Down and Doubts - by Ben Bonython

John the Baptist lived a life of faith, obeying and trusting the Lord by preparing the way! (Lk 3:1-20)(Jn 1:1-28).  After John finished defending himself (John 1:19-28) with the religious leaders, consider what John states next:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’  I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”  Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’  I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”   John 1:29-34

Implied by the passage above, John may have asked God to reveal the Messiah to him, and the Lord granted John a sign.  The sign was the Holy Spirit descending upon the Messiah.  We do not know what John the Baptist thought about God’s plan.  Did John think Jesus would rule, and that he would serve the King in the courts?  John uttered Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’, but did John know what this meant?

Consider that much time passed.  John had been ministering with great passion, but because of his ministry, John was in prison.  Did John think he would die or that his ministry was over?  How could he serve God?  He must have been low but then news of Jesus and so John wanted to confirm that Jesus was the Messiah (Lk 7:18-23)(Mt 11:1-6).  I want to say that even John was a little down, and maybe had a few doubts.

I argue that Jesus in compassion and mercy, knowing that John’s situation, testifies about John and what the Old Testament said about him (Mt 11:7-19)(Lk 7:24-35), including this:

‘…Among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist…’ (Mt 11:11)

The life of faith lived by John is testified by the Lord.  John the Baptist was obedient, and trusted in the promise of God, and when he was ‘down’, the Lord affirmed him.  (Reflect on Hebrews 11).

In Luke 7:25, speaking of John, and himself, Jesus calls ‘living by faith in the promises of God, and obedience’ – wisdom, saying wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.