John, frequently referred to as John the Baptist, was bound in prison by Herod, the governor because John voiced objections to Herod’s marriage to his niece.
Matthew 14:3-4 Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
While in prison, John sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus:
Matthew 11:3 Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Jesus chose not to answer with a, “yes or no†answer. Instead Jesus chose to answer John’s question in this manner:
Matthew 11:4-6 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Many writers speculate about why John sent his disciples to Jesus with that question. We are not certain why John asked the question because God himself had given John the answer to this question when Jesus came to him to be baptized.
Matthew 3:13-17 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
The answer to John’s question is an emphatic “yes.â€
However, Jesus Christ chose to use this question from John as a teaching opportunity. Rather than simply saying “yes,†Jesus answered by describing the work he is doing which makes the answer to the question crystal clear:
The blind receive their sight,
the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up,
the poor have the gospel preached to them.
What can we as Christians today learn from the answer Jesus gave to John’s disciples?
We can learn that if someone today wants to know if we are Christians, they should be able to look at our life and see:
we show respect for others
we are truthful
we are honest
we are known to be responsible
our conversation is not sprinkled with inappropriate words
we are studious about God’s Word
we demonstrate the character qualities found in Galatians 5:22: love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance
The answer to John’s question, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?â€
Yes, Jesus is the one to come and there is no other to come after him.
Unlike the time of the Judges, Jesus Christ is our final opportunity for salvation.
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.