Post by Ben on Jul 10, 2014 16:28:24 GMT
Verses 2-3: "Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?"
Bro. Roberts, in Nazareth Revisited, writes the following about John.
***********************************************
How long he languished here cannot be determined with certainity—probably about a year. But it was long enough to exercise him very painfully. He “heard in prison the works of Christ,” but apparently these works were not of the class he had expected. It is possible and probable that John the Baptist shared the expectation common to the disciples, that “the kingdom of God should immediately appear” (Luke xix. II). He might suppose that the Messiah would proceed to his kingly work as soon as he was manifested in the world. If so, knowing that the Messiah had in very deed been manifested, he would anticipate his early assumption of royal power, and his deposition of Herod, and his liberation of John himself from the durance vile in which he was languishing. Instead of that, he only heard of his going about preaching and healing the sick, and of his avoiding the people when “they wanted to take him by force and make him a king” (Jno. vi. 15). It was a great trial to John’s faith in the position in which he was placed. It appears to have caused him a degree of faltering. He called two of his disciples, to whom he would have access by Herod’s goodwill, and sent them to Christ with this inquiry: “Art thou he that should come, or look we for another?”
The putting of such a question by John has been a great difficulty with many. They think it inconsistent with the knowledge that John had of the true character of Christ. There does not seem any real ground for this thought, when all the facts are held in view. John was an erring mortal man, and liable to be troubled by what he did not understand. The situation was such as had become unintelligible from his point of view; and it was therefore in the highest degree natural that he should seek to re-assure himself concerning Christ by direct enquiry.
John’s messengers came to Jesus and went straight to the subject of their errand: “John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” (Luke vii. 20). Jesus might have met the inquiry with a categorical answer. He might have said: “I am he; no one comes after me.” But his answer was more effective than that. John’s messengers standing by, “in the same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues and evil spirits, and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering, said unto them. Go your way and tell John what things ye have SEEN AND HEARD; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached” (Luke vii. 21, 22). There was an argument of irresistible power in these words. It was the argument reflected in the admission of Nicodemus: “No man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him” (Jno. 3:2). It was the argument of Christ’s own statement to the Jews afterwards: “The works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me” (Jno. v. 37).
(Nazareth Revisited, Chapter 5 - "John the Baptist's Work".)
Bro. Roberts, in Nazareth Revisited, writes the following about John.
***********************************************
How long he languished here cannot be determined with certainity—probably about a year. But it was long enough to exercise him very painfully. He “heard in prison the works of Christ,” but apparently these works were not of the class he had expected. It is possible and probable that John the Baptist shared the expectation common to the disciples, that “the kingdom of God should immediately appear” (Luke xix. II). He might suppose that the Messiah would proceed to his kingly work as soon as he was manifested in the world. If so, knowing that the Messiah had in very deed been manifested, he would anticipate his early assumption of royal power, and his deposition of Herod, and his liberation of John himself from the durance vile in which he was languishing. Instead of that, he only heard of his going about preaching and healing the sick, and of his avoiding the people when “they wanted to take him by force and make him a king” (Jno. vi. 15). It was a great trial to John’s faith in the position in which he was placed. It appears to have caused him a degree of faltering. He called two of his disciples, to whom he would have access by Herod’s goodwill, and sent them to Christ with this inquiry: “Art thou he that should come, or look we for another?”
The putting of such a question by John has been a great difficulty with many. They think it inconsistent with the knowledge that John had of the true character of Christ. There does not seem any real ground for this thought, when all the facts are held in view. John was an erring mortal man, and liable to be troubled by what he did not understand. The situation was such as had become unintelligible from his point of view; and it was therefore in the highest degree natural that he should seek to re-assure himself concerning Christ by direct enquiry.
John’s messengers came to Jesus and went straight to the subject of their errand: “John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” (Luke vii. 20). Jesus might have met the inquiry with a categorical answer. He might have said: “I am he; no one comes after me.” But his answer was more effective than that. John’s messengers standing by, “in the same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues and evil spirits, and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering, said unto them. Go your way and tell John what things ye have SEEN AND HEARD; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached” (Luke vii. 21, 22). There was an argument of irresistible power in these words. It was the argument reflected in the admission of Nicodemus: “No man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him” (Jno. 3:2). It was the argument of Christ’s own statement to the Jews afterwards: “The works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me” (Jno. v. 37).
(Nazareth Revisited, Chapter 5 - "John the Baptist's Work".)