But John, having heard in the prison the works of the Christ, sent by his disciples,
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and said to him, Art *thou* the coming [one]? or are we to wait for another?
John's question comes from a prison cell. The man who had publicly pointed Jesus out now asks whether Jesus is really the One — so what shook him, and why did the Lord answer with works instead of a rescue?
Two things sharpen the question. John asks about a person the Old Testament had promised, and he uses a particular word for "another".
The word here expresses "a different kind." John sent his disciples to ask the Lord if He was the coming one, or whether they were to look for a different one. Was He the One prophesied of in the Old Testament?
His situation explains much. John had rebuked Herod, sat locked in a fortress, and no rescue came.
Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, had thrown John into prison. John had rebuked him over his brother Philip's wife, and over all the other evils he had done. Yet the Lord worked no rescue for him, though He had just shown His power over death. Was He really the Christ? John sends to ask. In the loneliness of his prison he may have been turning over what seemed so strange: if Jesus was the Christ, why should His forerunner be left to waste away in the fortress of Machaerus?
The trial had changed shape. He had spoken out in front of crowds; now he had to wait alone.
No one could have given a bolder witness than John the Baptist on the day at Bethabara... But then John finds himself inside the prison walls. The crowds have gone. The witnessing time is over, and the waiting time has come. Under the stress of this new trial he exclaims, "Are you the one who is to come?"
Commentators differ here. Some say John asked only to settle his disciples' minds. Others answer that no such defence is needed.
Some teachers, anxious to guard the credit of this most honoured servant of Christ, have said he asked the question for others and not for himself. But such care is unnecessary. Only One was ever perfect, always saying and doing the right thing, and He was more than man, though truly man. At the same time, we need not be surprised if John was depressed. Think of the gloom of his surroundings in Herod's prison.
God let the question be asked, and used it. The answer settled who should bear witness to whom.
God allowed this question to put everything in its place. Christ is the Word of God, so He ought to be His own witness. He ought to bear witness to Himself as well as to John, and not receive witness from John. This He did in front of John's disciples. He healed all the diseases of men and preached the gospel to the poor... Blessed was the one who would not be offended at the lowly exterior of the King of Israel.
Power could have opened the prison. The reply asks what the suffering people around Jesus actually needed.
True, mere power could have burst open Herod's prison and set the captive free; but then what about the lame, the blind, the deaf, the leper, the dead, the poor, the wretched? Could a display of royalty relieve their condition? Was it not plain that something else was needed? And was it not just as plain that the gracious, tender, soothing ministry of the lowly Jesus of Nazareth was supplying it?
One detail is easy to miss. John sent his doubt straight to Jesus, and that is the model.
Honest doubt never stays away from Christ, but comes to Him for a solution. The Lord points him to the works He was doing at that very time. God's power was showing itself in many kinds of goodness, while the good news went to the poor. The wonders were not evidence merely as wonders. They were "signs" — they showed the nature and power of the One they came from.
- Prison — John's faith wavered because no rescue came. Waiting alone tested him more than the crowds ever had.
- Question — He asked if Jesus was the Coming One of prophecy, or if they should still wait for someone of a different kind.
- Honesty — Some try to shield John by saying he asked only for his disciples. That care is not needed. Only One was ever perfect, and honest doubt goes straight to Christ.
- Answer — Christ does not argue, and He does not send a rescue. He points to works that are signs, and to good news reaching the poor.
- Blessing — The King came in grace, not in force. The blessing falls on anyone who is not tripped up by His lowly appearance.