John the Baptist, whom Jesus called the greatest of the prophets (Luke
7:28), had questions shortly before his execution (v.19). He wanted to know for
sure that Jesus was the Messiah and that his own ministry had therefore been
valid.
Jesus’ response is a comforting model for us to use. Instead of
discounting the doubt or criticizing John, Jesus pointed to the miracles He was
doing. As eyewitnesses, John’s disciples could return with vivid assurances for
their mentor. But He did more—He used words and phrases (v.22) drawn from
Isaiah’s prophecies of the coming Messiah (Isa. 35:4-6; 61:1), which were
certain to be familiar to John.
Then, turning to the crowd, Jesus praised John (Luke 7:24-28), removing
any doubt that He was offended by John’s need for reassurance after all he had
seen (Matt. 3:13-17).
Questioning and doubting, both understandable human responses, are
opportunities to remind, reassure, and comfort those who are shaken by
uncertainty.
Reassurance comes as we doubt our doubts and believe our beliefs. (RBC)
