"Cruciform, Paradoxical, and Offensive" by Rev. Jillian Hankamer 6/22/2025

A sermon for Northminster Church

Matthew 11:7-19

            This morning’s verses are the continuation of a story in process. John the Baptist is languishing in prison for preaching against the marriage of Herod Antipas and his former sister-in-law, Herodias, both having divorced their spouses to marry each other. When John hears of what Jesus is doing, Matthew says, “he sent word to his disciples and said to [Jesus], ‘Are you the one who is come, or are we to wait for another?’”^[1]

            Commentator ….Allen, Jr. instructs us not to see John’s questions as a lack of faith, particularly as this event occurs after John’s baptism of Jesus.^[2] As he explains, “John’s question is a setup by [the gospel writer] Matthew for Jesus’ pronouncement affirming that he is the one to come to name the distinctive roles of John and himself in relation to one another.”^[3] This was an important issue in Matthew’s day, as we know from Acts 18 and 19 that there were still disciples of John on the periphery of the early church proclaiming him as the Messiah.^[4]

            That all makes sense, but…

            But it also makes sense that while sitting in prison, examining what’s left of his life and ministry, perhaps other-thinking about life and the choices that led him to be in prison, that John would have some questions. Some concerns. Some doubts. Even though “John saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus at his baptism; he heard the voice from heaven declare, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ John preached that the Messiah would ‘baptize with…fire,’ that his ‘winnowing fork’ was ‘in his hand,’ and he would ‘gather his wheat into the granary’...Certainly, John must have had great expectations of Jesus.”^[5]

            And no matter what John saw or heard or preached, it seems that doubt takes root. Rather than coming to John’s aid, rather than rescuing his own cousin, the text tells us in chapter 4 that Jesus withdraws to Galilee. So, whether John is experiencing a crisis of faith, whether there’s an element of frustrated family dynamics between the cousins, or whether it’s, as commentator Bonnie L. Patterson says, that John “..[is] seeking clarification for his faith..”^[6] we simply don’t know.

            But what is clear as we think about the lead up to this morning’s verses is that “circumstances have a way of thrusting themselves into our theological paradigms, challenging our basic assumptions.”^[7]

            It’s also important to note that Jesus doesn’t criticize or rebuke John “for his doubts or his inadequate theology of the kingdom and its Messiah. In fact, Jesus praises] John to the crowd!”^[8] Using laudatory terms and then a series of questions, Jesus points out that John is not, as Eugene Peterson translates these verses in The Message, “A weekend camper…” or  “...A sheik in silk pajamas…” he is “...a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear.” Said another way, “though John might have questions about Jesus’ identity, Jesus [has] no doubt who John is.”^[9] 

This is clear when Jesus says, “No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer…” as he’s “an object of biblical prophecy. Not even Moses or Daniel holds [this] honor.”^[10] But even as Jesus makes clear his belief in John’s importance, “Jesus offers the kingdom perspective, “...in the kingdom [John] prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him.”  Said another way, “John is not the focus so much as the lens “through which Jesus invites the crowd to see themselves.”^[11]

He then makes a puzzling statement, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and violent people take it by force.” Case in point, John’s arrest and eventual decapitation for asking questions of the ruling authority. Jesus’ point is this: “the profile of God’s kingdom on earth is cruciform.”^[12] What does that mean? Particularly as we try to retrain our brains away from destructive theology that tells us we’re such hopeless sinners that a cross is too good for us. God’s kingdom being cruciform, or in the shape of the cross, means that “God’s kingdom does not come in the power, splendor, and glory of human achievement but in…humility, poverty, suffering, and the lack of worldly power.”^[13]

The world Jesus embodies, that he comes to share, isn’t born in a palace but in a barn filled with animal noises and the smell of feed. The world Jesus embodies doesn’t come to life through shows of power and influence but in the abnegation of personal power and the embrace of self-sacrifice.

God’s kingdom being cruciform, therefore, is visible in the needs of refugees seeking safety and a better life. God’s kingdom being cruciform is visible in those who are most at risk when government funding is cut. God’s kingdom being cruciform is visible amongst those who are so often told that God is love, except when it comes to you. God’s kingdom being cruciform is most visible in experiences and people and places that make us uncomfortable, that bring our privilege into question, and that make us wonder if we’re doing this whole Christian thing correctly.

Said another way by commentator Bonnie L. Pattison, “...God’s revelation in Christ is paradoxical, hidden under the sign of its opposite, and hence offensive.” Which might seem like an odd place to leave things this Sunday morning, but it is in fact where I’m going to leave you - at this place of Christ being paradoxical and offensive. I’m going to leave you here with the reminder that even in John’s potentially darkest moment, when he is seeking clarification of his faith, Jesus doesn’t doubt him. Jesus doesn’t hesitate to praise this prophet, this cousin who doesn’t mind questioning him. Jesus knows John’s value, his worth, his place.

And even with that knowing, even with his certainty of who and what and how important John is, Jesus makes it clear that the least in the kingdom is greater. Greater than this prophet, this one who is like Elijah, this one who is a man among men. The world would say, does say, that such a thing doesn’t make sense. That such a thing isn’t fair. That this isn’t how things are supposed to work. And the world might not be wrong, but right, truth, and eternity are to be found in the cruciform, paradoxical, offensive messa

^[1] NRSVUE Translation

^[2] ….Allen, Jr. Matthew, pg. 124

^[3] Ibid, pg. 125.

^[4] Ibid.

^[5] Bonnie L. Patterson, “Matthew 11:2-19, Theological Perspective,” from Feasting on the Gospels, Matthew, Volume 1, Chapters 1-13, edited by Cynthia A. Jarvis and E. Elizabeth Johnson, 2013, pg. 284.

^[6] Ibid.

^[7] Ibid.

^[8] Ibid, pg. 286.

^[9]Ibid.

^[10] Ibid.

^[11] …Allen, Jr. Ibid.

^[12] Patterson, ibid.

^[13] Ibid, pgs. 286-288.