Luke 7: 19-23
19 ¶ And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
John the Baptist has been imprisoned for speaking the truth about how the people should prepare themselves to be fit for the coming of the Kingdom. It may seem strange that he now sends to Jesus to ask him if he is indeed the one to come, the Messiah. Does John now doubt that Jesus is the Son of God?
Luke’s account of the baptism of Jesus by John differs from the other Gospels’. In John’s Gospel, John the Baptist sees Jesus approaching and immediately says: ‘Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.’ In Mark and Matthew it is immediately on Jesus coming out of the water that the Spirit descends and a voice from heaven proclaims: ‘Thou are my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.’ And in Matthew, John is initially reluctant to baptize Jesus, saying that it is he who should be baptized by Jesus instead.
In Luke’s Gospel, the account of John’s arrest is placed first in the narrative, and so not following the chronological order of events. Luke then notes the baptism of all the people and Jesus also, ‘Jesus being baptised’, and then we are told, with a change in verb tense, that there is an unspecified period of time spent by Jesus in prayer before the heaven opens, while he is praying, the Spirit descends as a dove, and the voice from heaven proclaims Jesus as the Son of God. (The New Jerusalem Bible translates the verse as follows: ‘Now it happened that when all the people had been baptised and while Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened…’) We may recall that Christ’s praying is generally time spent alone with his father. There is no reason in Luke’s narrative to think that John must be present to witness this, or that Luke assumes he is.
It may then be that we be not entirely sure as to John the Baptist’s thoughts and intentions in sending to Jesus to ask him if he is the one to come. Is it that the understandings of the different evangelists are different? Is John the Baptist genuinely mystified by what is happening, or rather not happening, and so sends to Jesus to ask who he is, trusting Jesus to answer honestly? After all, while John has heralded the dawn of a new, Messianic age, even he may not have understood the full implications of his own teaching.
It is no doubt significant, in relation to these questions, that John’s sending messengers to Jesus is also related in Matthew’s Gospel (11: 2-6). We seem, then, to have through this a situation in which John has known of Christ’s divinity, he has hailed him as the Son of God, and now he seeks to know about the future. What is going to happen to Israel, to the Jewish people? Is the long time of waiting about to be fulfilled, in accordance with the teachings of the Prophets? Is Jesus going to restore the Jewish nation?
By way of response, Jesus in that very hour heals many people. What he says to John’s disciples next recalls verses from the prophet Isaiah which John would understand as an account of the signs of the coming of the Kingdom:
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing…
THE Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn. (Isaiah 35: 5-6, 61: 1-2)
To the poor the Gospel is preached – to those who lack material goods or social status, and to those who have found a certain spiritual poverty, coming to God humbly, knowing their own merits can not bring them to heaven, that it is only the gift of grace that may fulfil their lives. John’s questions are answered. The Kingdom of God is here.
‘Man does not see God by his own powers; but God of his own will appears to men, to whom he wills, and when he wills, and as he wills. For God can do all things: he was seen in former times prophetically through the Spirit, he is seen in the Son by adoption, and he will be seen in the kingdom of heaven as Father. The Spirit prepares man for the Son of God, the Son brings him to the Father, and the Father bestows on him incorruptibility for eternal life, which comes to everyone from his beholding God.’ St Irenaeus
Psalm 118 is a composite hymn of thanksgiving, combining elements of individual and communal praise. The psalm’s rich thematic tapestry encompasses deliverance, trust, prophetic fulfilment and joy. The psalm’s enduring message is its affirmation of God’s unfailing mercy and faithfulness – of hope and comfort across generations [ … ]
In the Bible, a miracle is an event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency. Miracles are often seen as a sign of the intervention of God in the affairs of human beings. In the Old Testament, the most famous miracles are the Ten Plagues of Egypt, in which God punished the Pharaoh for refusing to release the Israelites from slavery, and the parting of the Red Sea, in which God allowed the Israelites to escape from the pursuing Egyptians by opening a path through the sea. In the New Testament, the miracles of Jesus are a central part of his ministry and are seen as evidence of his divinity. These include healings, such as the restoration of sight to the blind and the raising of the dead, and acts of nature, such as turning water into wine and walking on water. Is There A Theological Significance To Jesus’ Miracles? In the Christian tradition, the miracles performed by Jesus are seen as a manifestation of his divinity and as proof of his authority to teach and heal. Many of these miracles are described in the Gospels of the New Testament, which are the primary source of information about the life and teachings of Jesus. The purpose of the miracles, according to the Gospels, was to demonstrate Jesus’ power over natural forces and to show that he had the authority to forgive sins and offer salvation to those who believed in him. Why Did Jesus Ask To Keep His Miracles Secret? ‘Tell No One Of This.’ In the Gospels, there are a few instances where Jesus tells people not to tell others about what he has done for them. For example, in the Gospel of Matthew, after Jesus healed a man who was possessed by demons, he told the man, ‘See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a proof to them’ (Matthew 8:4). In this case, it seems that Jesus was concerned that the man’s testimony might not be believed or might be misunderstood, and so he asked him to keep the experience to himself for the time being. It is difficult to say for sure why Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle without knowing the specific context in which the request was made. However, some possible reasons that come to mind include: To avoid drawing unnecessary attention to himself. In the Gospels, Jesus often tries to avoid drawing too much attention to himself, especially from the authorities who are hostile to him. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might be one way of avoiding unwanted attention and allowing Jesus to continue his ministry without interference. To allow the person who was healed to experience the transformation for themselves. In some cases, the person who was healed might have been skeptical or unsure of what had happened to them. Asking them to keep quiet about the miracle might have given them time to reflect on the experience and come to their own understanding of it without being influenced by others. To test the person’s faith. In some cases, Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle as a test of their faith. If they were truly grateful for what Jesus had done for them, they would be willing to follow his instructions and trust that he had a good reason for asking them to keep quiet. These are just a few possible reasons why Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle. It is important to remember that the Gospels are ancient texts and that we must be careful not to impose our own interpretations on them without considering the historical and cultural context in which they were written. To avoid creating conflict or division. In the Gospels, Jesus often encounters people who are skeptical or hostile to his teachings, and he sometimes tries to avoid confrontations with them. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might be one way of avoiding a confrontation or a heated debate that could disrupt his ministry. To avoid being misunderstood or misrepresented. In some cases, the person who was healed might not have understood the full significance of what Jesus had done for them, and they might have tried to explain it in a way that distorted or misrepresented the truth. Asking them to keep quiet might have given Jesus time to explain things to them more fully and help them to understand the true meaning of the miracle. To avoid becoming a spectacle. In the Gospels, there are many instances where people are amazed by the miracles that Jesus performs, and they often try to make him into a kind of celebrity or showman. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might have been one way of avoiding this kind of attention and keeping the focus on the message that Jesus was trying to convey. What Is The Significance Of Miracle Of The Wedding At Cana? In the Christian tradition, the wedding at Cana is significant because it is the first of the miracles performed by Jesus that is recorded in the Gospels of the New Testament. This event is described in the Gospel of John, where it is said that Jesus, along with his mother Mary and his disciples, attended a wedding in the town of Cana. At the wedding, the host ran out of wine, and Mary asked Jesus to help. In response, Jesus turned water into wine, which is seen as a miraculous act that demonstrated his power and authority. In the Gospel of John, after Mary asks Jesus to help with the wine at the wedding in Cana, he replies, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). This statement is often seen as indicating that Jesus was aware […]
Psalm 105, a hymn of praise in the Hebrew Bible, is testament to God’s enduring faithfulness and mighty deeds throughout the history of Israel. This psalm is a celebration of God’s covenant with Abraham and the fulfilment of God’s promises through subsequent generations, culminating in the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt and their journey to the Promised Land [ … ]
