Daily Devotional for Friday, January 23

Jesus’s Reply to John

“Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached,” Luke 7:22. 

I always love the way Jesus answered questions, never quite as expected. Instead of just answering John’s disciples and sending them on their way, He invited them to witness His ministry. When the disciples returned to John, instead of saying “Jesus said” they could say “Jesus did.” How much more powerful! They would recount all that they witnessed while in His presence and testify of His works.

Thousands of pages could have been filled with all of the marvelous works of Jesus’ earthly ministry (John 21:25). He also fulfilled hundreds of prophecies from the Old Testament. As John’s disciples observed, Jesus healed a multitude of people. Before He sent them to report all of this to John, He quoted prophetic scriptures (Isaiah 35:5, 6) and sent a word of blessing. Of course He was the Messiah foretold, even if John let doubt enter his spirit.

The next section is also unexpected. Surely there were people listening as John’s messengers asked Jesus to clarify if He was the Christ. This gave the listeners reasons to suspect that John the Baptist was not as great as he appeared to be. Jesus could perceive what people were thinking and decided to address the issue. He could have rebuked John for having doubts, but instead Jesus commended John and confirmed his role as the prophet preparing the path for the Lord.

I am so thankful for this example from Jesus. We are human, and even if we have placed our faith in Jesus, there are times when doubt arises within us. In those moments, He is there, ready to show us who He is and confirm what we know to be true.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Even if He is not answering your prayers in the way you think He should, Jesus is the Almighty.

Ashley Ridings