Be Blessed Series

While their teacher was in prison, some of the disciples of John followed Jesus (Matt. 9:14) and kept John informed with reports (Matt. 11:2). After some of them reported all these things to John about what Jesus was doing, John’s doubt became so acute that he took action. As all believers should, John took his doubts directly to the Lord and asked Him to resolve them. Since he was still in prison, John summoned, as verse 19 reports, two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask Him on his behalf, “Are You the one who is to come/Expected One, or shall we look for another/someone else?” The question John asks is specific. The reference to ho erchomenos (“the one who is to come/Expected/coming one”) recalls the earlier reference in 3:16, where one detects an allusion to passages such as Mal. 3:1; Ps. 118:26 [Beale, G. K., & Carson, D. A. (2007). Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament (p. 299). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos.].

He does not wonder whether Jesus has been sent from God; he simply wants confirmation that his ministry is the promised ministry of deliverance. Even the best of God’s servants need reassurance from time to time. The reference to “the stronger one who is to come” recalls John’s own words in 3:15–16. So John is asking if Jesus is the Messiah (Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (p. 210). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.).

So, as verse 20 reports when the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying/to ask, ‘Are You the one who is to come/Expected One, or shall/do we look for another/someone else?’”

•There is an important principle here. When we are perplexed we should take our burden directly to the Lord. We do not need to send two messengers. We can go straight to God via the throne of grace, by means of prayer(Bentley, M. (1992). Saving a Fallen World: Luke Simply Explained (p. 112). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.).

It is not unusual for great spiritual leaders to have their days of doubt and uncertainty. Moses was ready to quit on one occasion (Num. 11:10–15), and so were Elijah (1 Kings 19) and Jeremiah (Jer. 20:7–9, 14–18); and even Paul knew the meaning of despair (2 Cor. 1:8–9). There is a difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is a matter of the mind: we cannot understand what God is doing or why He is doing it. Unbelief is a matter of the will: we refuse to believe God’s Word and obey what He tells us to do. “Doubt is not always a sign that a man is wrong,” said Oswald Chambers; “it may be a sign that he is thinking.” (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 196–197). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.).

In John’s case, his inquiry was not born of willful unbelief, but of doubt nourished by physical and emotional strain. Four reasons may be discerned for the doubt John’s question expressed. By extension, they are also the causes for doubt in many believers