On Second Thought
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.”
—Luke 7:22
John the Baptist had once stood beside the Jordan with the confidence of a prophet. He called Israel to repentance, confronted religious hypocrisy, and announced that the Messiah was near. When Jesus approached him for baptism, John recognized His greatness and declared, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). John knew why he had been sent. He was the voice preparing the way for the Lord.
Then the scenery changed. The open wilderness was replaced by prison walls. John had confronted Herod for taking Herodias, his brother’s wife, and faithful witness brought painful consequences. The prophet who had once spoken to crowds now sat in confinement, unable to see what Jesus was doing. His ministry seemed to be shrinking while Christ’s ministry was expanding.
From prison, John sent two disciples to ask Jesus, “Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” (Luke 7:19). This question should not make us think less of John. Scripture does not hide the strain that faithful people experience. Elijah became discouraged after confronting the prophets of Baal. Jeremiah lamented the weight of his calling. David repeatedly asked how long he would have to wait for God’s intervention. Spiritual maturity does not mean that we never struggle with uncertainty. It means that we bring our uncertainty to the right Person.
John’s question was not asked from a riverbank where crowds were responding to his preaching. It came from a prison where the future looked painfully brief. He had announced a Messiah who would bring judgment, gather the wheat, and burn the chaff. Yet Herod remained on his throne, injustice continued, and John remained behind bars. Jesus was healing and preaching, but He had not overthrown the wicked ruler or opened John’s prison door.
Jesus did not rebuke John for asking. Instead, He pointed to what was happening: the blind were seeing, the lame were walking, lepers were being cleansed, the deaf were hearing, the dead were being raised, and the poor were hearing the good news. These signs echoed the promises of Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61. Jesus was assuring John that the kingdom had truly arrived, although it was unfolding differently from what John may have expected.
There are times when we also need to be reminded of what God is doing rather than merely focusing on what He has not yet done. One unanswered prayer can become so large in our vision that we overlook many signs of grace surrounding it. We see the door that remains closed but forget the strength God has provided while we wait. We notice the illness that has not lifted but overlook the compassion, courage, and fellowship God has produced through the trial. We grieve the circumstance that has not changed and fail to recognize how Christ is changing us within it.
Jesus’ answer teaches us that faith is strengthened by remembering His works. He did not provide John with a detailed explanation of tomorrow. He gave him evidence of God’s faithfulness today. The Greek expression translated “seen and heard” joins observation with testimony. John’s disciples were to return carrying a reliable report: God’s promised redemption was taking place through Jesus.
This does not mean that John’s earthly circumstances improved. Scripture gives us no indication that he was released. Herod later ordered his execution because he feared losing face before his guests. John died without witnessing the cross, the resurrection, Pentecost, or the spread of the gospel among the nations. Yet he did not die outside the will of God. His inability to see the completed story did not mean that God had abandoned the story.
We often assume that trusting God for tomorrow means believing that tomorrow will become easier. Biblical trust is sturdier than optimism. It rests upon God’s character rather than our preferred outcome. The Hebrew concept of faithfulness, emunah, communicates firmness, reliability, and steadfastness. God can be trusted because He remains true, even when His timing and methods exceed our understanding.
The Lord may not tell us everything that tomorrow contains, but He has shown us who holds tomorrow. Christ has entered suffering, endured injustice, conquered death, and risen in victory. Because of Him, no prison, disappointment, illness, or loss can become the final word over the believer’s life.
On Second Thought
On second thought, perhaps the most surprising part of John’s story is not that he questioned Jesus from prison, but that Jesus did not rescue him from it. We naturally expect faithfulness to produce visible deliverance. We imagine that if we obey courageously, pray sincerely, and serve sacrificially, God will arrange circumstances so that His approval becomes obvious. Yet John was praised by Jesus as one of the greatest born among women, and still he remained imprisoned. His suffering was not proof of divine displeasure, nor was his death evidence that his ministry had failed.
The paradox is that John’s greatest testimony may have come when he could no longer preach publicly. His confinement revealed whether his faith depended upon seeing immediate results or upon trusting the Messiah he had proclaimed. John had said of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). He probably did not imagine how literally that decrease would occur. Jesus increased before the crowds while John disappeared behind prison walls. Yet John’s diminished visibility did not diminish his place in God’s purpose.
We may also enter seasons when our usefulness appears reduced, our influence seems forgotten, or our future feels uncertain. God may not give us a clear explanation, but He gives us Christ. The same Jesus who answered John still points us toward the evidence of His kingdom: sinners are forgiven, broken lives are restored, the gospel is preached, and death has been defeated through His resurrection. Trust for tomorrow is not confidence that everything will unfold as we wish. It is confidence that Christ will remain who He is, that His promises will not fail, and that even what we cannot see is being gathered into His redemptive purpose.
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