By Ken Pierce

Matthew 11:1-15 and Luke 7:18-23 record parallel accounts of a fascinating exchange between Messiah and two disciples of Yochannan ben Zecharyah (John, the son of Zechariah, better known as John the Baptist or, more accurately, John the Baptizer), in which Jesus relayed a covert message to his incarcerated cousin.

Herod Antipas had imprisoned John over an embarrassing rebuke. Herod had violated the Torah’s injunctions against taking his brother’s ex-wife Herodias as his own (cf. Lev 18:16; 20:21; Mark 6:17-18; Luke 3:19-20). Faithful to his duties as a prophet of Israel, John publicly called the powerful ruler out. Herod sat as tetrarch over Galilee and Perea. Though of Edomite extraction, he posed as a Jew and exercised ruling authority over God’s people. Thus, John held him accountable to uphold the righteous commands of the Torah. In a fallen world, speaking out publicly for God’s righteousness often carries the risk of retaliation by earthly authorities. In John’s case, that risk became a reality.

Before his arrest, John had generated some excitement along the Jordan River valley (Luke 3:3-4). Through a successful ministry featuring iconic use of the garb of a Tanakh neve (Old Testament prophet; Mark 1:6), he drew multitudes of ordinary people, along with some prominent Jewish religious leaders, to hear him exhort Israel’s First Advent generation to prepare for Messiah’s impending arrival (Lev 26:40-42; 2 Chron 7:14; Jer 3:11-18; Isa 53:1-6; Hos 5:15-6:3; Mark 1:4-5; Luke 1:16-17; 3:7-9).

John’s public ministry as Israel’s premier prophet (Luke 7:28) ended abruptly with his arrest (Matt 4:12; Mark 1:14). Details concerning his incarceration are sparse, but Josephus locates his imprisonment and execution at the Hasmonean fortress of Machaerus, located in Perea. His imprisonment was lengthy, probably exceeding a year or more and ending with his abrupt execution by decapitation. Undoubtedly, his time in Herod’s custody was unpleasant. Like anyone, he would have welcomed rescue and liberation.

When believers suffer unjustly in this life, it is normal to hope and pray for divine intervention—particularly when suffering comes from standing on God’s Word, as John had done. God has not promised to shield His people from earthly trials; on the contrary, they are a fact of life in a fallen world (cf. Jas 1:2-3; 1 Pet 1:6). Nevertheless, when trials come, believers are encouraged to call on the name of the Lord in time of need (e.g., Heb 4:16; 1 Pet 5:6-7). Come what may, for church-age believers, faithful endurance in service to the King carries the promise of eternal reward at Messiah’s Bema (Matt 25:21-23; 1 Cor 9:24-27; 2 Cor 5:9-10; 1 Pet 1:17).

Though the text doesn’t record it, one may assume that John prayed fervently to God from his prison cell, seeking divine intervention. But John had another card to play. He lived at a very special time in Israel’s history. Israel’s Messiah was present then, teaching and ministering to God’s chosen nation, Israel. John had served his cousin, the Messiah, faithfully. He had been honored to baptize Him, witnessing God the Spirit descending upon Him, and hearing the authenticating voice of God the Father inaugurating His public ministry (Matt 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:21-22; 2 Pet 1:17). It was therefore reasonable that John sent messengers to inquire on his behalf.

Matthew and Luke record the account of two of John’s disciples approaching Messiah. From his prison cell, John had charged them with a special mission: Go find Jesus and ask Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Matt 11:3; Luke 7:20). John’s question sought clarification from Jesus on a contemporary Jewish theological conundrum: one Messiah, or two? Are You the Suffering Servant or the Lion of Judah?

Jewish scholars before and during the first century struggled to reconcile Tanakh’s testimony concerning the coming Messiah. A scroll recovered from the Qumran caves (The Community Rule; 1QS VII:200) attests to contemporary expectations of two Messiahs. The Talmud likewise bears witness to Mishnaic commentaries from the first or second century BC that also wrestled with that question. Lingering doubts and confusion remained in John’s day. On the one hand, the prophets portrayed Messiah as a humble, suffering Servant who would be slain and for whom Israel would mourn (e.g., Isa 50:6; 53:3-6; Mic 5:2; Zec 9:9; 12:10). Yet they also attested to a conquering Warrior-King who would liberate Israel from Gentile oppression and rule gloriously from Jerusalem (e.g., Psalm 2; Dan 7:13-14; Zech 14:2-4, 8-9).

Harboring hopes of Messiah’s imminent eschatological regency, John’s question involved more than a desire to resolve a theological conundrum. The answer Jesus gave would reveal what John could expect concerning his personal fate. Was the Messiah going to liberate him from Herod’s custody? John very likely held just such a hope as he sat on death row inside Herod’s prison.

Jesus’ answer is of great interest because it contains an implicit message to John. “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see,” He said (Matt 11:5). One pictures Jesus slowly giving the message to John’s disciples to make sure that they got His words down verbatim: “The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (Matt 11:5-6; Luke 7:22-23).

The Lord’s reply was a quotation from Isa 61:1-3. There, Isaiah had detailed a roster of miraculous works identifying Israel’s Messiah. Notably, it was the same passage from which Jesus read in the Nazareth synagogue early in His public ministry (Luke 4:16-21)––very likely the haftorah selection to accompany the weekly Torah portion read in synagogues across Israel at that time. It was a passage that Jesus knew John would know well.

Crucially, and intentionally, He omitted a line from the passage. That line, found in Isa 61:1, reads: “To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” Because Jesus knew that John would immediately recognize the passage—and note the omitted portion—the message served two purposes. First, it affirmed that Jesus was the Coming One (not one of two). Second, and painfully on a personal level, the omitted line told John that Jesus would not be coming to rescue him from prison. John would face a martyr’s death in service to the Messiah; hence, He added a pledge of blessing to the one who did not take offense.

When faced with difficult circumstances, it is natural to cry out to the Lord for immediate rescue. Many times, He answers in the affirmative—healing the cancer patient, granting financial relief to the indebted, repairing a shattered marriage, or indeed, releasing the unjustly accused from incarceration. But He has not promised to do so in every case. Like John, believers must stand on faith, not losing heart when the deliverance sought does not come (cf. Rom 8:18).

In John’s case, Messiah’s message must have been difficult. The text of Scripture does not record his reaction, but one imagines his disciples carefully repeating Jesus’ message, perhaps with tears in their eyes, realizing the reality of John’s situation. When the end came for John, it is reasonable to assume that he received a torrential supply of dying grace, much akin to that received by Stephen at his death (Acts 7:59-60), and by so many others through the centuries upon dying martyrs’ deaths in faithful service to the King.

Today, a tide of evil is rising on this fallen planet in a way that stuns even the casual observer. Eruptions of violent antisemitism and open displays of hatred for Bible-believing Christians raise the specter of abuse and possibly martyrdom for church-age believers who remain openly faithful to the Lord (John 15:18-21; 2 Thess 2:1-4). The good news is that if earthly commanders know how to recognize and honor fallen battlefield heroes, how much more does the Commander of Heaven’s armies (Rev 22:12)?

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Ken Pierce is a retired Navy intelligence officer with combat service in Panama, the former Yugoslavia, and Iraq. Ken studied Biblical Hebrew and Archaeology at the Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies. After retiring from active duty, he worked as a civil servant at U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, NE, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Office of Naval Intelligence. In Nebraska, Ken pastored a small Bible church. Now retired, he leads a lively men’s Bible Study using Zane Hodges’ commentary on Romans, occasionally fills the pulpit for his and other pastors in NE Florida, and is contributing to a forthcoming GES commentary on the Tanakh (Old Testament). He and his wife Ana Maria recently celebrated thirty-eight years of marriage.