Jesus addressing John’s doubts

So here’s the way it’s recorded in Matthew 11:11 and when I first read this, and I mean this is like 35 to 40 years ago, I thought, “Lord, why did you not answer the disciples immediately?”. It looks like He didn’t even honour John and just went about doing things. Eventually, after an hour,

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 7:22

Jesus instructs them to go tell John what they have seen Jesus do, and that John will be blessed if he is not offended. After they left, Jesus began to say that John is the greatest prophet that has ever lived.

Why didn’t Jesus give his compliments to John in person?

We read that John has asked the question of Jesus through his messengers, asking if Jesus is the right one. John was in a crisis; his whole life looked like it could have been ruined. Jesus honoured John, saying he was greater than Moses, Abraham, David, and greater than Elijah. Though Jesus didn’t say these things to John, he only said them after John’s messengers had left. For a long time, what I read here really bothered me.

How did Jesus respond to doubt – He used scripture from Isaiah

Then one day, years later, after I had been pondering on why Jesus responded the way He did, I was reading over in Isaiah, chapter 35 and came upon something that made it all make sense. John knew the book of Isaiah; he quoted scriptures from the book. When John was asked if he was the Christ, he responded with words from Isaiah,

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.

Isaiah 40:3

I was also reading in Isaiah chapter 35, and it says in verses three and four,

Strengthen the weak hands,
And make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and save you.”

As I read this, the Holy Spirit reminded me of what Jesus told John.

Jesus responded to doubt with Scripture

Jesus told the messengers to go tell John what they had seen themselves and referenced Isaiah chapter 35, verse four. He said go tell John that the lame walk, the deaf hear, and the blind see. So I believe what Jesus was doing is instead of just giving John an emotional hug and something that would encourage him for the next hour, He’s sending John back to the Word. How did Jesus respind to doubt, he honoured John with something eternal that would bless his faith.

The only answer to doubt, the only antidote to doubt is faith

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, which is in Romans 10:17. So Jesus knew that John needed his faith blessed and pointed John back to the scriptures. John knew that Jesus was the one because he had seen the dove descend. He had seen all of these things, but he was beginning to doubt because he was in prison. He was in a situation that was grating on him, and he took his eyes off of Jesus.

When you take your eyes off of Jesus, you begin to sink. There are times that God will meet you where your faith is because He loves us so much. But what God desires to do is to bring you up to His level. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 says,

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Jesus responds to our doubt with the wisdom to bless us with what we need most, His Word.