When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
“Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out?  To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.

This passage begins with John the baptist asking an enigmatic question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” So the logical follow up to this question is why did John ask if there was to be another? The church fathers have all pondered this question and the results all basically boil down to one of two explanations. The minority opinion is that some say that John actually doubted. They suggest that since Jesus did not come as the conquering king whom most of the jewish world was waiting for, that maybe He was not the messiah, and so they believe that maybe John was having second thoughts.

I personally think that seems improbable because John was the one that baptized Jesus, and he saw the dove descend upon Jesus and he heard the voice of God from the heavens say “this is my beloved son, listen to Him.” The idea that John suddenly stopped believing what he saw with his own eyes and heard with his own ears seems hightly unlikely to me. But many of the people, including John’s disciples, thought that when the messiah came, that he would bring thunder and justice. Jesus came in a very different way. He fulfilled all of the prophesies, but did so in a way that was not expected, and so many believed that he was not the one that was prophesied and that another was yet to come.

So that brings us to the other explanation. This is the one that I subscribe to. I believe that John sent his disciples to Jesus so that they could come to understand that they had to stop following John, and begin to start following Jesus. John said a multiple points that one is coming after him that he is not worth to carry his sandles. And John also said that “I must decrease, so the He can increase.” This is that moment, John is in Jail, he is not getting out, and he will eventually be executed. His time is over and he needs his followers to go to Jesus instead.

John then sends his followers to Jesus, with this loaded question on their lips. He sends them so they could witness to the divinity of Jesus, and come to believe for themselves. And Jesus does not disappoint…, He responds with the words of the most beloved of all jewish prophets, Isaiah, and no first century Jew would have missed the references that Jesus making. And so when the disciples then confront the fact that all of the miracles that Isaiah had prophesied were happening in this exact moment, at the hands of Jesus, the evidence was overwhelming, and could not be contested.

And so, it is clear, at least to me, that John was not doubting, he was in effect, aware that he was in prison and his time was at an end, and as such he is sending his disciples to Jesus, essentially bequeathing them to Him, and sending them off to do greater things than John could ever have hoped for or imagined. Jesus has told us all who He is, and He told us how we need to live our lives, and then at the end He proved He is who He said He is. He is then, in this moment, inviting you too to be His disciple. So what are you going to do? Are you going to follow Jesus, or are you going to do your own thing? Your eternity depends on your decision, so choose wisely.

Oh lord, help me today to see the signs that you have put in my life, showing your glory. Once I see your signs, give me the courage to follow them. Amen.