This story is inspired by Matthew 11:2–6.
Gripping the cell bars outside John’s dank prison, I refused to leave. John shook his head. “I’m not the Messiah. He’s out there. Will you recognize him?”
With a heart aching, I replied, “We need you to identify him for us. And we need you to keep preaching repentance.”
When John asked for news of his cousin Jesus, it seemed like changing the subject. No, we hadn’t seen him. John was thoughtful. Then he looked me in the eye and with a commanding tone said, “I want you to go find Jesus. Ask him if he is the Messiah.”
We obeyed.
The contrast from jail to the open air jarred our senses. Despite everyone talking about Jesus, we couldn’t reach him. He always seemed to be one town ahead of us. But in each town, we heard stories of miracles.
On our third day searching, we caught up to Jesus in a small village. A noisy, enthusiastic crowd met us first. One man shouted, “I can walk!” Another grabbed people’s chins with his hands, staring into faces as if he’d never seen before. He hadn’t. This hot, dusty crowd was full of raucous, jubilant people healed by Jesus.
As we waited our turn to talk with him, Jesus restored deaf people’s hearing. I saw broken bodies knit back together and marvels of many kinds.
“Love in all circumstances,” Jesus said. I listened, observing people press around him. Somewhere deep within, I felt Jesus’ authenticity, beyond words, as if God were plucking a harp in my chest. At last it was our turn. I looked into his eyes and felt at ease.
“We come from John,” I started. “Are you the One, or are we to wait longer?”
Even as my words came out, and I watched the corners of Jesus’ mouth turn up, I realized that John had set me up. John knew already that Jesus was the Messiah. He wanted me to see for myself. During the past three days, I’d witnessed the results of Jesus’ encounters with people. Today I was alive with the contagious hope and excitement of people all around Jesus. I was witnessing Jesus at work firsthand.
“Go now, my friend. Share what you’ve seen,” Jesus said to me. Wait a minute. I finally meet the Messiah, and he sends me away? How can I describe the miracles I’ve seen? I don’t feel equipped to carry the message to others. I’m a follower. Send someone else, Jesus.
Jesus explained that some people think the Messiah will come with military force, not healing power and concern for the poor. “God’s plan is beyond political issues,” Jesus said, smiling. “Go and tell John that the dead are raised and the poor have good news brought to them.”
Then I got it. John sent us to discover Jesus. Jesus’ message of love wasn’t the messianic message I expected. God is full of surprises. I couldn’t wait to tell John what we’d seen.
I suspected this might be the last time I saw John. Power like Herod’s is dangerous. I also knew that John was right: his ministry was diminishing for a good reason. The Reign of God was in our midst, and I needed to help promote that message now. Yes, I will go and tell.
Image: “Jesús sana a los enfermos,” in the Church of Our Lady of the Angels (Santiago, Chile), painted around 1940 in the workshop of Pedro Subercaseaux. Photo by Rodrigo Fernández under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thanks for this. It is very probably that he knew all along that Jesus was the Messiah. He had said, “behold the Lamb of God”. So this is highly possible that he sent the disciples so they could see for themselves. This is well written, Loretta. Thanks for this!
John was the true herald of Jesus, and even imprisonment did not stop him from sending new disciples to Jesus so they could see and believe in Jesus for themselves. Beautifully written!
Thanks Loretta. Nicely written. He must increase, and i must decrease – said John the Baptist.
Thanks to all for your comments. You inspire me with your insights. I hope that I can always point the way to Jesus in the relationships I hold dear.
This reflection resonated with me when I heard the gospel proclaimed on Sunday. I think John knew he probably wouldn’t get out of Herod’s jail alive and that his disciples needed to begin following Jesus, the Messiah. He sent them to understand this for themselves, not for him.
This really helps with understanding the gospel. I loved the emphasis on John knowing the answer all along but wanting us to identify Jesus for who he is ourselves just as Jesus wants us to recognise for ourselves who he is. A very memorable imaginative reflection-thank you!
John had to diminish so that Jesus could advance. I’ve always felt that the two interacted a lot more than we know from the Gospels. I really appreciate the supposition that JtB deliberately sent his own disciples to Jesus to allow them to find the Messiah. Nicely done.
Wow… such a great reflection. I am a follower of John the Baptist. I follow Jesus for 3 days and finally get to meet him. He asks me to share what I’ve seen. He calls me friend. I must share this with John… but realize he already knows. I must go now and help spread the Good News.
Love in all circumstances. Wow, we have a powerful Messiah. Rembering, we are called to do this when things don’t go well is sometimes difficult but with Jesus at our side we are reminded we can go forth.