The Honest Question
Scripture: “Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'” (Matthew 11.2-3)
MAIN POINT: John’s question from prison teaches us that honest doubt can be an act of faith rather than a failure of faith.
John the Baptist sits in Herod’s dungeon hearing miraculous reports: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised. Jesus is doing exactly what the Messiah should do—but none of this is happening for John. There he sits, the faithful prophet who prepared the way for the Lord, who baptized the Son of God Himself, and God is not acting on his behalf. The miracles are for everyone else. The freedom is for everyone else. But for John? Only silence, only waiting, only cold stone walls.
So John asks the question every thinking Christian eventually asks: “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” This isn’t abandonment—John sends messengers to Jesus. This isn’t unbelief—John asks for clarity. This is honest faith struggling with God’s mysterious ways. John doesn’t suppress his doubts; he brings them directly to the One who can answer them. And Jesus doesn’t condemn him for it.
Reflection: When we carry our doubts to Jesus rather than away from Him, we follow in the footsteps of the greatest prophet ever born. What honest questions about God’s work in your life have you been afraid to voice? How might bringing your doubts to Jesus be an act of faith rather than unfaithfulness?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me courage to bring my honest doubts to You. Help me remember that wrestling with faith is itself an act of trust. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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