People’s sight has been restored,
A lame man, got up and walked for the first time in his life.
A widow’s son was mid-funeral, and He walked right up to those carrying his casket, placed his hand on the boy, and told him to get up! And the boy was raised to life!
What amazing things are happening.
Yet all John could do is wonder, “Then why am I still sitting here in this cell?”
John had been arrested and placed behind bars.
And while Jesus went around healing, John sat there decaying.
So when he heard the great things Jesus was doing, it was only natural that he would wonder.
You know, the same question you have asked. . .
I see you heal, I see you raise the dead, the blind see and the lame walk, but why am I still sitting here about to die?
Sometimes, it can feel like we’ve done everything right, we’ve answered the call God has placed on our life, and we’ve even worked at it with all of our heart. Yet when it comes to our deepest darkest moments, where are you God?
So John sends his disciples to Jesus with his rawest, most sincere question yet.
“Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we be looking for someone else?”
Have you ever felt that before?
Because sometimes, things just don’t add up. We’ve seen him do the work, we’ve heard testimony of his power. Yet when it comes to our situation, nothing. . .
In these moments, it’s easy to be let down. But even more, it’s easy to question and doubt that Jesus even is the one we’ve been waiting for.
In a heartbreaking moment, Jesus answers the truth.
Luke 7:22 Jesus says, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard- the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”
At first read, this sounds so calloused and heartless.
But not to John.
You see, John would have heard the stories of Angel Gabriel.
Who visited his father Zechariah in the temple that night.
And as Gabriel announced the upcoming birth of John the Baptist,
He declared John’s purpose?
John will make ready for the Lord, a people prepared for him. . .
You see what Jesus was actually doing. He was saying - well done. The blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. All of which was possible because of you John; the one who prepared people to even accept this.
A few moments later, Jesus would even recognize John as the greatest who has ever lived.
So why didn’t he save him from prison?
Because he was building a legacy on what John had started.