Bird's-eye view
This passage presents us with a poignant and crucial moment in redemptive history. John the Baptist, the forerunner, the lion of the wilderness, is now caged in Herod's dungeon. From this place of darkness and apparent defeat, he sends messengers to Jesus with a question that seems, on the surface, to be staggering: "Are you the one, or should we look for another?" Jesus's response is not a simple "yes," but rather a demonstration of Messianic power and a direct appeal to the testimony of fulfilled prophecy. He performs miracles that are a direct echo of the promises in Isaiah, and then sends the disciples back to John with the evidence. The scene culminates in a beatitude that serves as a warning for all subsequent generations: "Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me." This is not just an exchange between two cousins; it is a formal clarification of the nature of the Kingdom. The Kingdom does not arrive with the political pomp and circumstance that many, perhaps even John, expected. It arrives with healing for the broken, sight for the blind, and good news for the poor. The King has come, but His methods are not what the world anticipates, and this presents a stumbling block, an offense, that only faith can overcome.
In essence, John's question, born of affliction, becomes the occasion for Jesus to define the character of His own ministry. He is not a political revolutionary who will overthrow Rome with the sword, but a redemptive King who will overthrow sin and death through His own suffering and miraculous power. The evidence is not in a mustered army, but in restored lives. The passage forces us to confront the same question: on what basis do we identify Jesus as the Christ? Is it based on our own expectations of what a Messiah should do for us, or is it based on what God has revealed in His Word that the Messiah would do?
Outline
- 1. The Question from the Dungeon (Luke 7:18-20)
- a. John Hears the Reports (Luke 7:18)
- b. John Sends His Messengers (Luke 7:19)
- c. The Question Posed to Jesus (Luke 7:20)
- 2. The Answer in Deed and Word (Luke 7:21-23)
- a. The Messianic Demonstration (Luke 7:21)
- b. The Prophetic Report (Luke 7:22)
- c. The Concluding Beatitude (Luke 7:23)
Context In Luke
This episode is strategically placed by Luke. It immediately follows two extraordinary displays of Jesus's authority: the healing of the centurion's servant (Luke 7:1-10), where Jesus marveled at a Gentile's faith, and the raising of the widow's son at Nain (Luke 7:11-17), a clear demonstration of His power over death itself. The reports of these mighty works are precisely what reach John in prison. Luke sets up a contrast: while faith is flourishing in unexpected places (a Roman centurion) and Jesus is publicly conquering death, the great prophet John the Baptist is languishing in prison and wrestling with uncertainty. This highlights the upside-down nature of the kingdom. Furthermore, this section serves as a pivot point. After confirming His identity in response to John, Jesus will go on to teach the crowds about John's immense significance (Luke 7:24-30) and then rebuke the unbelieving generation that rejected both John's austerity and His own grace (Luke 7:31-35). The question from John, therefore, opens the door for Jesus to clarify His mission, affirm His forerunner, and condemn the generation that had eyes but refused to see.
Key Issues
- The Nature of John the Baptist's Doubt
- The Relationship Between Miracles and Faith
- Jesus's Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy (Isaiah 35 & 61)
- The Identity of "The One Who is to Come"
- The "Offense" of the Gospel
- The Nature of the Messianic Kingdom
The Voice from the Dungeon
We must be careful how we read John's question. It is easy for us, with our two-thousand years of hindsight and completed New Testaments, to look down on John for what appears to be a crisis of faith. But we should extend a great deal of charity here. John was the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets, a man filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. He had faithfully preached repentance, faced down kings, and had the astonishing privilege of pointing to the Lamb of God and baptizing Him. But now he is in a cold, dark prison. His own ministry has been cut short. And the reports he is hearing about Jesus, while wonderful, might not have fit the mold of what he was expecting. He preached an axe laid to the root of the tree and a winnowing fork that would clear the threshing floor with unquenchable fire. What he was hearing about was healings and mercy. Where was the fire? Where was the judgment on the corrupt leaders? John's question is not the question of an apostate. It is the question of a faithful man in a hard providence, seeking to reconcile what he knows with what he is experiencing. It is a question for confirmation, not a declaration of unbelief.
Verse by Verse Commentary
18 And the disciples of John reported to him about all these things.
The "things" being reported are the mighty works we just read about at the beginning of the chapter, particularly the healing of the centurion's servant and the raising of the widow's son. John is in prison, cut off from the action, but his disciples are his eyes and ears. They are faithful to their master, bringing him the news. This is a crucial point. John is not operating in a vacuum of ignorance; he is responding to the specific reports of Jesus's ministry. The very works that should have confirmed Jesus's identity were, in some way, contributing to John's perplexity.
19 Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?”
John does the right thing with his questions. He doesn't gossip with his cellmate or write a bitter manifesto. He sends his disciples directly to the source: the Lord Jesus. This is a model for all believers when confusion or doubt assails them. Take your questions to Christ. The title John uses, "The One who is to come," was a recognized Messianic title. It speaks of the promised one, the one awaited for centuries. The question is direct and stark. Is the waiting over? Are you the fulfillment of all the prophecies, or are you another prophet in the long line, with the true Messiah still in the future? The question reveals the central expectation of Israel, they were a people waiting for God to act decisively.
20 When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?’ ”
The disciples are faithful messengers. They don't soften the question or add their own commentary. They deliver the message from their imprisoned master exactly as it was given. The public nature of this question is important. Jesus is surrounded by people, and this question is posed openly. The Lord's answer will therefore be a public testimony, not a private reassurance.
21 At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits, and He granted sight to many who were blind.
Jesus's initial answer is not verbal. It is a demonstration. Luke, the careful historian and physician, notes that "at that very time", while John's disciples were standing right there watching, Jesus went to work. He doesn't just do one or two token miracles; He heals "many." Luke gives a comprehensive list: diseases (chronic illnesses), afflictions (tormenting plagues), evil spirits (demonic oppression), and blindness. This is not just a display of raw power; it is a calculated and targeted display. Every single category of healing He performs is saturated with Old Testament significance. He is about to quote the prophet Isaiah, but first, He acts out the prophecy before their very eyes.
22 And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.
Now comes the verbal answer, which is simply an instruction to report what they have witnessed. "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard." Faith comes by hearing, and seeing is believing, and Jesus provides both. The list He gives is a direct allusion to passages like Isaiah 35:5-6 and Isaiah 61:1. These were well-known prophecies about the signs that would accompany the Messianic age. Jesus is saying, in effect, "You want to know if I am the One? Go back and check the Scriptures. Compare the promises with what you just saw with your own eyes." He is providing John with biblical, empirical evidence. The climax of the list is the most important part: "the poor have the gospel preached to them." The physical healings were signs pointing to the ultimate spiritual healing. The Kingdom is not just about fixing bodies; it is about saving souls. The good news is proclaimed to the poor, the spiritually bankrupt, those who know they have nothing to offer. This is the heart of His mission.
23 Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
This is the conclusion of the matter, and it is a gentle but firm warning, not just for John but for everyone. The word for "offense" is skandalizo, from which we get our word scandal. It refers to a stumbling block, something that trips you up. Jesus is the great stumbling block of history. People are offended by His claims, by His demand for total allegiance, by His bloody cross, by His exclusive offer of salvation. And here, the offense was in His method. He wasn't acting like the kind of Messiah people wanted. He was ministering to the poor instead of raising an army. He was healing lepers instead of driving out the Romans. His kingdom was advancing not with political power, but with quiet, transformative grace. To accept Jesus is to accept Him on His own terms. The blessing is for those who are not tripped up by their own expectations, but who humbly receive the King as He truly is.
Application
This passage speaks directly to us in several ways. First, it teaches us how to handle our doubts and fears. John was a spiritual giant, yet he faced a dark hour in that prison. If it can happen to him, it can happen to us. The answer is not to pretend we don't have questions. The answer is to do what John did: take them directly to Jesus. We do this through prayer and through a diligent search of the Scriptures. When we are confused, we must ask, "What has Jesus said? What has Jesus done?" The evidence for His Lordship is recorded for us in His Word.
Second, it forces us to check our own expectations of God. We often have a script written for how we think God should act in our lives or in the world. We want Him to fix our financial problems, vanquish our political enemies, and make our lives comfortable. But the Messiah came to preach good news to the poor and to heal the brokenhearted. His primary work is redemptive, not political or economic. Are we offended when God's plan doesn't match our blueprint? Are we tempted to look for another savior, another political movement, another self-help guru, another ideology, when Jesus doesn't deliver the kind of kingdom we were hoping for? The blessing remains for the one who is not offended by the carpenter from Nazareth, His bloody cross, and His upside-down kingdom.
Finally, we must see that the evidence Jesus presented is still the central evidence for the faith. The church is the body of Christ, and our task is to continue the work He demonstrated to John's disciples. We are to be a people where the spiritually blind have their eyes opened to the truth, where the lame are strengthened to walk in newness of life, and where the good news is proclaimed, especially to those who know they are poor in spirit. Our lives, individually and corporately, should be part of the ongoing report that goes out to a questioning world, testifying that Jesus is, in fact, the One who was to come, and there is no other.