I used to think that John the Baptist sending his disciplesto check out Jesus, when John was in jail, was a very strange thing. They turn
up with instructions to ask Jesus “Are you the one who was to come, or should
we expect someone else?” and yet John himself was the one who Launches Jesus on
to the main stage, who announces his arrival and hears God’s voice from heaven
declare him to be HIS son. In fact in other gospels when Mary visits Elisabeth
when she is pregnant with John, John does a summersault in Elisabeth’s stomachas Mary (with Jesus in womb) speaks, he clearly recognised him them. It
does seam a bit strange of John to now be reflecting and wondering if he got it
right.
However maybe this is quite a natural thing, John knows his
time is almost up, he’s probably heard some people bad mouthing Jesus saying he
can’t be the messiah as he eats too much and get’s drunk [Jesus does tackle
these claims straight after John’s disciples leave] John is probably wondering
if his whole life has been built upon a lie or a miss reading. Having had
several friends who have stopped following God I have seen this in them too
(and at moments myself as well). We hear things like, Christianity is
sexist/racist/homophobic/evil/causes wars/not charitable etc and we can start
to wonder did I follow the right man? Is my life based on a lie?
So how does Jesus respond?
“Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind
receive sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the
dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man
who doesn’t fall a way on account of me.”
These are thing things that Jesus preached about in his
first sermon, the year of jubilee has come, the kingdom of God is here (which
is what he goes on to talk about after John’s disciples have left) This is the
proof that Jesus is who he says he is.
There is the curious last line though. I do wonder if this
is again a comment about accusations of being a drunk and glutton or maybe just
the fact of how narky he could be. Either way it almost seams to be Jesus is
saying HE can be a barrier to faith. I’m not sure what to make of that!
