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At that time Jesus healed many people. They had illnesses, sicknesses and evil spirits. He also gave sight to many who were blind. So, Jesus replied to the messengers, \u201cGo back to John. Tell him what you have seen and heard. Blind people receive sight. Disabled people walk. Those who have skin diseases are made \u2018clean.\u2019 Deaf people hear. Those who are dead are raised to life. And the good news is announced to those who are poor. Blessed is anyone who does not give up their faith because of me (Luke 7:21-23).

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In our text, John the baptizer has sent some of his disciples to Jesus asking him if he really was the one. Was Jesus really the messiah Israel was expecting from God? Luke is still working out his initial question: who is Jesus?

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In reply to John, Jesus says that yes, he is the Messiah from God, but not the kind of messiah Israel was expecting.

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You see, John had preached about coming wrath, destruction, fire, judgment (3:7-9, 17). But the words and deeds of Jesus had very little if any of this stuff. Even John\u2019s arrest and imprisonment had provoked no counterblast of judgment from the powers of the kingdom of God.

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John was clearly puzzled. Jesus wasn\u2019t doing what he had expected. If Jesus really was the Messiah, why wasn\u2019t he establishing the sort of messianic kingdom John wanted, the kind in which prisoners like himself were liberated and folks like Herod got what was coming to them?

In reply to John\u2019s question, Jesus points to what he is doing: healing all sort of people. Then quoting from various prophecies in Isaiah, encourages folks to draw their own conclusion.

This is the kind of Messiah Jesus intends to be: not a straightforward rival to Herod. In the end, Jesus\u2019 kingdom will challenge and outlast all the Herods in the world. But for now, his kingdom will operate in a different mode altogether, healing people and the world at every level.

On the one hand, there is encouragement for the Christian in this confrontation between John and Jesus. John had proclaimed Jesus coming, but when Jesus came, John didn\u2019t get it. Jesus doesn\u2019t berate John with some form of \u201chow could you even ask\u201d. Instead, he invites John and his disciples to come have a closer look. Rather than pushing John away, he draws him nearer.

If Jesus could deal with John\u2019s questions and doubts, surely, he will be equally merciful to us when we question him. The church has often frowned on people with questions, telling them just to believe. In this, the church does not seem to follow her Lord at all. He was not offended by the questions and doubts. He simply invited the questioners to have a closer look. So let us no longer hide and silence our questions, but rather use them as opportunities to look deeper into what God is up to.

On the other hand, this confrontation poses a challenge for the Christian. Blessing belongs to the person who is not offended by Jesus. His style of ministry is not with the powerful flair of position and status the world expects and we want. Nonetheless he has been sent from God. Can we believe that acts of love and mercy do bring forth the kingdom? Its more thrilling to be involved in protest movements that dethrone governments. But Jesus always resisted such things. His kingdom comes through subversive acts of kindness and mercy. Can we accept that?