“Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: those who are blind receive sight and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is any person who does not take offense at Me.” [Matthew 11:3-6 (NASB)]
Having quoted from Isaiah when proclaiming the Messiah’s arrival, we know John knew Isaiah’s prophecies. The Messiah would “bind up the brokenhearted [and] proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners,” [61:1] but, after spending more than a year confined to a dark cell, John had neither liberty nor freedom. It’s no wonder he doubted.
While Jesus’ answer to the Baptizer’s question seems cryptic to us, it would have made perfect sense to John. By pointing to the facts, Jesus affirmed that the days of salvation had begun. Although he was using His Messianic power in a way John hadn’t envisioned, Jesus was fulfilling the Messianic promises of Isaiah 35, 42, and 61. Jesus was, indeed, the Christ! When John’s disciples returned with a report of Jesus’ words and actions, the Baptizer’s questions were answered and his doubts erased.
Encouraging John not to give in to despair or abandon his faith, Jesus added a blessing to His message: “And blessed is any person who does not take offense at Me.” Calling this the “forgotten Beatitude,” Vines Expository Bible Notes paraphrased His words as, “Blessed is the person who does not get upset by the way I [God] handle my business.”
What follows, however, is somewhat unexpected. Lest the people think less of John for his imprisonment and doubt, Jesus bore witness to the prophet and praised him. Declaring him to be a true prophet who spoke directly for God, Jesus affirmed that John was the returning Elijah, the one to announce the Day of the Lord, and the greatest of the Old Covenant’s prophets! Clearly, John’s doubt did not diminish Jesus’ respect and love for him!
While we probably aren’t languishing in a prison cell, we will have doubts. Things happen that make our confidence waver and we begin to question things we’ve come to believe. No matter how deep our faith or how long we’ve followed Jesus, doubts and questions will arise from time to time—especially when we’re in the dark places of pain, persecution, injustice, loss, disappointment, isolation, or failed expectations.
When we can’t see or understand God’s plan, like John, we tend to doubt Him. Doubt, however, is not the same as unbelief because, like John, doubt seeks an answer when unbelief doesn’t. The Psalmists certainly weren’t shy about expressing their feelings and asking God questions. “Why do You stand far away, Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” [10:1] “How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” [13:1] “Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?” [44:24] “Lord, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?” [88:14]
When we have questions, we must do what the Psalmists, Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Job, John, and the rest of Scripture’s doubters did—trust the Lord enough to share our uncertainty, express our anxiety, and ask our questions. Let us remember the question Jesus asked while hanging on the cross: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Jesus’ words tell us that He knows what it’s like to feel abandoned by God and they give us permission to confront God with our troubling questions in the midst of our trials and despair.
To ask is to believe that somewhere there is an answer….Far from faith excluding questions, questions testify to faith….We ask, not because we doubt, but because we believe. [Rabbi Jonathan Sacks]
Devotions of the Heart 