Now, while John the Baptizer was in prison, he heard about what Christ was doing among the people, so he sent his disciples to ask him this question: “Are you really the one prophesied would come, or should we still wait for another?” “Give John this report,” Jesus said: “‘The blind see again, the crippled walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised back to life, and the poor and broken now hear of the hope of salvation!’ And tell John that the blessing of heaven comes upon those who never lose their faith in me—no matter what happens!” Matt 11:2-6

Today, we know that Jesus was and is the Messiah. Jesus knew that, and John the Prophet knew that, too. However, after John had been imprisoned for many weary months, be began wondering whether Jesus was in fact the promised Messiah after all. Clearly Jesus’ activities didn’t align with John’s idea of what the Messiah’s ministry would be like. And so John sent messengers to Jesus to find out who He was, or perhaps to cajole Jesus into revealing who He was.

Now before we get into this, I want to point out that when John’s faith was under siege…he went to Jesus to get answers. He didn’t wallow in his doubt while he languished in a very unpleasant prison. He went straight to Jesus.

So often, when believers have doubts, we don’t go to Jesus for answers. We get stuck with our questions and our doubts because we don’t take them to Jesus for answers. We may go to friends and Christian books and counselors (and these things are good), but we don’t go to Jesus and examine our doubts in light of Who He is and the revelation we already have of Him.

But moving on, it’s critical to understand how Jesus answered the question about his Messiah-ship. He didn’t just tell the messengers, “Sure I’m the Messiah; John knows that.” Instead He put on a demonstration. In Luke’s account, we read:

“Before He answered (the messengers), Jesus turned to the crowd and healed many of their incurable diseases. His miracle power freed many from their suffering. He restored the gift of sight to the blind, and he drove out demonic spirits from those who were tormented. Only then did Jesus answer the question posed by John’s disciples. ‘Now go back and tell John what you have just seen…’” (7:21,22).

The prophetic message of John was one of repentance; he may have been expecting Jesus to continue on that foundation he had laid. But the message of Jesus was demonstration and declaration of the arrival of the Kingdom of God.

John’s root issue was that Jesus wasn’t meeting with his expectation. Jesus wasn’t behaving the way John thought He should. And in John’s defense, his days spent rotting away in prison would seem a lot more worthwhile if the One he had proclaimed Messiah was behaving more like what he thought a Messiah should behave like.

But rather than answering John’s messengers directly, Jesus demonstrated His Messiah-ship. In their sight he fulfills many Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah (Isa. 29:18-19; 35:5-6; 61:1, etc.). Jesus is adjusting John’s understanding of what the Messiah’s ministry really is. He’s assuring John that He meets the prophecies dead-on.

Which brings us to the key verse in all of this: “Blessed are those who never lose their faith in me—no matter what happens.” Apparently, in the discomfort of his prison cell, John was being tempted to think that he knew better than Jesus.

Jesus is saying, Don’t allow yourself to doubt my decisions, my purposes, my plans…It will lead you away from the answers rather than toward the answers.

Don’t be offended when things aren’t going the way you wish they would—the way it seems like it would be loving and right and sensible. Let Me be God and trust, trust, trust.