Wednesday
And he answered them, 'Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them.' (v. 22)
Background
Word of Jesus’ ministry was spreading across the land because of the teaching, healings and miracles he was performing. News about what Jesus was up to had reached John the Baptist, who at this point was probably in prison in King Herod’s palace (Matthew 11:2).
John had last met Jesus when he had baptised him in the River Jordan. He proclaimed that Jesus was the one who would be God’s Messiah. But now he sends his followers to ask if Jesus is really the one, or if they should wait for someone else. Why has John begun to doubt the one he has pointed to?
It may be that from where John was sat, in the prison cell of a puppet king, who was only in power because the Romans allowed him to be there, it wasn’t the rescue he thought God would bring about. The reality of John’s situation didn’t seem to match with the expectation of what the John thought the Messiah would do.
So he sends messages to double check that Jesus is who he originally thought he was. To this question Jesus tells the messenger to report back on what they have seen and heard: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them." (v. 22) These actions testify to who Jesus is, even if they are not what John expected. They are markers of the kingdom of God at work in the world and show people being freed from that which holds them back.
John, like many others was looking for a particular type of Messiah. Jesus was not fulfilling those expectations and this caused John to doubt. This is a common theme in the gospels. Jesus was the Messiah, but he wasn’t the kind of Messiah they expected. It can be the same for us – the Jesus we want is not always the Jesus we find.
To Ponder:
- In times of challenge or uncertainty, have you ever found yourself questioning your beliefs or expectations about God's role in your life, in the way John the Baptist did?
- When have your expectations of God been different from the reality of how God chooses to work in our lives?