Luke 7:22, commentary and pictures

Jesus answered John's doubt from prison by telling his messengers to report what they had seen and heard of His works as proof that He was the promised Messiah. John was in gloom and doubt in Herod's dungeon because Jesus did not free him or take a temporal throne as expected, and the reply gently corrected that expectation and warned him not to stumble over it. The blind seeing, the lame walking, lepers cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead raised, the sick healed and demoniacs delivered showed the merciful character of His mission and fulfilled the prophetic signs He had claimed at Nazareth. The preaching of the gospel to the poor was itself a crowning evidence of His Messiahship, giving dignity to poverty since He chose it and blessed it. Remembering those visible acts of kindness is meant to strengthen faith under hardship, and the same signs of healing the sick and preaching to the poor accompany His true messengers wherever they go.

John's Imprisonment and Doubt

The saying belongs to the account of the imprisonment and death of John. John, first in heralding Christ's kingdom, was first also in suffering, shut out from the free air of the wilderness and the vast throngs that hung upon his words into a dungeon cell. He lay as a prisoner in the fortress of Herod Antipas in the territory east of Jordan where much of his ministry had been spent. Herod himself had listened to his preaching and feared him, knowing he was just and holy, and heard him gladly and did many things when he heard him. John had dealt faithfully with him in denouncing his iniquitous alliance with Herodias, his brother's wife, and for a time Herod feebly sought to break the chain of lust that bound him, but Herodias fastened him more firmly in her toils and by revenge induced Herod to cast John into prison.

From prison he labored under gloom from inaction, with despondency and doubt, as week after week passed bringing no change and no release. His disciples still had access to him and brought tidings of the works of Jesus and how the people were flocking to Him, the very things to be seen and heard. Yet they questioned why, if Jesus was the Messiah, He did nothing to free John and permit His faithful herald to lose liberty and perhaps life. Their words bruised John and gave place for doubts that otherwise would never have arisen. Like the Saviour's own disciples, he did not understand the nature of Christ's kingdom, expecting Jesus to take the throne of David and to cast down human pride and power. He looked for fulfillment of his own call for every valley to be filled and mountains made low and crooked made straight, for One to come with fan in hand to purge His floor and burn chaff with unquenchable fire, and, in the spirit and power of Elijah in which he came, to reveal the Lord by fire.

Jesus answered John's question whether He was the coming Messiah by telling the messengers to report what they had seen and heard. The healings and deliverance from evil spirits before them, with sight given to the blind, were evidence of His Messiahship, naming also the lame walking, lepers cleansed, deaf hearing, dead raised, and gospel preached to the poor. Even though He did not use His power to release John from prison, those works testified that He was the Christ and mighty Savior. The sick were healed, the blind and deaf restored, the dead raised to life, the afflicted and those oppressed by evil spirits freed.

The reply showed His kingdom was not the temporal kingdom John expected, gently correcting John's impatience and helping him understand Christ's mission. The message also directed him not to be offended in Christ and taught him not to stumble because Jesus did not act as he expected. John did not live to witness these works and the light of Christ's teaching, though many disciples who saw and heard Jesus were more privileged in this respect.

Proof of Christ's Messiahship

Jesus answered John's question whether He was the coming Messiah by telling the messengers to report what they had seen and heard. That seen and heard evidence was that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor receive the gospel, including that the sick were healed, the afflicted were delivered from evil spirits, and demoniacs were restored. The healings, the raising of the dead, and the preaching of the gospel to the poor gave evidence of His Messiahship, even though He did not use His power to release John from prison.

Those works showed the character of His mission and gave evidence He was the One John had asked about. His glory appeared in meeting the needs of suffering people and in humbly serving those of low standing, and His mission brought mercy and eternal life rather than worldly power. His work fulfilled the Messiah's prophetic signs and the work He declared at Nazareth as anointed to preach to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, deliver captives, give sight to the blind, free the bruised, and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. The healing of the sick, restoring of demoniacs, making whole of lepers and paralytics, giving speech to the dumb and hearing to the deaf, and raising the dead prove He worked by the power of God and confirm His true character and divinity.

These miracles convinced some, while others refused the light of heaven and set themselves more determinedly against the evidence. The disciples were to report what they had seen and heard, and those visible acts show the same Jesus who helped John is willing to exercise His power for His people. Remembering His past acts of kindness can strengthen faith and keep hardship from giving way to unbelief. The same signs of God's work, that the sick are healed and the poor hear the gospel, accompany the apostles' preaching wherever they go.

Gospel Preached to Poor

That the good news is announced to the poor stands itself as proof that Jesus is the Messiah. His mission to the poor clothes poverty with dignity, for He chose a life of poverty and pronounced blessing upon the poor, so that poverty shared with Him becomes a sanctified and blessed condition. The message must be carried to the poor because it is as necessary for them as for those in comfortable circumstances. Every class, including the poor and unlearned, is to be given opportunity to understand the special truths for this time, and reaching those in higher stations never justifies neglecting the poor.

His success among the poor, shown in helping the destitute, the despised, the forsaken, and the afflicted, demonstrates that persons of every level of learning can serve, and such compassionate service is a credential of gospel ministry. The call to bring the gospel to the poor reaches all who need to hear the invitation to come to Jesus, with sorrowing ones to be cheered, the weak to be strengthened, and mourners to be comforted. That gospel for the poor also includes practical instruction in health, teaching how to eat and drink and dress so as to preserve health and care properly for the body.