If you or I were
arranging the material that Luke had to work with when writing his Gospel, I
don’t think we would have placed the episode of the doubt of John the Baptist
while in prison immediately following the healing of the centurion’s servant and
the raising from the dead of the widow’s son. These two demonstrations of Jesus’ intimate
connection with his Father should be proof for even those who were skeptical
beforehand, let alone for the man whose mission in life was to prepare the way
for his cousin to be the Messiah of Israel.
And yet, as John’s time in prison grows, doubt has crept into his
mind. After early success in the
wilderness, with throngs of people proclaiming him a mighty prophet, maybe even
the Messiah, John’s career has taken an abrupt about-face with the arrest by
Herod for daring to publicly denounce Herod’s clearly sinful stealing of his
brother’s wife.
How will Jesus respond to John’s doubt? Will he criticize him from not holding firm,
or offer him solace in the same way that God comforted Elijah when his strength
failed? Rather than directly addressing
John’s most pressing need, freedom from prison, Jesus tells John’s followers
that the proof of who he is has been made clear in the healing of the sick,
blind, lame, deaf, and the raising of the dead.
Why doesn’t Jesus offer his cousin a word of encouragement, John is
after all in dire circumstances at this very moment? The truth of the person of Jesus Christ, that
he is indeed the Son of God and the Son of Man, that he has come to save the
lost through self-sacrifice; this truth is greater than the circumstances that
John is facing. It may not be the
easiest thing to hear when we ourselves are enduring suffering, but God’s plan
to redeem humanity is far greater than anything we are, or will, ever
endure. The difficulties we experience
in life are very real, the pain or sorrow equally so, but in the end, the love
shown to us by God will have the victory.
If you doubt, you are not alone, if you are afraid, you
are not alone; God is greater, his love for you is greater, you don't have to look anywhere else.
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