Who Does Not Stumble Because of Me”

Jesus ended His answer with these words:

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

The word “stumble” means more than simply feeling disappointed.

Jesus Himself can become a stumbling point when He does not fit our expectations of what the Messiah should do.

We may believe in Jesus while quietly creating our own expectations of Him.

“If God loves me, He will solve this problem.”

“If God is really with me, this should not be happening.”

“I prayed, so God should answer in this particular way.”

Then, when God does not act according to our expectations, our faith begins to shake.

At that moment Jesus says to us as well:

“Blessed is the one who does not stumble because of me.”

My Circumstances Do Not Define Christ

John was in prison.

But the work of Christ had not stopped.

John’s ministry had been restricted, but Jesus’ ministry had not been restricted.

This teaches us something important.

Just because I am confined does not mean Christ is confined.

A closed door in front of me does not mean the kingdom of God has stopped advancing.

And just because I cannot see what God is doing does not mean He is doing nothing.

Instead of interpreting Christ through our circumstances, we learn to see Christ through God’s Word and then reinterpret our circumstances in light of Him.

Jesus may not be working in the way I expected, but that does not mean Jesus is not working.

When Faith Wavers, Look Again at Christ

When John had questions, he did not simply reach his own conclusion.

He sent his disciples to Jesus.

And Jesus did not tell John to examine how strong his faith was.

He pointed John back to what He Himself was doing.

That matters for us too.

When our faith wavers, we can become consumed with examining ourselves.

“Why is my faith so weak?”

“Why do I still have questions?”

But the more we do this, the more our eyes remain fixed on ourselves.

The gospel turns our eyes back to Christ.

When your faith wavers, do not keep staring at the size of your faith. Look again at the Christ in whom you have placed your faith.

Look at the Christ who opens blind eyes.

The Christ who cleanses the unclean.

The Christ who gives life to the dead.

The Christ who brings good news to the poor.

And ultimately, the Christ who went to the cross to bear our sin.

John expected the Messiah to bring judgment.

That expectation was not wrong.

But before Christ brings final judgment, He did something astonishing: He bore the judgment sinners deserved upon Himself at the cross.

He rose from the dead.

And one day He will return and bring His kingdom to its complete fulfillment.

Therefore, even before a door that remains closed, we can wait.

Even in circumstances we cannot understand, we can trust Christ.

Our faith does not finally rest on our ability to understand everything that happens.

It rests on the faithfulness of Christ.

The prison door may still be closed, but Christ is still at work.