When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask Him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” —Matthew 11:2- 3
It might seem odd for John the Baptist to ask this question. He was the forerunner of Jesus and had preached repentance before Jesus did. More importantly, John had gone about crying, “Hallelujah to the Lamb of God!” He fully believed Jesus was the Messiah and wasn’t afraid to express it. Why, then, would he question Jesus now? As with today’s Christians, John’s circumstances had much to do with his questioning. He had been thrown into prison for standing up to Heroditas, daughter of Herod. In biblical times, prisons were far from the fairly comfortable cells we think of now. The worst were holes in the ground, where prisoners were chained to walls. They were fed minimally, and many became sick and died. John must have known there was little chance he would ever see freedom again. Some Bible scholars speculate John was disappointed in God, and by extension, Jesus. He may have wondered, “If serving the promised Messiah looks like this, what am I doing?” He may have asked himself, “If Jesus is the Messiah, why doesn’t He free me?” We don’t know why Jesus chose not to free John. We do know, though, that He was faithful. He knew His friend was suffering greatly and wanted to reassure him. Right after the disciples report John’s questioning, Jesus reminds them of who He is and what He can do. He isn’t angry with John. He says no one born of men and women is greater than John the Baptist (Matt. 11:11). Has God allowed something that disappointed you today? Ask Him about it, and ask Him to remind you who He is. He will answer, as He answered John.
Comments