P ♰ C

by Jean Allen

This isn’t the point of this Gospel passage but contrast John saying, “And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God,” after he had witnessed the Spirit descend and rest on Jesus, with the Gospel where, from prison, he sends his disciples to Jesus to ask if Jesus was the one who was to come or should they wait for another?

When John asked that question, he was in a dark place physically and spiritually, a place where all of us have been at times in our lives. Maybe we weren’t in actual prison but perhaps we were imprisoned and paralyzed by fear and doubt rising from difficult circumstances in our lives. John had seen Jesus, baptized him and saw the Holy Spirit descend on him. It was a mountain top moment for John and he absolutely believed that Jesus was the Messiah. But in the dark, a mountain top moment can easily dissipate and even the most spiritual of people can fall prey to wondering if their mountain top elation was just a delusion after all.

I know you’ve been there. Everybody has. We just don’t say it out loud because of the fear of being judged spiritually inadequate and maybe making God sad. When you feel like that, remember John the Baptist, who didn’t keep his doubts hidden and festering. He asked Jesus up front, “Are you the one?” John didn’t fear that Jesus would hold a grudge against him – and Jesus didn’t. He sent back to John a most comforting message that he indeed was the one everyone was waiting for. He says it to us too.

“Yes, I am the one you are waiting for. There is no mistake. From the darkness of your prison walls, it might not seem like it but the Spirit descended on me and anointed me to be your saviour. Fear not!”

Maybe it is the point after all.

Webmaster’s note: Image by Vincentian Mindwalk, https://johnfreund.net/