Dec. 16, 2015 –
Luke 7:18-23
In today’s Gospel, we see John the Baptist publicly questioning whether Jesus is the true Messiah, “the one who is to come.” We are used to venerating John, because of his many amazing works, such as baptizing Jesus, and dying the death of a hero. However, in this Gospel we see a flaw in John’s character. It was important to Jesus never to publicly proclaim himself as the Messiah, but this is exactly what John is trying to do here. John is challenging Jesus, his cousin and, more importantly, Savior. This questioning by John signifies his own imperfection. He has given in to doubt and fear, a trap that many of us fall in to today. John let his expectation of how Jesus should be acting effect his faithfulness. We see that John is flawed, yes we also see forgiveness and hope in Jesus’ response. He does not give in to John’s demand that he declare himself as Messiah. Rather, Jesus simply lays out the facts. He tells of his cleansing of lepers, raising of the dead, healing of the lame, and returning of sight and hearing to the blind and deaf. The listing of these miracles is a much more convincing testimony than Jesus simply announcing that he is the Messiah. When you read this Gospel, try to learn from John’s mistake of challenging the Lord. In addition, be inspired by the miracles and mercy of Jesus and his ministry as you prepare for his coming into the world.