Matthew 11:1-6: The Presence of Christ

Every Sunday churches around the world advertise that people can come and "experience the presence of Christ." Assuming that this is a claim that suggests that the living Christ is actually there to be "experienced," I wonder how can we be sure? Is there any way to know that the risen Lord is present in a gathering or life of a person?In Matthew 11:1-6, John the Baptist sends two of his students to ask a similar question. He wants to know if Jesus is, in fact, the long awaited Messiah, or if they should get back to waiting. He wants to be sure that the Messiah is truly present with them.Most scholars note the oddness of this line of thinking. After all, it is he who previously baptized Jesus, it is he who saw the dove descend upon him and remain with him. It is he who also cries out, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" But now, behind prison bars, he is crying a different tune, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"What John really wants is proof that the Messiah is truly present with them. Be he, as many still do, did not understand what proof is. John's idea of proof was for Jesus to do all the things that fit into his (John's) Messiah category. Therefore if Jesus would've overthrown Caesar, established a kingdom in Jerusalem, reclaimed what was rightfully Israel's, maybe then John would've had his "proof."But he wouldn't have had the Messiah.

And when we want Jesus to accomplish all of our goals, whether individual or corporate, and use the success of their accomplishments as our proof, we, too, might have what we are looking for, but we will not have the risen Lord.Rather than looking to see if Jesus will check off all the boxes on the "Messiah to-do list." What John (and us) should have done is witness how Jesus was being the Messiah. Rather than saying, "The Messiah will conquer oppressive forces this way." John could have marveled at how the Messiah was going about his conquering business. Then he would've have had his proof. For the proof is in the transformed lives."...the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them."

Or, as Charles Spurgeon puts it, "Christ is always best known by his works, and in his people especially; he is seen in their lives."We can be sure that Christ is present in any gathering that invites him in to be their Lord, and follows him into an experience of salvation that transforms their current life here on earth. Where and when that takes place, we can be confident that Christ is in present there.