Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” Matthew 11:2
These words bring us directly face to face with the great central theme of the New Testament. John the Baptist, bound in prison, sent his two disciples to put this famous question to Jesus of Nazareth: “Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?” In other words, the question was, “Are you the Messiah whom we have been expecting, or are we mistaken, those of us who believe that you are; and must we start looking for someone else or wait for the Messiah to come?” So this is the crucial question which is put, in some shape or form, everywhere in the New Testament: “Art thou He that should come?;” “what think ye so Christ, whose son is He?.” The four Gospels are all portraits of this person; they present Him to us and hold Him before us. Look too at the Acts of the Apostles and you will find that the first preachers, under the auspices of the Christian Church, went round and preached and talked about Jesus, the same person. Then go to the Epistles and you will find that they are full of this name; every book of the New Testament is calling attention to Him.
So then, we are obviously, here, dealing with this great theme. Christianity, we are reminded, is essentially something that concerns the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We start with that fact and emphasize it, because Christianity is not primarily a teaching, nor a philosophy, nor even a way of life. In the first instance it is, before all, a relationship to a person. The New Testament in a sense will not even discuss with us the kind of life we are going to live until we have come to a satisfactory answer about Him. All along, it shuts us down to this one matter and holds us up against this one thing: it refuses to discuss our questions and our problems with us except in terms of this person. “I want to live a good life’” says someone. “all right,” replies the New Testament, “but before we can discuss with you how you can live such a life, what have you made of Him? Where does He come into your scheme of things? What is His place and position in your whole outlook and world?”
Now that, let me emphasize again, is something that is really vital and central. The whole message of the New Testament is to say certain things about Him, everything it has to say is in terms of Him. It starts with Him; it is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It makes the amazing claim for Him that He was none other than the Son of God come down into this world. It tells us that He and He alone is the Savior of the world, that He came into the world in order to save it and that there is no heaven apart from Him.
Then, having made this great claim, the New Testament goes on to say that the most important question, therefore, which we must face is that of Jesus Christ; for, it tells us, our life in this world here and now, the whole meaning of death, and, indeed, our life throughout eternity, depends entirely and solely upon our answer to this question: “Art thou He that should come or do we look for another.” The New Testament does not hesitate to say that. Listen to the Apostle Peter saying it unequivocally in one of his first recorded sermons: “There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12) — this name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now that is a dogmatic assertion, I agree, but there is a no more dogmatic book in the world than the New Testament. It never comes and says, “You have read many other books and been interested in their theories, now read me and see what you make of me. Perhaps you will find me more interesting than the others.” No, rather, it makes a definite pronouncement. Here, it tells us, is the only way for men and women to know God and be reconciled to him…. Here is the only way whereby they can be delivered forever from the fear of death and the grave. And here, says the New Testament, is the one and only way in which men and women can avoid spending eternity in a state of misery and wretchedness and torment. That is its statement, nothing less. “He that believeth on the Son hath life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth upon him” (John 3:36). It is one or the other; everything is dependent upon this one person.
So I think I have demonstrated that whatever you may think of the New Testament message, it is the person who comes first; not religion or a good life. Indeed, the New Testament comes to us and says, “I am not interested in your views about anything until we are clear about your views about him.” He is central, he is first, and if we are wrong about him, it does not make any difference, even if we are right everywhere else.
Therefore, in light of this message, there is nothing of such vital importance to us as just this question: What is Jesus Christ to us? John, there in prison, sent his two messengers because he had realized that it was the most important question on earth and in life: is this the Messiah, or is it not?
Then John does the right thing; he says in effect, “No more debate and discussion, just go to Him.” And he sends two of his disciples to say to Him, “Art thou He that should come, or look we for another?”
That is why, by the grace of God, the Gospels have been written. We cannot go in the flesh but we can go to the Gospels and have a look at Him. And this is what we see. We are impressed by the apparent contradiction. We look and say, “Isn’t He remarkably like us?” and the next minute we say, “How absolutely different!” It is this curious contradiction. Take His great claim for Himself — “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). “Ye have heard it said by them of old time … but I say unto you” (Mt. 5:27-28). What an astonishing claim he makes for Himself and His own person. Then listen, too, to the extraordinary claims He makes upon other people. There is a man sitting at the receipt of custom, following his job as usual, then this person comes along and says, “Follow me! Leave Everything!” He demands a totalitarian allegiance: what a claim for a man to make for himself and other people!
And then look at Him again and behold His understanding. Listen to Him as He expounds the Scriptures in a way no one ever did before. He knows more than the doctors of the law, there is an authority in His speech which man has never known before. Then look at His works, His miracles of healing; look at Him walking upon the sea, look at this astounding man and His works of power. Look at His sinlessness — no one can point a finger at Him, He is absolutely sinless and perfect.
So it is not a question of understanding, it is a question of the facts. Here they are confronting us, this amazing person, appearing as God only, as man only and yet clearly as both. Can you explain Him in any other terms? Go to Him, Himself, and leave it all to Him and He will give you an answer which, if you are honest, will satisfy your soul and save it for time and eternity. “Art thou He that should come or look we for another?” He is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world.
Excerpted from The Heart of the Gospel, “The Vital Question,” by D. Martin Lloyd-Jones.
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