Doubts - Pt 3

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the 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 good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:1-6 ESV).

So, John, the Baptist, this powerful prophet sits alone, languishing in a dark, dank prison and wonders: “Is He the One?” We should not mistake John’s doubts for any lack of trust. Even with his doubts, there remained in John a deep, unshakable trust in Jesus. Jesus would tell him the truth. He just needed to hear from him again. So he sent two of his closest disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” The affection that radiated from Jesus is unmistakable. Jesus was familiar with John’s sorrows and grief. He knew experientially what it was like to feel alone against the insidious questioning of the Devil. After, all, he had spent a long time in the wilderness being assailed by the Deceiver. He loved John. However, He also knew the importance of deepening John’s understanding of who He was. Jesus uses an interesting word in the last of his message to John’s disciples: Blessed is the one who is not offended by me (v. 6). The word “offended” is a unique choice in this context. It is the root word from which we get the English word “scandal”. It means “to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey.” It is a gentle reminder that He is God. Whatever circumstances John faces is within the provenance and purpose of God. There is no reason to doubt God’s good end, even in that which he faces now. So, he invited John’s faithful friends to sit near him as he healed many and delivered many. Then he turned to them and said, “Tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (v. 5). John would recognize Isaiah’s prophecy in those words. This promise would bring the peace John needed to sustain him for the few difficult days he had remaining. Additionally, Jesus didn’t include Isaiah’s phrase “proclaim liberty to the captives” (cf. Isaiah 61:1). John would understand. Sometimes, we are not delivered from our circumstance; sometimes our circumstances are the vehicle through which we are delivered by the Lord into our eternal home. Death is no longer a threat to any believer. Jesus has seen to that! Death is not the enemy of the children of God. It is merely a door to our ultimate eternal home!