¹⁸ John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, ¹⁹ he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

²⁰ When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

Luke 7:18-20

Dear God, I think we tend to read over this passage too much, but there’s a reason Luke tells this story. John was probably getting a lot of questions about Jesus, and he was apparently starting to doubt. Everyone was looking for victory over Rome. Everyone was looking for the glory of Israel’s height under David and Solomon. Everyone wanted to have agency over their own lives again. They wanted to feel important again. They wanted to have power and influence. They wanted to restore the world to the way it “should be.”

Here is what Jesus wanted: So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ^{(Luke 7:22-23)} Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

I wonder how John interpreted this response. There’s nothing in here about revolution. The Messiah is apparently about nurturing the individual, not managing society. What is the “good news” he’s proclaiming to the poor? I think it’s that you love them too. Their lives matter to you. He’s going to them individually and bringing you to them. They have been put upon by society. They have been enslaved to pay debts. The have been shamed. Jesus’s words to them are, “No, you matter to the Father. And I am here to reconcile you to Him.”

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I want to be part of giving this message to the world as well. First, thank you for reconciling me to you. Thank you that I am a Gentile, and yet an heir to your realm. You accept me, even with my sin. I am…well, there is no way I can ever be grateful enough. Next, help me to be Jesus-like in my interactions with others. Let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth through my life and the lives of your church. Be glorified so that others might find their peace and hope in you.

I pray this through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus,

Amen