Shall we Look for Another?
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When John first encounters Jesus at Jesus’ baptism he recognizes his inferiority in Jesus’ presence. He knows that Jesus is greater than he, for it is what he as a forerunner to the coming Messiah of the people has been proclaiming in their sight within the wilderness of Judea.
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
But now we find the same man in prison hearing of the deeds of the one he believed to be the Messiah and he was puzzled. This was not the judgment wielding, power crushing deliverer of Israel John had so often promoted to his audience. Who is this guy? Is he another forerunner like John? Should they keep their eye out for the true Messiah to come after him?
4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
In traditional Rabbinic form Jesus answers John’s question indirectly, by presenting imagery, which would cause John to evaluate, meditate and consider God’s word on the matter, rather than just searching his own biased personal experiences.
6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
The word offended in the Greek is skandalizo which also means to cause to stumble, to give offence, to fall away and is translated several times with Jesus talking as sin.
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble.
What is Jesus’ first presentation to John’s messengers of things that have been accomplished in Judea upon his arrival?
5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
The wicked, according to proverbs, are walking in deep darkness with no realization that they are stumbling, or giving offence to or falling away from God. Jesus has come to change that. To give sight to the blind, to seek and save that which is lost, by first and foremost helping the person to see they are lost.