Matthew 11:2-6 (ESV)
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples [3] and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" [4] And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: [5] the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. [6] And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
I guess the question everyone speculates on here is why John had to ask this question. If he was a prophet, the thought goes, why did he need to ask. Some answer with, he was also human and given to doubt. Others that he meant to prod Jesus along so that Jesus might usher in the millennial kingdom and bust John from Prison. Others answer that he wanted his disciples to finally take a hint and start following Jesus. I’m not sure which answer I like more. Perhaps, as with most things in life there isn’t one single motive.
I do like Christ’s answer though. Speaking of millennial kingdoms… Jesus just answers, you see John, it is happening. All that stuff talked about in Isaiah it is happening, even now, even though you are in prison experiencing tribulation, yet the blind see, the lame walk… It is a fascinating answer.
Is there anything different today. Even as the gospel spreads and people are healed of sin, and prepared for heaven, body and soul to be restored to perfect harmony, even now Christians the world over experience tribulation as Christ promised we all would. Some perhaps experience more tribulation than others. We all suffer to some extent, and if one part of the body of Christ hurts, we all hurt. And yet the gospel of the kingdom continues to reign wherever Christ rules over the hearts of believers with the forgiveness of sins. For in the world we have tribulation, but in Christ we take heart for he overcame the world.
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