Daily Bible Reading 22nd June 2026 // Luke 7:18-23
18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” 21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. 22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Differing interpretations have been placed on this incident involving John the Baptist. At this time, John was in prison, and had been for some time; and it is thought by some that a dark prison mood had settled down on his spirit, in which black doubts were assailing him about Jesus. Others think that his problem was that Jesus had turned out a different Messiah than he had expected, and that he was somewhat disillusioned; others - and this interpretation was held by the early fathers - that John was sure of Jesus, but that he wanted to convince his disciples that He was the Messiah. But this last is really negated by the fact that Jesus sent them back with the message, 'Go... and tell John....' Others think that John was only now coming to a firm faith in Jesus, and that what we have here is the dawning of faith in his soul. But this raises difficulties with other passages, e.g. John 1:29, 36, where John's testimony is clear and unquestioning. However we may interpret this incident, it certainly represents an attitude of doubt, whether of faith wavering or of faith beginning to form; and this is its significance, in relation to what Jesus says in answer to it.
There are, in fact, a number of reasons why John was in such a state of doubt. His own ministry had lasted only a few months at the most - then he had been cast into prison - and it had been suddenly, and as it happened, finally, cut short and brought to an end. The voice in the wilderness had been silenced, and God had allowed it. Was not this mysterious? Would not this - inevitably - present a dark enigma to him? And would it not be further accentuated by the fact that Jesus Himself seems to have done nothing about it? John had heard of the mighty works Jesus had wrought: healing the sick, cleansing the leper, raising the dead. Was it beyond His power to set the prisoner free, especially such a prisoner as he? There was so much John could not understand; in the circumstances, is it surprising that doubts had begun to assail him?