There is an old country saying: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”Someone said yes, but you can make him thirsty! I’m not so sure about horses, but it is possible to make a human being curious to learn. We sometimes let those two negative emotions, fear, and pride, keep us from investigating new ideas. Fear says we dare not look because we might see that we need to change our way of thinking, and pride says we don’t need to look; we are OK the way we are. Willingness and open-mindedness are essential to a relationship with God. The horse will certainly drink when he is thirsty and us humans will seek knowledge when it is apparent that we need it. Curiosity, the great motivator, can cause us to seek knowledge and correct information.
Matthew chapter 11:2-6 records a remarkable story. John the Baptist had been thrown in prison by King Herod. The scriptures had described the coming Messiah as Lord, king, counselor, and prince of peace, and John, because of his personal trials, wasn’t sure as to just what Jesus’ mission was to be. The Gospel of Luke records John baptizing Jesus and seeing the Holy Spirit descend on Him and hearing the voice from heaven saying “This is my son, in Him I am well pleased.”Luke 3:21-22. He was shown that Jesus was the Son of God. However, many thought and expected that Jesus was to be a king to lead them to a victory over their enemies.
Stories in the Old Testament told of Judges and Kings that had rescued the Jewish people from their oppressors, and they hated the Romans who had rule over them at the time, and many believed Jesus was to be a king that would free them from Roman rule. The story begins: “Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of 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 the good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Thus, Jesus reminded John of the prophecy concerning Him in Isaiah 61:1-2. The miracles of healing and restoration that Jesus performed proved that He was the Christ that was indeed the “coming one”. John’s curiosity caused him to seek and understand the truth.
Lives were changed then and lives can be changed now by seeking after the truth as John the Baptist did so long ago.
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