Question:

In my personal Bible study, I noted that John the Baptist identified Jesus as he was approaching him as "the Lamb of God that wipes away the sins of the world." However, when John was placed in prison, he asked one of his disciples to ask Jesus if he was truly the Son of God.

Arlynda

Answer: Hello Arlynda,

Your question concerns two different times in John’s life. As Jesus started his ministry, John, of course, had high hopes for what Jesus would do. Matthew 11 shows that he did not understand everything that Jesus would do.

Although John identified Jesus as the lamb of God, we also know that John and all religious Jews had Messianic hopes – that Messiah would come, and that Messiah would be a political deliverer, rescuing Israel from the Romans as Moses had rescued Israel from Egypt. This led to much misunderstanding of Jesus – both of him as a person and his mission. The disciples, as we study the Gospels, also misunderstood. When Jesus told them that he would be crucified, Peter rebuked Jesus (Matthew 16:22).

Of course, when John sent his disciples to see if Jesus was "the one who was to come" (Matt. 11:3) John was in prison. While I have never been confined to a cell, I have visited and counseled many who have. There is a period of intense reflection, loneliness, and hopelessness that overcomes the person in prison – especially if they feel they may be executed. We must add John’s emotional state to our understanding of why he said what he did in Matt. 11.

Hope this helps. May God bless you.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht