What question would you ask Jesus? Why did John ask his (v 3)? Hadn’t his ministry been preparation for the coming of Jesus? Matthew’s Gospel was written to show that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah the Jews were waiting for, who would bring judgement on sinners and rewards to the righteous (Malachi 4:1–3). John the Baptist preached the urgency of repentance, prayer and fasting to prepare for him (3:2,11,12; Luke 5:33).

The Jews expected an earthly ruler from King David’s royal line, who would reunite the tribes of Israel, restore the nation and establish an age of peace. They didn’t think he’d be the Son of God! Yet only God could bring true righteousness by paying the price for our sin himself (Hebrews 10:10). John needed to ‘hear and see’ that the compassion of Jesus towards the broken was consistent with the deeds of the promised Messiah (v 5; Isaiah 61:1–3). When we choose to live by the new law of freedom brought by Christ, mercy triumphs over judgement (James 2:12,13).

‘… we live by faith, not by sight’, Paul writes.1 Recall any times your faith has been put to the test and how you responded.

Today’s reading contains a shock. John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin who had declared Jesus ‘the Lamb of God’² and prepared the way for his coming, had questions about Jesus’ messiahship.

Clearly Jesus was not doing the things John expected of a Messiah. Perhaps he objected to his socialising with tax collectors and sinners or was surprised that Jesus did not fast regularly as John himself did.³ Maybe John had been expecting Jesus to come with a message of judgement and to right the wrongs of the world and so had been surprised that he spoke more of grace and forgiveness than punishment. Then there was John’s own situation: he was languishing in a terrible prison. How had this affected his thinking? He may have expected Jesus to establish his kingdom quickly and for John himself to be raised up and vindicated. Instead, his life was hanging in the balance.

John had failed to see the whole picture. Jesus was, indeed, acting as a Messiah should. He was healing and setting people free just as was foretold in Isaiah 61:1 and 2, a passage of Scripture John appears to have overlooked. Jesus reminded John that God was bigger than his expectations and bigger than his circumstances too. We can put God in a box: expecting him to act in a particular way and then be shaken in our faith when that does not happen. This story encourages us that we are not the only ones to struggle with doubt – even someone as significant as John the Baptist did. However, it also reminds us to keep on trusting. Even when we do not understand what the Lord is doing and things are not going as we think they should, God has a plan and is working his purposes out.

Talk honestly with God about anything in your life with which you are struggling to trust him. Bring to mind examples of his past faithfulness and reflect on those. 

¹ 2 Cor 5:7  ² John 1:29  ³ RT France, Matthew, IVP, 1985, p192