In a Dark Place?

As we begin our reading today ( Matthew 11: 1-19),  we find John, the fiery, powerful, wilderness preacher of truth, locked in a dark place - a very dark place (who can imagine the physical and spiritual suffering in the dungeon prisons back then). And we can't write him off as one of "that kind" who is just paying for all the many wrong choices he has made. Jesus says "Let me tell you what's going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer;" (The Message).

So in this dark place, John has had some doubts start to creep in. He sends some disciples to Jesus to ask, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?"  What!  John is the one who baptized Jesus and saw the heavens open, dove descend, and Voice declare......  But doubts can be powerful, especially in great darkness.

So, what's Jesus' answer to this friend and family member? 

"Go back and tell John what's going on:

The blind see,

The lame walk,

Lepers are cleansed,

The deaf hear, 

The dead are raised,

The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side." (The Message)

Hey, those are the same things we have been hearing as we have been reading through these Good News accounts of Jesus. 

Our Lord then adds here, "And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me." If we can hear of Jesus' work, be encouraged and expectant that He continues to love and heal and be on our side, we are blessed also. Jesus is in fact the Expected One, the One we've all been looking for. Hallelujah!