Bible Tuesday

18 John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' " 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.23Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Luke 7 (New International Version)

John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the ‘one’. My commentary states that John has doubts because Jesus is not turning out to be the type of Messiah that he expected. I don’t agree with this. I think John is just having a really bad day. Or perhaps week.  John is in prison and  I am willing to bet that he was pretty confident he was not gonna leave prison alive. John has made it clear that it was wrong for Herod (the tetrarch) and Herodius (Herod's sister-in-law) to be together.   Calling a ruler out on his adultery is never going to make you popular. John knew time was short. So in a sad, desperate moment John had doubts.

I love how Jesus responds to John. He doesn’t roll his eyes and complain about John’s lack of faith. He doesn’t get angry and say "That no good cousin of mine couldn’t possibly be a prophet if he doesn’t know who I am.”  No. Jesus responds with this abundance of love. He says " Go tell him what you have seen. Tell him that the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised." What Jesus says, in effect is, "Tell John what he already knows. Confirm the truth he has known since he leapt in his mother’s womb when he was first filled with the Holy Spirit."   Jesus understood weakness.   He is not threatened by our doubts and questions. He knows how pathetic we are and how our cicumstances can often alter what we believe in our deepest soul conviction.

 To quote Beth Moore, "He knows how scary it is to be us."