The Case of John's Question
Doubting John?
The tendency to want fast answers can lead us to settle for ideas that sound reasonable but are not actually in line with the Bible. This is one reason why we need to see if our beliefs can stand up to biblical scrutiny.
Many rush to judgment and assume John was asking if Jesus was the Christ. John did not use that word, and they cite no evidence to show this was the point of his question. Nonetheless, since they are unable to see how his question could refer to anything else, they fall into the trap of leaning on their own understanding.
John baptized Jesus and "saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon" Jesus (Fourth gospel 1:32). He declared Jesus to be "the Lamb of God" (Fourth gospel 1:29). He was "filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb" (Lk 1:15). His mother surely told him about his own miracle birth, along with all she knew about Jesus' birth (from her cousin Mary). So, those who say John was asking if Jesus was the Christ have to downplay this evidence in order to hold their view of John's question.
Since John was in prison when he asked it, some say, 'he was depressed and had a moment of doubt like we all do.' But would being in prison always lead a man of God to feel dejected? No. When Paul and Silas were in prison, they "prayed, and sang praises unto God" (Acts 16:25). While this does not prove John was not despondent when he asked his question, it does show it is wrong to infer he was demoralized just because he was in prison at the time. Moreover, his execution came as a surprise (cf. Mt 14:6-10, Mk 6:20-27). Thus, it is incorrect to suggest John was distressed because he was facing death.
John said, "one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose" (Lk 3:16). Did he do an about-face and decide he was worthy to question Jesus' credentials? No, but we need to trust scripture to show us how to see John's question from his point of view if we are to understand his purpose for asking it.
The Context of the Question
In Matthew 11, John's question is found in this context:
"it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" (Mt 11:1-3)
Hearing about the works of Christ provoked John's question, and hearing this would not have frustrated John or lead him to doubt Jesus was the Christ. So, why did he ask if Jesus was "he that should come?" Luke7:11-10 gives us some additional details:
"he [Jesus] went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumor of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about. And the disciples of John showed him of all these things. And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come or look we for another?"
"The disciples of John showed him of all these things" (Lk 7:18), and hearing about Jesus raising a dead man and the crowd's reaction to this miracle would not cause John to doubt or be impatient.
Furthermore, John's disciples told him this news. So, the question was not asked for their benefit since they knew about "the works of Christ" before John did.
Of course, a person might doubt a report of Jesus raising a man from the dead. But if the person believed the report, it would not lead that person to doubt Jesus. When the religious leaders heard about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead they did not doubt him, they plotted to kill him (Fourth gospel 11:43-53). When John heard about Jesus raising someone from the dead and the crowd's reaction to this miracle, it led him to ask Jesus a question.
Our Assumptions Versus Scripture
After Jesus sent the two disciples back to John with his reply, he publicly declared, "among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist" (Lk 7:28). These words do not suggest Jesus thought John's question indicated doubt, impatience, or a weak moment on John's part. Jesus criticized his disciples in their moments "of little faith" (Mt 6:30, 8:26, 14:31, & 16:8), but he said no such words about John.
Jesus did tell John's disciples, "blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me" (Mt 11:6 & Lk 7:23). We will look at this statement a bit later. For now, however, realize that to assume this justifies the doubting John viewpoint, one must ignore two key things:
- the news that prompted John to ask the question, and
- the high regard for John that was expressed by Jesus right after he sent his response to John.
Besides hearing about a miracle, John was also told: "there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people" (Lk 7:16), for his disciples told him "all these things" (Lk 7:18). Why would this news cause John to ask Jesus a question?
We view things in the Bible through the lens of our beliefs. Since we assume our beliefs are correct, we see John's question from our perspective. Yet, we do not see things in the way the men of that era did. The people in John's day had a different perspective. John knew more about Jesus than most people in his day, but we have the Bible and it tells us things he did not know. So, if we are to understand his question, we must see it from his point of view.
Did John ask, 'Was I wrong?' or 'Are you really the Lamb of God?' No. He asked if Jesus was "he that should come" (Mt 11:3, Lk 7:19). John did not ask if Jesus was the Messiah, and we twist his words when we infer he was asking this. In that era, "the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not" (Lk 3:15-19). Even so, "the Christ" was not the only one they were expecting.
After Jesus raised the young man in the casket, all the people said a "great prophet" had risen among them (Lk 7:16). This caused John to wonder if Jesus was "he that should come." Why? Scripture has the answer, for it teaches us the people were looking for someone other than the Christ! They were also waiting for…
The Prophet
In John's day, there was still an unfulfilled prophecy that had been delivered by Moses, about one who would be "like unto" Moses (Dt 18:15). So, we should not be surprised to learn that the Jews of John's day were expectantly awaiting this prophet.
Moses said, "the Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me" (Dt 18:15). A few verses later this prophecy was highlighted again when the Lord told Moses, "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him" (Dt 18:18). Would the fulfillment of this prophecy have been high on the list of the expectations of Abraham's descendants? No doubt.
But it may surprise some to learn the people in John's day thought the prophecies of the Christ and that prophet had to be fulfilled by two different people! We cannot make sense of John's question until we realize this was his perspective.
At the time of Jesus' ministry, God's faithful did not view Jesus as we do now. Like others in his day, John believed the prophet "like unto" Moses would be a separate person from the Christ. At least he thought this until he heard a report that led him to wonder if Jesus could also be the prophet "like unto" Moses.
Scripture says, "all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not" (Lk 3:15). Yet, scripture shows us they also considered other possibilities as to who John might be:
"the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias [Elijah]? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No" (Fourth gospel 1:19-21).
There were three options in their view, "the Christ," "Elias [Elijah]," or "that prophet." So, these three were seen as distinct individuals in that era. The questions they asked of John prove they thought "the Christ" and "that prophet" referred to two people.
The Pharisees also asked John: "why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?" (Fourth gospel 1:25) He told the first group he was none of these three, and everything suggests he also assumed "the Christ" and "that prophet" would be different men.
John was a prophet and a cousin of Jesus, yet his knowledge of Jesus was lacking. Twice he said, "I knew him not" (Fourth gospel 1:31 & 33), so for him to learn something new about Jesus is no surprise.
Division Caused by Jesus
Opinions about Jesus were often split and contentious, just as he indicated they would be, for he said, "suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division" (Lk 12:51). Once it says, "there was a division among the people because of him" (Fourth gospel 7:43) and this happened at other times also.
Jesus asked his disciples, "whom say the people that I am?" (Lk 9:18) They replied, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elias [Elijah]; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again" (Lk 9:19). What is missing from this list? It should arrest our attention that "the Christ" did not even show up on this list! When the Pharisees inquired of John, "the Christ" topped their list of speculations as to whom John might be. This was not the case with Jesus.
However, this idea did come up. At one point, "many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?" (Fourth gospel 7:31)
The debates about Jesus were fueled by men who sowed doubts about him. When a group of Pharisees said, "this man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them" (Fourth gospel 9:16). At a different time, "many of them [the Jews] said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?" (Fourth gospel 10:20-21)
The Prophet and the Christ
Jesus came on the scene when the people were looking for Elijah, the Christ, and the prophet like Moses. Twice in scripture, we see where some saw Jesus as a possible candidate for the prophet like Moses. After he fed five thousand men with five barley loaves, and two small fishes we are told, "then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world" (Fourth gospel 6:14).
On another occasion, the possibility of Jesus being this prophet was raised by people who heard him teach:
"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?" (Fourth gospel 7:37-41)
The Prophet? The Christ? Some people thought one thing, some believed another. John's question appears to be the first time anyone wondered if those two terms might refer to one person!
In Acts 3, Peter spoke to the people in the temple and said they "killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead" (Acts 3:15). In this context he went on to say:
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days" (Acts 3:22-24).
Here we see, the prophecy regarding the prophet like Moses was speaking about the risen Jesus. "Foretold of these days" refers to the time after Jesus rose from the dead. Thus, the resurrection is the key! This prophecy had remained unfulfilled since Moses' day, and it could only be fulfilled after Jesus was raised. The idea of Jesus being both the Prophet and the Christ does show up after his resurrection, but John died before this. So, his question must be viewed in light of the data that shows the people of his day assumed the Prophet and the Christ would be different men.
Men who thought Jesus was the Christ, as John surely did, would be unlikely to think Jesus might also fulfill the prophecy about the Prophet like Moses. However, since among those born of women there is no greater prophet than John, he would have been more likely than most to be open to correction.
Jesus Responds to John's Question
After John's disciples posed his question to Jesus it says, "in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight" (Lk 7:21).
This was not done to prove Jesus could do miracles since he had raised a man from the dead. Jesus then told John's disciples:
"tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me" (Lk 7:22-23).
When John got this report, he likely recalled passages such as Isaiah 35:5, "then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped." Does scripture ever suggest miracles would only be associated with Jesus' role as the Christ?
"To him [Jesus] give all the prophets witness" (Acts 10:43). So, his reply to John had to take account of all of God's word. He would not only be the Christ, nor would he be only the Prophet.
For example, he would also become "a high priest after the order of Melchisedec" (Heb 5:10). Even so, Jesus could not merely discuss the idea of fulfilling multiple roles. Why? Because a prophecy must be fulfilled – and many prophecies, like the one about the prophet like Moses, would not be fulfilled until Jesus rose from the dead.
His reply to John ended with, "blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me" (Lk 7:23). So, he pronounced a blessing on John and all who do this! [Compare this to the blessings Jesus listed in Matthew 5:3-11.] It was not said as a warning to a doubting John as some mistakenly conclude. Scripture says, "blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful" and "blessed is the man that endureth temptation" (Ps 1:1, Jas 1:2). Does the record in the Bible indicate this is what John did? Yes, it does.
The Conclusion to the Case of John's Question
John said, "I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him" (Fourth gospel 3:28) and nothing suggests John ever had doubts about this. As with all the other biblical evidence, this shows scripture always argued against assuming John was asking if Jesus was the Christ.
In context, John's question makes sense if he wanted to know if Jesus would also fulfill the role of "the prophet" (Fourth gospel 7:40), i.e., in addition to being the Christ.
When people tell us John was doubting if Jesus was the Christ, then this is likely to influence our view unless we put it to the test. From then on, what we heard could prejudice our views, until we take the time to weigh the words of scripture.
But as this case study shows, "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2Ti 2:15) allows scripture to lead us to the correct understanding.
The end of the Case of John's Question