John the Baptist Doubts

Matthew 11: 1 – 6 (NIV): After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

John the Baptist was born of supernatural power. Jesus said he was the fulfillment of the second-to-last verse of the Old Testament, which says Elijah would return before the Messiah. (Malachi 4:5). John was the man who had the privilege of baptizing Jesus himself. He was a powerful preacher who pointed his finger at common people, religious rulers, and even Roman royalty. Yet, in these verses, we find that even he had his doubts.

This is encouraging to me because if a spiritual giant like John the Baptist doubted, then I needn't feel bad when I do. We all have our doubts and they seem to come from the same reason: Life isn't working the way we thought it should. John the Baptist must have been miserable in the small prison cell where Herod had thrown him. He was accustomed to being outdoors, sleeping in the wide-open desert. Now he was stuck in prison, silenced from his ministry. As he sat in that cell, doubts began to creep into his mind. Was Jesus truly the Christ? If so, why had God allowed him to be thrown into prison for preaching the truth? Suddenly, it wasn't adding up.

So, he sent a couple of his disciples to ask Jesus if he truly was the Christ. I love Jesus' answer. He didn't scold John for doubting or ask him to search his feelings, he gave him the facts that proved that he was, indeed, who he claimed to be. He pointed out that Isaiah 35 and 61 said the Christ would heal the blind, lame, deaf and sick, and he would preach to the poor. Jesus was not only doing these things, he was even raising people from the dead.

Jesus, in essence, told John the Baptist to base his faith on the facts, not on his feelings. Our feelings will betray us. The facts of the resurrection prove that our faith is reasonable and solid. The historic eyewitness accounts of Jesus' life give us a firm basis to believe and trust and hope.

No, we will not always understand life, just like John the Baptist didn't. But Jesus encouraged us to not fall away because we don't understand his plans. Weigh the evidence; consider the facts, and then believe.