18 Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. 19 And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 20 When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ” 21 And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. 22 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. 23 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
In verses 18-23, John the Baptist, through two disciples, questioned Jesus as to whether He was the expected Messiah.
7:18
Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.
The disciples of John the Baptist reported to John “all these things,” referring to the events in Luke 7:11-17.
7:19
And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
The question of this verse is one of doubt.
7:20
When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’”
John the Baptist’s two disciples asked Jesus whether He was the Coming One or if they should look for someone else to be the Messiah. Since John was in prison at this time, this question was legitimate (Mt 11:2). At his announcement of the Messiah’s coming, Jesus had not yet arrived.
7:21
And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.
At the very time John’s disciples arrived, Jesus was in the process of healing infirmities and afflictions, exorcising demons, and giving sight to the blind.
7:22
Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Jesus sent a message back to John the Baptist describing His ministry. Rather than answering their questions directly, He appealed to His miracles. His ministry could also be confirmed by the testimony of John’s two disciples, who personally witnessed His miracles.
Jesus alluded to Isaiah’s prophesies that pertained to the Messiah (Isa 26:19; 29:18; 35:5-6; 42:18; 61:1).
7:23
And blessed is he who is not offended [fall away] because of Me.”
Jesus challenged people to believe in Him, including John’s disciples. He knew His message was difficult to embrace. People needed to rise above their offenses to believe in Jesus. John and his disciples were not to let their difficult personal experiences lead them to succumb to doubt.
PRINCIPLE:
The answer to doubt is to look to the evidence found in Christ.
APPLICATION:
Healthy doubt is good, but unhealthy skepticism is not. We can doubt our doubts if we expose them to the facts. Healthy doubt can lead us to answers. We are to follow the evidence found in Christ. Many of God’s leaders had occasions of doubt. Moses wanted to give up on an occasion (Num 11:10-15). Elijah was ready to quit (1 Kgs 19). Jeremiah had his doubts (Jer 20:7-9, 14-18). Paul himself knew something of despair (2 Co 1:8-9).
If a person can discern truth from error, he operates on a healthy skepticism. The Bereans were an example of this (Acts 17:11). John had his doubts about Jesus, but he sought a rational answer. Jesus gave His response to doubt in our passage. There is a significant difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is the ability to find what is true through questioning and critical thinking. Unbelief is an issue of the will; it is a refusal to believe the evidence God offers.
