The sermon titled 'What Kind of Messiah?' explores the expectations surrounding the Messiah and how Jesus fulfilled them, focusing on John the Baptist's role and his questioning of Jesus' identity. John the Baptist, known to be the forerunner of Christ, sends disciples to Jesus to ask if He is the 'coming one,' reflecting his uncertainty. Despite his awareness of Jesus' identity, John's imprisonment and unmet expectations lead him to seek confirmation. Jesus responds not with direct words but by performing miracles that fulfill prophecies from Isaiah, affirming His role as the Messiah. Jesus highlights that John was a great prophet who prepared the way for Him, yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater due to the blessings and understanding afforded by the New Covenant. The sermon encourages believers to approach God when confused, accept God's sovereignty, and understand the privileges of living under the New Covenant, emphasizing that Jesus is the only Savior who can save to the uttermost.

The title of the message this morning is, What Kind of Messiah? What kind of savior were they looking for? What kind of savior was Jesus? In last week's text, a woman of sorrows, a woman who had already lost her husband some time before and then she loses her only child, a young man, encountered a man of sorrows. That's what Isaiah 53 calls the Lord Jesus Christ, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

Jesus is able to enter into this woman's sorrows, and he does enter into this woman's sorrows and he has compassion on her, and he speaks to this corpse, this dead body, and says, young man, I say to you, arise. And he does arise and Jesus gives him back to his mother. This week we return to a consideration of John the Baptist. Our gospel writer Luke introduces the whole gospel with John the Baptist. Luke starts, Luke chapter 1 verse 5 begins the account of an angel appearing to Zacharias in the temple and telling him he's going to have a baby boy, tells him what to name him, tells him what he'll be doing.

Him what he'll be doing. And then in chapter 3 we were given by Luke the preaching of John the Baptist and the public baptizing ministry of John the Baptist culminating in the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then we saw this in Luke chapter 3 verses 18 through 20. Listen to Luke chapter three, 18 through 20. And with many exhortations, he preached to the people, but Herod the Tetrarch being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this above all that he shut up John in prison.

So that's where our gospel writer has left John, shut up in prison. John spared no one. He rebuked scribes, Pharisees, Jewish leaders, the multitudes, Brutus Vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come. And he didn't spare Herod. He Said, it's not legal for you to have to take your brother's wife as your own wife.

And it says also, and for all the evils that he had done. So he didn't even spare Herod. And Herod threw him in prison for it. So this is the last we knew of John. Now we're picking up there.

Let's ask for God's help. God, I thank you for this text. I thank you for the short but rich ministry of John the Baptist and how he made things ready for our Savior. I pray that you would use this text in our lives in Jesus' name, amen. So I'd like to begin looking in detail at verses 18 through 20.

So hopefully your Bibles are still open here in Luke chapter seven. Follow along as I reread Luke seven, 18 through 20. Then the disciples of John reported him concerning all these things. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus saying, Are you the coming one, or do we look for another? And when the men had come to him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, Are you the coming one, or do we look for another?

And when the men had come to him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, Are you the coming one, or do we look for another? So that's the exact words John the Baptist had given them. They faithfully deliver that question from their Master. We have these three verses, John the Baptist's question, it's very simple. In last week's text, When Jesus had raised this young man from the dead to life and given him back to his mother, these were the last verses of that text.

So just look back a couple of verses, it leads into today's text, verses 16 and 17. Then fear came upon all and they glorified God saying, a great prophet has risen among us and God has visited his people. And this report about him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding regions. So the miracle happens in Galilee, but the report makes it to the capital and the surrounding area. That's actually where John the Baptist's ministry had been in Judea.

His disciples hear of it, and They bring report of these things to John in prison. Luke doesn't say here in prison, but that's where he left him in chapter 3. So it is this report that the disciples of John the Baptist hear and report to him. It's implied that John the Baptist is in prison. We learn in Matthew 14 in Mark chapter 6 that John's never going to get out of prison.

His public ministry is over and he will actually be beheaded. And so we don't know this and are working through the Gospel of Luke yet, but that's what we find out from the other Gospels. There will never be John the Baptist preaching outside of prison again. John the Baptist calls two of his disciples, having heard the report, and he sends them to Jesus, and he sends them with this question, Are you the coming one? That's simply a designation, a label for the Messiah.

The promises had been made that a Savior would be sent, one anointed by God. That's what Messiah means. That's what Christ means. So coming one is equivalent to Messiah or Christ. Are you the Christ?

Are you the Messiah? Or do we look for another? Now what is actually happening? Why do I ask that question? Because from all the gospel accounts, pick a gospel, it doesn't matter, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, any of them, all of them, it is very clear that John the Baptist knows exactly what his own role is as the one to prepare the way for the Messiah and that Jesus is the Messiah.

That's so clear in all the gospels. John knows exactly what he's supposed to do, prepare the way for the promised Savior, and he knows with precision, with exactitude, that Jesus is this Messiah. So I could prove this from any of the gospels, but I think the strongest version of this, I can prove it from Luke, I think the strongest version of this is in John chapter 1. So just listen to John chapter 1, verses 29 through 34. John 1, 29 through 34.

The next day John, John the Baptist, saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me." Even though John the Baptist is older than Jesus, he knows that Jesus predates him. I did not know him, but that he should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water. And John bore witness, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he remained upon him. I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit?

And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God. God actually gave John the Baptist a sign of exactly who he would be preparing the way for. Whoever it is that you see, the Holy Spirit descending like a dove and remaining upon him, that's the one. And this happened with Jesus, and it was John's public testimony that Jesus was the one. Wow.

So that begs the question, why is he now sending two disciples to ask Jesus, are you the coming one? Are you the promised Savior? Are you the Messiah? The commentators have thoughts. The commentators have lots of thoughts.

To me it's very simple. John the Baptist is simply saying and only saying, I don't understand. I don't understand. He doesn't understand what? Remember what God sent John to preach.

So I'm going to take us back to Luke chapter three again and the preaching of John the Baptist. This is what Luke records in Luke three verses seven through nine. Then he, John the Baptist, said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come. Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves we have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones and even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.

Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." So, John the Baptist understood himself to be preparing the way for the great reformer who was coming and he was going to make everything right. This great king who was going to tell people how it ought to be. One who was so great that John the Baptist himself as a great prophet wasn't worthy to stoop down and loose his sandals. John the Baptist was here to start the victory march. And now, after most certainly less than a year of public ministry, John is rotting in prison And Jesus hasn't declared himself to be the Messiah yet.

Jesus has a very public ministry, but Jesus has not laid claim to being the Messiah yet. So put yourself in John the Baptist's place. He's something like 31 years old. Many of those years have been spent in preparation for his mission. Many of those years have been hard preparation.

This is a man who dressed in camel's hair and ate locusts and honey. He was in the deserted areas being prepared by God for his ministry and now his public ministry has lasted for less than a year and he's in prison and we now know he's never getting out of prison. The last verse in chapter 1, Luke chapter 1 verse 8 he says, so the child grew and became strong in spirit. This is speaking of John the Baptist. John the Baptist grew and became strong in spirit and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

So this is how he spent his time. Being prepared by God in the deserts, clothed in camel's hair, eating locusts and wild honey. He has less than a year of public ministry and now he's in prison. Now what was wrong with John the Baptist's preaching? Not a thing.

And yet, In the year 2026, that's our year, here we are, we believers in Jesus Christ still see those things as future. John the Baptist hoped and expected that the things he was preaching about, they were on the edge of. And we're in 2026 and as believers in Jesus Christ, we see them as future 2, 000 years later. We see them as part of the second coming. This is terminology that John the Baptist would not have been familiar with.

First coming, second coming. On this side of the cross, Jesus came, he accomplished what he came to do, ultimately, at the cross. He was resurrected, he ascended into heaven. On this side of the cross, We have what John the Baptist did not have. God told John the Baptist what but not the when.

There's all sorts of what in his father's prophecy about what he would do, his understanding of what he would do, but there's not a hint of when about what Jesus would do. He thought and hoped it would be immediate, that the victory march was beginning but it did not. So as great as John the Baptist was and as greatly used as John the Baptist was used, he didn't understand. What did he do about that? If you don't ask that question and answer it appropriately, you end up incriminating John the Baptist for his lack of understanding.

And actually Jesus does not do that. Jesus is not incriminating John the Baptist for his lack of understanding. So you shouldn't either. I shouldn't either. So that's the question that we should ask.

What did John the Baptist do about it? Did he say, it's all been for nothing? I've been wrong all along. No, he simply asked Jesus. He simply asked Jesus.

He didn't understand, so he asked Jesus. Let's move to our next section. This is now verses 21 through 23. Now we get Jesus's indirect answer. Luke 7, follow along as I start rereading in verse 21.

And that very hour he, Jesus, cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits, and to many blind he gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard. The blind see a lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me." The question is asked, are you the coming one or do we look for another? That very hour Jesus heals many.

Jesus casts out Jesus casts out many demons. Jesus gives sight to many blind people. On the spot, not one but many. Of each. Many infirmities all healed.

Many demons possessed all set free. Many blind people all given their sight on the spot. You saw it, now go tell John. Tell him that the blind see. Tell him that the lame walk.

Tell him the lepers are cleansed. Tell him the deaf hear tell him the dead are raised That's the report they had heard tell him the dead are raised Tell them the poor get the gospel This answer pulls language from Isaiah 35 verses 5 and 6. If you asked any Jew who had any instruction, you read to them Isaiah 35 verses 5 and 6 and said, who's this about? Any instructed Jew would say, that's the Messiah. Okay, so this is a messianic prophecy, a messianic text.

Isaiah 35 verses 5 and 6, Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer." Jesus is pulling language from Isaiah 61 verse 1. If you asked any instructed Jew, who's Isaiah 61 about, they would immediately say, it's about the Messiah. Isaiah 61 verse 1, the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Because the Lord has anointed me, the Messiah means anointed, the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor, to preach the gospel to the poor.

Jesus knew that John the Baptist would know exactly what to do with this answer. Any instructed Jew would know what to do with Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61. How much more John the Baptist, he knew that John the Baptist would know exactly what to do with this answer. Jesus is simply short on words and long on evidence. You can say that answer in five seconds.

But he took an hour to produce the evidence. Short on words, long on evidence. Sick people, I'll heal them all. Demon possessed people, I'll free them all. Blind people, I'll give them all sight.

I am fulfilling the prophetic marks of the Messiah. The prophets have already told you what to look for, and now in this hour you've seen with your own eyes, I'm doing the things that God has said, this will identify your Savior. And no one else can do these things. No one else is doing these things. This not only answered John the Baptist's question, but it also makes clear the character of the Messiah's work in His first coming.

This is really important. I would have totally missed it, but Matthew Henry clued me into this thing. Yes, it is a confirmation that Jesus is the one who was to come, the coming one, no need to look for another. He is the Messiah, but it's also instructing John the Baptist on the character of his first coming. Here's what Matthew Henry says, these cures which they saw him work were not only confirmations of his commission, but explanations of it.

The Messiah must come to cure a diseased world, to give light and sight to them that sit in darkness and to restrain and conquer evil spirits. Jesus has come the first time on a mercy mission, on a saving mission. He'll come the second time to do the things that John the Baptist was preaching about. So yes, it's a confirmation Jesus is the Messiah, but it also explains his mission the first time he came, to heal, to set free, to give sight. Jesus couldn't actually give a clearer answer to John the Baptist's question.

We aren't told another thing, but you can bet on this, John the Baptist was satisfied with this answer. When those two disciples of John the Baptist went back and relayed this in prison, we asked him the question, For the next hour he healed the sick and healed the sick and healed the sick and he cast demons out of person after person after person and there were these blind people, multiple blind people, many blind people, and He gave them all their sight. And He said, say this, the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the dead are raised, the gospel get the good news. John the Baptist was satisfied with that answer. Jesus finishes his response by saying this, And blessed is he who is not offended because of me.

Jesus talks about a blessed group. There are those who are not offended because of him. I almost never say this, but my opinion is that the NIV won the translation competition on this one. Here's how the NIV renders it. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.

So both are fine translations. I've looked at the lexicon. I know that you can translate it either way. I like the NIV better. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me or is not offended because of me.

The word being translated, the Greek is scandalitsou, sounds like scandalized. That's really where that word comes from. Scandalous. The primary meaning in the lexicon, to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way. Blessed are those who don't stumble over me.

Strong's dictionary says to trip up. Blessed are those who don't, trip up over me. To me the obvious meaning is this, you are blessed if you're not tripped up by the kind of Messiah that Jesus actually came to be at His first coming. So many were actually tripped up at the kind of Messiah Jesus came to be at His first coming, including John the Baptist, in a sense was tripped up. I have no doubt John the Baptist got that answer and was satisfied with it and so in an ultimate sense he was not tripped up.

Isaiah 8 also says that the Messiah will be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." And we're talking in the same job. A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. Isaiah 8, also clearly, clearly, clearly about the Messiah. And so Jesus was. And so Jesus is.

Jesus came to serve and die. People don't want a Savior like that. I mean we do because God has taught us things that the natural man can't even receive. The natural man doesn't want a king like that. So that is verses 21 through 23 in Jesus' indirect answer.

Not words saying, I am the coming one, but undeniable evidence proving that you can retire that term. You don't need that term anymore. The coming one, yeah, he came. He is here. He has come.

He is not the coming one, he has come. Verses 24 through 28. When the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak to the multitudes concerning John. What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

But what did you go out to see? Man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in king's courts. But what did you go out to see? Man clothed in soft garments?

Indeed, those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in king's courts. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you.

I say to you, among those born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. But he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." In these verses, we have the greatness of John and the staggering privileges of the believer. John was so great, but believers have staggering privileges that take us beyond John the Baptist. So was Jesus displeased with John the Baptist? Clearly not!

This answers that question. Jesus was served very faithfully and very well by John the Baptist, and here Jesus honors him for it before the multitudes." So clearly, Jesus is not soured on John the Baptist because of the question, because He takes the opportunity to actually honor John the Baptist for his faithful service to him before the multitudes. People, what did you go out in the wilderness to see? The sights? You go out in the wilderness, what's there to see?

A reed shaken by the wind. Is that what you went out to see? No. A rich man living in the lap of luxury? You'll not find that in the wilderness.

People like that live in palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yeah, you went out to see a prophet. You went out to hear a prophet.

You went out to be baptized by a prophet but more than a prophet. This is the prophet that is the fulfillment of Malachi 3 verse 1. That's what he's quoting. Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. In Malachi 3 verses 1, you have father talking to son.

Behold I God the father send my messenger before your face, your face God the son who will prepare your way before you. John the Baptist was that. John the Baptist did that. In what sense is John the Baptist, whose public ministry lasted less than a year and who it is never recorded that he ever performed a single miracle, in what sense is John the Baptist among the greatest prophets?" It's a really short public ministry. Never recorded that he ever performed a single miracle.

How do you put that man in with the greatest of prophets? Listen to Luke chapter 10, verses 20 through 24. Luke chapter 10, verses 20 through 24. Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it." The prophets that came before John the Baptist prophesied of these things.

They foretold of these things. They spoke of these things. And they longed to see these things with their own eyes and hear them with their own ears, but they never did and John The Baptist did. John The Baptist was given the privilege to usher in the Messiah and see the Messiah and hear the Messiah. So they got to foretell it.

John the Baptist got to usher him in, make the people ready for him, see him with his own eyes, hear him with his own ears, baptize him. The privileges of John the Baptist made him among the greatest prophets. You can't say any prophet is greater than John the Baptist. John the Baptist was The subject of prophecy. Malachi said, somebody's going to be sent to prepare the way for our Messiah.

That's John the Baptist. You can't find another prophet. Is himself the subject of prophecy? Then Jesus makes this astonishing statement, But he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Who is he?

John the Baptist. The person who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist, but John the Baptist is among the greatest prophets. Make sense of that. The least regular member of the New Covenant. So all members of the New Covenant, bring them together and say who's the least of them.

So we've identified that person. It's Jason. That person is greater than the greatest prophet of the Old Covenant. Just let me say that again. Think about it.

The least regular member of the New Covenant is greater than the greatest prophet of the Old Covenant. Just let me say that again, think about it. The least regular member of the New Covenant is greater than the greatest prophet of the Old covenant. The least believer in Jesus is greater than the greatest man raised up by God to speak on his behalf under the old cup. How can that be?

You can't do better than Matthew Henry who says, a dwarf upon a mountain sees further than the giant in the valley. Know you've heard me quote that before if you've been here a while. A dwarf on the mountain, okay, so this is the person we gathered, we gathered the members of the New Covenant together and identified the least of them. But that person is still on a mountain of the teachings of Jesus, the work of Jesus, the sacrifice of Jesus, the apostles of Jesus, the spirit sent by Jesus indwelling them. What a mountain!

The least in that kingdom is standing on this mountain. They had nothing to do with the mountain, no credit to claim for the mountain, but they're standing on the mountain and can see further than a giant like John the Baptist, who was under the Old Covenant, and by comparison, it's a valley. To be on this side of the cross and to be able to see back through the life and work of Jesus as the lens for a full understanding of the Old Testament. So you had all these Old Testament saints, they had the Old Testament, and the best instructed of them had large portions of it memorized. You understand what they memorized better than they ever understood it.

Do you know that? They memorized it, spent their lives in it, And you understand it better than they do because on this side of the cross you look back through the lens of Jesus and the teaching of his apostles and his life and the fulfillment of these things and you understand it better than they ever could. Did I mention you have the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a tutor in these things? So you have the black and white, the book that gives you the truths, but it comes with a tutor that indwells you permanently and helps you have victory day to day in your life, power in your life. So that is the greatness of John the Baptist and the staggering privileges of the believer that are so easily taken for granted.

Aren't they so easily taken for granted? Finally, Let's do something with this text. Let's think about how we can apply this text. I'm going to give you four applications. One.

We should go to God when we don't understand. Listen to James chapter 1 verse 5. James chapter 1 verse 5. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Do you know our text is a literal fulfillment of that? A literal fleshing out of that?

John the Baptist is sitting in prison. He doesn't understand. He's thinking, I lack wisdom. I don't know what's happening here. I don't know why the things that are happening are happening.

So he asked God. He sent and asked Jesus. And Jesus didn't reproach him. He didn't blame him for not already knowing and being more wise. He gave to him liberally.

You probably have some things in your life that don't seem to make sense to you. Anybody have that? If I were Morgan I would have some things in my life that weren't making sense to me right now And on and on and on. To you I would say, go to God in scripture and in prayer. Go to his word and then lay these things before him in prayer and wrestle with Him.

Conrad, I had no idea you were going there during our time of corporate prayer, but I'm so glad that you did. God welcomes us to come and wrestle with Him. And So often, shockingly often, He lets us win. He lets us prevail with Him in prayer. Take those things that don't seem to make sense to God.

Don't throw up your hands and say, it wasn't true what I was told. Take it to God in prayer and open up your Bible and find as much as you can about this thing and His word, but go to Him in prayer and lay it before Him and say, God, I don't understand. I need help. So often he lets us prevail with him. He lets us win in prayer.

Number two, make peace with God's sovereignty in the near term. So he's sovereignly acting in your life on near term things. Meaning right now, he's doing things in your life, They're sovereign actions. Make peace with those things. Make peace with the God's sovereignty in the near term by embracing God's sovereignty in the long term.

It makes God's sovereignty in the near term, especially with things you don't understand, You can be at peace with those things if you embrace God's sovereignty in the long term. Let's use John the Baptist as a case study. In the near term, his life is rigorous preparation of fasting, depriving, seeking. God set John the Baptist apart to himself to a difficult life of preparation. And then he gets less than a year of public ministry and then he's rotting in prison.

That is the sovereignty of God in his life in the near term. The realities. I think John the Baptist cares about any of that now. That's got sovereignty in the long term. This life is over like that.

John the Baptist lost his head. You think John the Baptist cares that he lost his head now? Now it's an offering of sacrifice to the Lord now. It's an offering to be honored now. He's with the Lord forever, face to face, now.

John the Baptist is a good case day. What if God wants to do something like that with your life? No! No? He can't?

You won't let him? How will you stop him? How can you say he has no right? He's God. He's King.

But he's also good. He's also wise. And in the end, his long-term sovereignty is going to have a saying about the short-term sovereignty that we don't understand. God, you do all things well. You did all things well.

The hardest things in my life were actually the right things at the right time. I couldn't see it, But now, God, thank you. I hope that doesn't sound trite to you. That's not actually trite. That is what the Bible teaches.

That's not just trying to put a smiley face on hardships. He is the God who has promised this. This is a sure hope for his people. Number three. Ask yourself this question.

Am I offended by the kind of Savior Jesus is? Is that offensive to me? Is it a stumbling stone that I have to humble myself and own my stake and come with nothing of my own? That's why there are so many people in so many other religions. So they don't require you to swallow the gospel pill.

It's a horse pill. You've seen a horse pill. You can't barely choke it down. The gospel pill is a horse pill. You have to humble yourself.

If you want to come with your pride, You can't come to Jesus. You have to own your own state. You have to agree with the Bible about you, and it does not speak well of you. And you have to say, I know in my heart of hearts that those things that scripture says of me are true. And you come with nothing of your own.

The only thing you add to your salvation is the sin that made it necessary. Thank you, Jonathan Edwards. Yeah, you bring something all right. You bring a lot of sin. If you've been offended by the kind of Savior Jesus is and you've wanted another kind of Savior, I'm here to tell you there is only one name under heaven by which man must be saved and it's Jesus.

There's not another Savior for you. But He's a real Savior and He's the Savior who can save you to the uttermost. He can wipe away everything that you need to be saved from. He'll wash all that away. Don't be offended by the kind of Savior Jesus is.

He's the perfect Savior. He's the Savior you need. He's the only one who can save you. Number four. Understand our privileges and understand what great privileges mean.

Luke 12 48, for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required. We have great privileges living in the new covenant dispensation. There you go. That's as close as I get to being a dispensationalist. I said the word once.

We've been given a lot. Figuratively speaking, John the Baptist would have killed to know what we know. John the Baptist would have. In the end, at the end of our text, That the least in the kingdom is greater than John the Baptist explains the beginning of the text where John doesn't understand. Why didn't he understand?

Because he wasn't on the other side of the cross. He didn't have all the benefits and advantages that we have. That explains it. Why is he asking that question? Because he was part of all that they didn't know before Jesus came and did his work and gave us the full Bible.

Let's pray. God, how sweet to count our blessings, consider our privileges benefiting from what the prophets were only foretelling. Now those things have been accomplished in all their fullness through Jesus, who he was, what he came to do, his great final atoning work, shedding his blood for sinners, then giving more revelation and giving us a full Bible. Pray that we wouldn't consider those things lightly or fail to consider them at all. I pray that how we would be faithful to take all that we've been given, this abundance that we've been given, and be fruitful with it.

Please help us. Thank you for Jesus. Pray in Jesus' name, Amen.