NOTES for Luk 7:18-35

Many among the people consider Jesus only a prophet, not understanding that He is the Messiah. But why does the question of who He is come from John, who recognised Him at His baptism? The traditional view is that John sent his disciples so that Jesus' own answer would dispel their doubts, while John, as a prophet, already perceived the right answer. Yet we know that the truth was not revealed to the prophets at all times, and that they too were tormented by doubts. So even someone like John could have begun to reconsider what had only recently seemed self-evident, all the more so in prison, with limited access to reliable information from the outside world. On the other hand, we might also suppose that, even while spiritually perceiving the truth, John wanted to receive from Christ direct confirmation of something he did not doubt. If so, we may also recall the ‘unbelief’ of Thomas, who wanted to ascertain the Resurrection for himself.

Some readers of the Gospel have expressed perplexity: where is the answer that confirms it? Jesus asked John's disciples to report many things to their teacher, but did not say directly that He was indeed the Messiah. And yet everything Christ asked them to recount to John consists precisely of the signs of the advent of the messianic age indicated by the Old Testament prophets. For those familiar with the imagery of the prophetic utterances, all this was direct confirmation.

Then Jesus calls John not simply a prophet, but one who is more than a prophet. John's greatness and spiritual depth will be surpassed by anyone deemed worthy to enter the Kingdom of God; but for it to come, John's sacrificial preaching was necessary — one of the signs of the Messiah's coming.