Breaking the Word

When the messengers of John had left, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. "What did you go out to the desert to see– a reed swayed by the wind?…

 I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." …(Lk 7:24-30)

Jesus had just sent back the disciples of John and now he is answering the crowd. Here Jesus is trying to speak to the crowd about John and who he was. He asked them questions and made them reflect for themselves. One does not go to the desert looking for kings and people who were wearing the latest fashions. If so the desert is not the place for such.

Desert for the people of Israel is the place of God experience. It is the place where God made himself available to the people for forty years and every moment of their sojourn in the wilderness. Prophets were the persons who challenged the people with the knowledge of God and experience of God. So people went to the desert looking for prophets.

Since Jesus was a different sort of a messiah so John also is a different sort of a prophet. He is not just one prophet among many. John is the one who is spoken of by Malachi, the one whose task is to prepare the way for the coming Lord. Anyone who belonged to the movement of Jesus (though least he may be) yet he is greater than the greatest.

The disciples of John told him about all these things. John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" When the men came to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?'" At that time he cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind. And he said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."  (Lk 7:18-23)

The people have already reflected on who John was. He was not Elijah, he was one of the prophets and he was only a voice in the desert asking the people to prepare way of the Lord. John had declared his identity in front of the people. Through this passage the author is trying tell the people from Jesus’ own mouth who he was. So the disciples of John came and asked him who he was.

The questions that were raised clearly give us a clue as to what area we are in with regard to our discussion. We are in the area of discussing the identity of Jesus and at the same time the question is as regards who the messiah was. John had clearly denied it and he has openly declared that he had come only to prepare the way of the one who was mightier than he was.

The preaching and the doings of Jesus clearly presented who Jesus was. (Same way the identity of John was clearly represented in the clothing and the preaching and the doings.) People expected a messiah who was different from Jesus was. Jesus has said clearly that this was the messiah that he has come to reveal. John has sent disciples to confirm this image of messiah to his disciples and the public.