Day 285 (Matthew 11) — The Bible Recap

John the Baptist is in prison. He had seen the Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove. He had heard the Father's voice affirm Jesus as His Son. But then Jesus went into the wilderness, and John got thrown into prison. Their paths barely crossed. Now John keeps hearing reports of Jesus performing miracles for everyone else. So he sends messengers to ask a direct question: "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

Tara-Leigh Cobble suggests this isn't doubt but despair. John's entire life had been about pointing to the Messiah. If Jesus really is the one, surely He would come and get John out of prison — or so the thinking might go. Jesus responds by telling the messengers to report what they've seen: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news preached to them. These are the signs Isaiah said the Messiah would perform. But Jesus deliberately leaves off one part of the prophecy — the part about prisoners being set free. "I cannot imagine how it felt to be on the receiving end of this message," Cobble says. "Yes, I'm the Messiah Isaiah prophesied about, and the one you pointed toward. It has all been faithful, but you will die in prison." Jesus ends by saying, "Blessed is the one who is not offended by me" — an acknowledgment that He is del