“When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Matt. 11:2-3

Even for John the wait had been too long. Earlier, upon seeing Jesus, he had proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). He had seen and testified that Jesus was the “Son of God” (John 1:34). But there, in the darkness of that prison, doubt had made its way into John’s heart. He must have thought, “What if I was wrong? What if this is all just a dream?” And who could have blamed him, after all “even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall” (Is. 40:30). The saving of the world is slow business.

I suspect he was bold at his arrest and only began to doubt as the days dragged on, as the months dragged on. Perhaps his faith increased as he heard of the miracles and healings but then the darkness and loneliness made him doubt. Perhaps the memory of Jesus’ baptism gave him strength but somewhere along that dark road doubt found him. I More >