Setting the Scene: From River to Prison
There is this enigmatic event early in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus made a journey from Galilee to the Jordan River where his cousin John was baptising. Jesus wanted to be baptised by him too, but he knew something of who Jesus was, and there was no way he was going to baptise him! “Please baptise me,” Jesus asked. “No, never,” John responds. “I need to be baptised by you, and yet you come and ask me to baptise you?!” John finally consents to baptise Jesus after he insists that he needs to be baptised in order to fulfil all righteousness. As soon as Jesus was baptised, heaven opened, and the Holy Spirit rested on Jesus in the form of a dove, and a celestial voice spoke, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:1–17; NIV). There could be no doubt that this Jesus was someone very special; this was the Messiah.
Fast forward a few chapters, and John the Baptist finds himself languishing in prison awaiting death. He was imprisoned because he had condemned the immoral acts of Herod the tetrarch, who ruled Galilee for Rome. Nevertheless, he feared John, and because he was inquisitive, he would often listen to him and kept him imprisoned indefinitely.
Even Prophets Struggle with Doubt
As you might imagine, the suffering and loneliness one experiences in prison can break one’s spirit and one is typically prone to doubt, even great prophets like Elijah struggled with doubt at times. In 1 Kings 18–19 after his great victory at Carmel and the defeat of the prophets of Baal, Israel was still not willing to repent and so Elijah despaired and fell into deep spiritual exhaustion and confusion. Incidentally, John the Baptist shared Elijah’s prophetic spirit, calling Israel to repentance, confronting corrupt rulers, and living out an ascetical life in the wilderness. Jesus describes John as the one who would come “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17; NIV, Cf. Matthew 11:14; 17:10–13). It’s interesting that he shares in Elijah’s doubt.
John the Baptist is not quite sure what to make of his cousin, Jesus, and the strange voice from the sky and the dove, and then there’s news of all the miracles he was doing, and his teaching reached him in the prison cell (Matthew 11:2). You can imagine John’s ears prick up and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Like everyone else at the time, John probably had a preconceived idea of what the coming Messiah would be like, but now all of this is beginning to change as his mind begins to grapple with the news that he is hearing. So, he sends his disciples to Jesus to inquire of him.
The Signs of the Kingdom: Jesus’ Gentle Answer
They find Jesus, and ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3; NIV). Of course, Jesus knows exactly what they are asking him. And all Jesus does, is affirm all those wonderful stories John had heard in prison. He tells John’s disciples, you have seen “the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead raised to life, and the good news proclaimed to the poor…. So go and tell my cousin what you have heard and seen—you go and be my witnesses.” (Matthew 11:4–5; paraphrased).
Jesus’ words echo the prophecies of the Old Testament, especially Isaiah and Micah (Isaiah 29:17–19; 35:6; 61:1–3; Micah 4:6–7). And then Jesus says something quite profound, “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Matthew 11:6; NIV).
If this is so, then Jesus would be the long-expected king whose reign would establish the compassionate and restorative rule of God. Yet, this rule is counter-intuitive, because he establishes it by befriending the marginalised, the sinners and tax collectors. No one knows this better than the author of this Gospel, Matthew, for he was a tax collector himself! It’s those of us who know our need for forgiveness and salvation that turn to God in repentance. This is why the Church today ought to be a refuge for sinners and proclaim the forgiveness of sins, restoration, and reconciliation to God. We can only do this if we get our hands dirty and befriend the unlovable as Jesus did.
Of course, many took offence at this, and many still do, even today. But Jesus says, “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” (Matthew 11:6; NIV). In other words, “blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” This was a reminder to John and his disciples, as well as to you and I that we must be open to God’s unfolding plan of reconciliation and redemption, and that there would be some unexpected twists and turns like welcoming sinners into God’s kingdom.
The Greatness of John and the Grace of Revelation
As John’s disciples were leaving to go on their way to report back to John, he begins speaking to the crowd (Matthew 11:7a). You would expect Jesus to say, “My cousin, John the Baptist has regrettably fallen into doubt and if he is not careful, he will lose faith altogether!” But that’s not what he says. Instead Jesus asks the crowd, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.” (Matthew 11:7–9; NIV). These are rhetorical questions of course, but they lead his audience (and his readers) to a proper understanding of who John the Baptist truly was. Jesus corrects those who might be questioning John’s character. John was God’s prophet, a man who was not moved by the opinion of others or by their threats. And neither was he what was sometimes called a royal prophet who served immoral kings who would pay them to prophecy what they wanted to hear. They lived a comfortable life in the king’s palace and wore fine clothes. That was not John!
John was the second Elijah! It was foretold by Malachi (3:1; 4:5), the last of the prophetic books in the Old Testament. John introduced Jesus to the world at his baptism. And he attested to Jesus’ deity, for Malachi says he would prepare the way of the Lord, he did not say he would prepare the way for the Messiah, although he is that too (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:3; 11:10).
Jesus proclaimed that “among those who are born of women” (that includes everyone), John the Baptist is the greatest because he is the one who ushered in the beginning of the new age and prepared the way for the Messiah and the kingdom of God (Matthew 11:11a). But what does it mean when Jesus says, “Whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (that is, John the Baptist)”? (Matthew 11:11b; NIV). In other words, they are greater, not because they have more faith, but because those Christians who would live later, like you and I, see the entire ministry of Jesus and have a fuller revelation of his ministry. This is why Jesus responds patiently to John’s question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Because he did not have the full picture, even though he heard God’s voice from heaven and saw the Holy Spirit rest on Jesus, he still did not have the kind of revelation of who Christ is that you and I have today, and this is why it is said that we are greater, even though we are least in the kingdom of God when compared to John.
Faith in the Face of Doubt: Our Call Today
But what about those of us who still doubt this good news of Jesus Christ? Os Guinness once proclaimed, “Doubt is not the opposite of faith, nor is it the same as unbelief. Doubt is a state of mind in suspension between faith and unbelief.”[1] Like John the Baptist, many great prophets and psalmists doubted, and yet Jesus has always dealt tenderly with those who doubt, think of Thomas for example, he is even sometimes called “doubting Thomas” (the poor fellow never lived that one down; 1 Kings 19; Psalms 22:1; 42:9; John 20:24–29). But like all those who doubt in Scripture, Jesus corrects us and nudges us patiently and tenderly to secure faith in him.
So, how do you deal with your doubts? I find reading Scripture and prayer always helps me, listening to others sharing how they came to faith and hearing others proclaiming the good news—strengthens my faith. And if you have strong faith, I encourage you to be tender with those who doubt and patiently share the gospel of Christ with them, show them the love of Christ, listen to their questions and take them seriously. Try and answer them if you can. But above all, imitate Jesus for those who doubt and struggle in their faith.
AI Disclaimer:
This blog has been edited for grammar, clarity, and readability using AI-assisted tools. The core content, theological insights, and personal reflections remain my original work.
[1] Os Guinness, God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith Beyond a Shadow of Doubt (Crossway, 1996), Ch. 2.
Disclaimer: The views presented in this blog are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views of SATS.