My Dear People,

When John the Baptist was taken into custody (4:2), this event prompted Jesus to begin His kingdom ministry (4:17). How much time elapsed between John’s arrest and Christ initiating His ministry is not known, but it was enough for uncertainty to take hold of the imprisoned prophet.

Apparently, John needed reassurance about the messiahship of Jesus. Was John’s faith beginning to waver as he crouched for long hours in the shadows of his cell? Was he, like many of his Jewish contemporaries, hoping for a militant messiah who would deliver Israel from Roman rule? Or was it that John envisioned his successor to be the agent of divine judgment, the one who would fell the wicked like fruitless trees and hurl them into flames (3:7-12)? The text does not tell us. Whatever thoughts were churning in John’s mind, it seems the works of the Messiah did not match his expectations.

John thus sends disciples to Jesus with the question: Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another? The question takes our minds back to 3:11, where John announced the arrival of one who was “coming” after him. There is also reason to think that “the one who is to come” was a messianic title in Jesus’ day. Its background is the Greek Septuagint version of Ps 118:26, which reads “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Both Jesus and the Jerusalem crowds quote this verse verbatim later in the Gospel (21:9, 23:39).

Most people prefer a simple answer to a simple question. It is fair, then, to ask why Jesus responds to John’s question with a news bulletin about current events connected with his ministry. Why not return a simple yes? Presumably it is because Jesus wants to give John what he needs to steady his wavering faith. 

Jesus’ response is basically a resume of his achievements up to this point in the story. The blind who regained their sight is documented in 9:27-31. The person, once lame, and now walking is verified by 9:1-8. Evidence of lepers being cleansed can be found in 8:1-4, and perhaps the droves that flocked to Jesus with infirmities in 4:23 and 9:35 included individuals who were deaf. Furthermore, a resurrection of the dead is recounted in 9:18-26; and the poor hear the good news of the kingdom in 53, among other places. By any reckoning this is an impressive report for John to ponder. It is hard to deny that God was powerfully at work in this holy man from Galilee. 

But there is more to Jesus’ answer than appears at first glance. Ready with one eye on the Old Testament, one can see the connections of the book of Isaiah. Throughout Isaiah we find prophecies of the final age, when God will begin healing the hurting world of men and women. Among the events foreseen are the dead coming to life (Isa. 26:19); the blind and deaf seeing and hearing again (Isa. 29:18, 35:5; 42:18); the lame leaping for joy (Isa. 35:6); and the poor hearing the glad tidings of the Lord delivered by his anointed one (Isa. 61:1). Assuming John picked up on these allusions, he must have understood the answer loud and clear: Jesus was indeed affirming his messianic identity. Even more, he was strengthening the Baptist’s faith by disclosing the word of God. Everything was proceeding according to God’s plan as envisioned by Isaiah. 

Then follows a closing beatitude: blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.  The declaration is pronounced of the person who is not scandalized by Jesus. John is hereby encouraged to have faith, and to see in the ministry of Jesus the “works of the Messiah” (11:2).

Yours in Christ,

 Fr. Vincent Clemente