Anchor My Faith

John’s Questions About Jesus

Scripture: Matthew 11:2, 5-6; Luke 7:18-21

Remember way back to Lesson h136, when Herod put John the Baptist in prison. Now at over 100 lessons later, John the Baptist comes back into focus as we walk along the gospel path: ^{Lk 7:18} “The disciples of John reported all these things to him. ^{Mt 11:2} Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, ^{Lk 7:19} [he called] two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” ²⁰ And when the men had come to [Jesus], they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’”’

What Jesus was teaching and doing was reported to the imprisoned John the Baptist by his disciples. As he heard about these deeds of Jesus, he still had some questions about who he really was and calls two of his disciples to him and gives them instruction to go to Jesus and ask him specifically if he was the “mightier one” of Luke 3:16 that would baptize with the Holy Spirit. Seeking this information suggest that Jesus was not the kind of Messiah that John was expecting, perhaps because it did not appear that Jesus was going to overthrow the Roman rulers, and probably also because Jesus was not immediately bringing judgment on evildoers. This was not the assignment Jesus was given by his Father, but instead to come and teach about a spiritual kingdom and then to die to purchase the salvation of those who will populate that kingdom with God for an eternity.

These two disciples of John go and find Jesus and inform him that John the Baptist sent them to make inquiry about whether he was indeed the expected Messiah, or should they be looking for someone else to come.

^{Lk 7:21} “In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. ²² And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: ^{Mt 11:5} the blind receives 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. ⁶ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

“In that hour” doesn’t seem to indicate an actual physical hour, but a reference to the duration of time that Jesus has been performing miracles and teaching. All the things listed that Jesus did and taught we have covered in the previous 100 lessons. Jesus points this out to these two disciples and sends them back to John to consider this as evidence that Jesus is the one they were looking for, but not the type they were looking for.

The things Jesus taught and the miracles he did were not primarily in preparation for an earthly kingdom but a spiritual one. They did meet temporary physical needs, but Jesus was using them to point to a provision that was eternal and perfect. It is not easy to prepare people to accept something they can’t see or hardly understand and on top of that to accept the fact that standing before them was the eternal Son of God in a body of flesh. Teaching this to people brought up under Old Testament Law was causing some to take offence and would eventually nail him to a cross.

Prayer

Father, John had questions based on what he was hearing about Jesus while he was imprisoned and needed further information. How similar this is for those considering Christianity today. Is Jesus really the truth, the way, and the life, or is there another truth, way and life. We must seek information and like John the Baptist, we must decide about who Jesus is. That decision will determine one’s eternal destination.