Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
Imprisoned by Herod for rebuking his unlawful marriage, John grew perplexed because Jesus did not take David's throne, overthrow oppressors, or free him, so Jesus kept his messengers with Him for a day of ministry and then sent them back to tell John again what they had heard and seen. What they witnessed was restoration of body and hope for the lowly, as the blind received sight, the deaf heard, the lame walked, the dumb spoke, lepers and paralytics were cleansed and healed, demons were cast out, the dying were raised in health, and poor peasants and laborers heard words of eternal life. By pointing to these works rather than bare assertion, He gave unmistakable proof that He was the promised One to come, showing His divinity and that His kingdom would be built by mercy, compassion, and self-sacrifice and not by force, in fulfillment of the prophetic signs of His mission. The answer gently reproved John's mistaken hope for immediate kingship and release, which Jesus did not grant by a display of power, yet John came to see Christ's mission more clearly and yielded in faith whether he lived or died, for blessed is the one who is not offended in Him. The same Jesus remains as willing to help His people in trials and seemingly insurmountable difficulties, so when hedged about believers are not to murmur but to recall His past loving-kindness, look to Him and endure as seeing Him who is invisible, and let a life bearing fruit to God's glory be the evidence of true faith.
Setting and Answer
John lay in prison under Herod Antipas for faithfully rebuking Herod over his unlawful marriage. He waited there in disappointment and perplexity in the dungeon, and doubt troubled him because Jesus did not claim David's throne, overthrow the oppressors, set up immediate political rule, or free him. His disciples told him about Jesus' works and the crowds flocking to Him, while Jesus was gathering disciples and giving Himself to healing and teaching.
Jesus told John's messengers to go and show John again the things they heard and saw, sending them back with evidence of His works. Knowing why they had come, He did not answer them at first with bare words or bare assertion, but gave them a day of ministry to witness before His eyes and performed mighty works before them. Only after they had seen and heard all this did He call them and send them back to tell John what they had seen and heard. His broader ministry in which this answer stood was marked by doing good before He went to Jerusalem to give His life for His people.
What they heard and saw was healing and restoration with the gospel preached to the poor. The deaf heard His voice, blind eyes were opened to daylight and to the face of the Deliverer by word or touch, the sick and fevered were healed, and the dying arose in health. Lepers were cleansed and paralytics made whole, the lame walked, the dumb spoke, those possessed by demons were freed, and even paralyzed demoniacs worshiped Him when delivered. Poor peasants and laborers, shunned as unclean, gathered to hear words of eternal life, and His mastery over death was shown in raising the dead.
Messiah's Evidence for Faith
Jesus did not meet John's question — whether He was the one to come — with bare assertion, but told the messengers to report what they heard and saw, and that fruit of His life was His answer and proof that He was the expected Messiah, the promised One. The works they witnessed gave unmistakable proof of His divinity and showed the character of His mission and identity. That evidence was healing and restoration with the gospel preached to the poor — the blind seeing, the lame, lepers, deaf and sick healed, demons cast out, the dead raised — set before their eyes as the sign of who He was.
Those works displayed His divinity and glory in mercy toward suffering people and in serving suffering human need. They revealed that His kingdom would be established through compassion and self-sacrifice, not force. They fulfilled what He had specified as His work and matched the prophetic signs of the Messiah, testifying to His identity and mission.
The answer gently reproved John's impatience and mistaken expectation that the Messiah would immediately claim kingship and political rule and free him from prison, yet Jesus did not release John by a display of power. John came to understand Christ's mission more clearly — a mission marked by healing and good news rather than immediate political rule — and submitted in faith to God's will whether he lived or died. Blessed is the one who is not offended by Him.
Each miracle convinced some of His true character, while those who rejected heaven's light became more opposed to the evidence. Prejudice and pride led many to reject that evidence, and the Jewish leaders expected a temporal ruler and applied prophecies of the glory and power of His second coming to His first coming, with pride keeping them from correcting this misreading.
That same Jesus remains Saviour today and is as willing to manifest His power to help His people in difficulty, trials, and seemingly insurmountable adverse circumstances as He was for John. When hedged about, believers are not to murmur but to recall His past acts of loving-kindness and care, to look to Him and endure as seeing Him who is invisible. Remembering His loving-kindness strengthens faith and keeps the mind from being clouded by unbelief, while a life bearing fruit to God's glory is the evidence of true faith.
Imprisoned by Herod for rebuking his unlawful marriage, John grew perplexed because Jesus did not take David's throne, overthrow oppressors, or free him, so Jesus kept his messengers with Him for a day of ministry and then sent them back to tell John again what they had heard and seen. What they witnessed was restoration of body and hope for the lowly, as the blind received sight, the deaf heard, the lame walked, the dumb spoke, lepers and paralytics were cleansed and healed, demons were cast out, the dying were raised in health, and poor peasants and laborers heard words of eternal life. By pointing to these works rather than bare assertion, He gave unmistakable proof that He was the promised One to come, showing His divinity and that His kingdom would be built by mercy, compassion, and self-sacrifice and not by force, in fulfillment of the prophetic signs of His mission. The answer gently reproved John's mistaken hope for immediate kingship and release, which Jesus did not grant by a display of power, yet John came to see Christ's mission more clearly and yielded in faith whether he lived or died, for blessed is the one who is not offended in Him. The same Jesus remains as willing to help His people in trials and seemingly insurmountable difficulties, so when hedged about believers are not to murmur but to recall His past loving-kindness, look to Him and endure as seeing Him who is invisible, and let a life bearing fruit to God's glory be the evidence of true faith.
Setting and Answer
John lay in prison under Herod Antipas for faithfully rebuking Herod over his unlawful marriage. He waited there in disappointment and perplexity in the dungeon, and doubt troubled him because Jesus did not claim David's throne, overthrow the oppressors, set up immediate political rule, or free him. His disciples told him about Jesus' works and the crowds flocking to Him, while Jesus was gathering disciples and giving Himself to healing and teaching.
Jesus told John's messengers to go and show John again the things they heard and saw, sending them back with evidence of His works. Knowing why they had come, He did not answer them at first with bare words or bare assertion, but gave them a day of ministry to witness before His eyes and performed mighty works before them. Only after they had seen and heard all this did He call them and send them back to tell John what they had seen and heard. His broader ministry in which this answer stood was marked by doing good before He went to Jerusalem to give His life for His people.
What they heard and saw was healing and restoration with the gospel preached to the poor. The deaf heard His voice, blind eyes were opened to daylight and to the face of the Deliverer by word or touch, the sick and fevered were healed, and the dying arose in health. Lepers were cleansed and paralytics made whole, the lame walked, the dumb spoke, those possessed by demons were freed, and even paralyzed demoniacs worshiped Him when delivered. Poor peasants and laborers, shunned as unclean, gathered to hear words of eternal life, and His mastery over death was shown in raising the dead.
Messiah's Evidence for Faith
Jesus did not meet John's question — whether He was the one to come — with bare assertion, but told the messengers to report what they heard and saw, and that fruit of His life was His answer and proof that He was the expected Messiah, the promised One. The works they witnessed gave unmistakable proof of His divinity and showed the character of His mission and identity. That evidence was healing and restoration with the gospel preached to the poor — the blind seeing, the lame, lepers, deaf and sick healed, demons cast out, the dead raised — set before their eyes as the sign of who He was.
Those works displayed His divinity and glory in mercy toward suffering people and in serving suffering human need. They revealed that His kingdom would be established through compassion and self-sacrifice, not force. They fulfilled what He had specified as His work and matched the prophetic signs of the Messiah, testifying to His identity and mission.
The answer gently reproved John's impatience and mistaken expectation that the Messiah would immediately claim kingship and political rule and free him from prison, yet Jesus did not release John by a display of power. John came to understand Christ's mission more clearly — a mission marked by healing and good news rather than immediate political rule — and submitted in faith to God's will whether he lived or died. Blessed is the one who is not offended by Him.
Each miracle convinced some of His true character, while those who rejected heaven's light became more opposed to the evidence. Prejudice and pride led many to reject that evidence, and the Jewish leaders expected a temporal ruler and applied prophecies of the glory and power of His second coming to His first coming, with pride keeping them from correcting this misreading.
That same Jesus remains Saviour today and is as willing to manifest His power to help His people in difficulty, trials, and seemingly insurmountable adverse circumstances as He was for John. When hedged about, believers are not to murmur but to recall His past acts of loving-kindness and care, to look to Him and endure as seeing Him who is invisible. Remembering His loving-kindness strengthens faith and keeps the mind from being clouded by unbelief, while a life bearing fruit to God's glory is the evidence of true faith.