“John The Baptist Questions
Jesus”
“John
called for two of his disciples, and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are
you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone
else?” (v.18-19)
It is
perfectly natural for fear and doubt to creep into our minds at times. Here
John the Baptist, whom Jesus called the greatest of the prophets (v.28), had
questions toward the end of his life. He wanted to know for sure that Jesus was
the Messiah and that his own ministry had therefore been valid.
Jesus’
response is a comforting model for us to use. Instead of discounting the doubt
or criticizing John, Jesus pointed to the miracles He was doing. As
eyewitnesses, John’s disciples could return with vivid assurances for their
mentor. But He did more than that. He used words and phrases (v.22) drawn from
Isaiah’s prophecies of the coming Messiah (Isa.35:4-6; 61:1) which were certain
to be familiar to John.
Then,
turning to the crowd, Jesus praised John (Luke 7:24-28) removing any doubt that
He was offended by John’s need for reassurance after all he had seen (Matt.
3:13-17).
Questioning
and doubting are both understandable human responses, but provide opportunities
for us to remind, reassure, and comfort those who are shaken by uncertainty.
The Truth
“In the
multitude of my anxieties within me, your comforts delight my soul.” (Psalm
94:19)
