When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (ESV Matthew 11:1-6 )
Now that I am done with the Disciple 1 Bible study, I am back to the Taylor Bookmark Method. The other day, my bookmark made it to Matthew 11. What struck me about this passage was what was missing, nothing about doctrine, nothing about rules, nothing about tithes or gifts. The hallmark of the Kingdom was liberation. Those bound by physical bonds were freed. Those who had crossed the boundary of life and death were given the chance to come back. The poor learned that G-d had not forgotten them. Their freedom gave them hope. No longer were they bound by the laws of the Pharisees. No longer were they bound by the rules of sacrifice and the Temple. Did Mary and Joseph feel shame when they had to bring the last of the list offering at Jesus dedication? The system of offerings and sacrifices would soon fall away to a new covenant, a covenant requiring the same offering of all, a broken and contrite heart. The Kingdom is about freeing people.
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