\nJohn\u2019s Doubts (Matthew 11:2-6; Luke 7:18-23)<\/p>\n
Eventually news of Jesus\u2019 raising of the widow\u2019s son reached the ears of John, who was in prison. John sent his disciples to Jesus to ask, \u201cAre you the Coming One, or do we look for another?\u201d<\/p>\n
It seems to be a strange question coming from the man who prepared the way for Christ and declared him to be the Messiah at his baptism. Yet, we must remember that John was a man, like all the other prophets before him. Other prophets had their moments of doubt. Moses had to be convinced to go and free the Israelites (Exodus 4:1-17). Gideon asked for two miracles before he lead God\u2019s people to war (Judges 6:36-40). Elijah gave up after Jezebel threatened his life (I Kings 19:1-10). Jeremiah cursed the day he was born (Jeremiah 20:14-18). Remember that John has been in prison for quite a while now. Perhaps he thought, as did so many Jews, that Jesus would lead Israel in triumph against the Romans. Yet in all this time, Jesus hasn\u2019t declared himself, nor has there been any apparent move to re-establish the kingdom of Israel. And for John, there has been no rescue. Is it a wonder that John began to doubt himself?<\/p>\n
Jesus didn\u2019t answer John\u2019s disciples directly. Instead during that very hour that they asked, he performed numerous miracles before the disciples of John. Afterwards he told them to return to John and tell them what they witnessed. His reply back to John echoes the words of Isaiah 35:5-6 and Isaiah 61:1, but the hidden message is found in the verse before. \u201cSay to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you”<\/em>\u201d (Isaiah 35:4). Jesus was telling John to take courage. Jesus warns John not to fall away because Jesus was not meeting John\u2019s personal expectations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Question: In Matthew 3:13-17, John the Baptist meets Jesus and is resistant to baptizing him because he “seemed” to know that he was the Messiah and he thought that Jesus should baptize him instead. \u00a0Did John see the clouds open up and hear God’s voice?\u00a0 Later, in Matthew 11:2-6, when he was in prison he…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[1569,396],"class_list":["post-20757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-doubts","tag-john-the-baptist"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40433,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-jesus-gain-the-power-to-do-miracles-because-he-fasted\/","url_meta":{"origin":20757,"position":0},"title":"Did Jesus gain the power to do miracles because he fasted?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Before Jesus began his ministry, he was led to the desert where he was tempted. He fasted the whole period. Many in the denominations claim he was empowered two perform miracles after his fast, such as turning water into wine, etc. In their claim, two miracle-working powers popular are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14284,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-was-johns-baptism-different-from-jesus-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":20757,"position":1},"title":"How was John’s baptism different from Jesus’ baptism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 9, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have some questions about John's baptism. I've read about how it was a fulfillment of prophecy to prepare the way, but I'm really confused about what that really means and what the point of John's baptism was. I am curious about a few things: What does \"preparing the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43619,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-jesus-is-without-sin-why-did-he-get-baptized\/","url_meta":{"origin":20757,"position":2},"title":"If Jesus is without sin, why did he get baptized?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hey Jeff, We get baptized to wash away sins. If Jesus is without sin, why did he get baptized? Answer: \"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, \"I need to be baptized by You,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23453,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-jesus-receive-the-holy-spirit-when-he-was-baptized\/","url_meta":{"origin":20757,"position":3},"title":"Did Jesus receive the Holy Spirit when he was baptized?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My question is about Jesus and him being baptized. Did he receive the Holy Spirit during his baptism? Answer: When Peter said, \"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37779,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-baptism-commanded-in-the-old-testament-at-the-time-of-john-the-baptist\/","url_meta":{"origin":20757,"position":4},"title":"Was baptism commanded in the Old Testament at the time of John the Baptist?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Was baptism commanded in the Old Covenant at the time of John the Baptist? I thought baptism was not commanded in the Old Testament for salvation. I have always heard that baptism was not commanded in the Old Testament. Am I missing something here? Mark 1:4 mentions John's baptism\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24543,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-was-john-the-baptist-elijah\/","url_meta":{"origin":20757,"position":5},"title":"How was John the Baptist Elijah?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi! I am wondering if you can please help me understand what the Bible is saying about John the Baptist when it refers to him coming in the spirit of Elijah? 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