When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region.

John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’”

As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
and he will prepare your way before you.’“ (Matthew 11:1-9)

Did any prophet prosper? Was any prophet widely praised in his own lifetime? John the Baptist had proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus proclaimed that John the Baptist was the Elijah that everyone had been hoping would usher in the Messiah’s coming.

John was in prison awaiting his inevitable execution. Did he begin to wonder if perhaps he’d made a mistake? John was a man, no different than any other human being. It is only natural to imagine that your problems might be God’s way of telling you that you’re going the wrong way.

But Jesus reassured John, as he reassures us. Look at the bigger picture, beyond today’s trials. Did you hear from God? Is God at work? Did God’s people, doing God’s work, ever have an easy time of it? Can you tell from trouble or its lack that God is in it? Certainly not. John had done precisely what God had wanted him to do. He was in the center of God’s will. And yet he was in prison and would soon die for a frivolous reason. God’s will is more than the sum of our own experiences. And it is not just about us.

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