Luke 7:18b-23
Chapter 7
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John’s disciples informed him about all these things. So, John called two of his disciples
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and sent them to the Lord with this message:
“Are you the one we are expecting, or should we wait for another?”
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These men came to Jesus and said:
“John the Baptist sent us to ask you: Are you the one we are to expect, or should we wait for another?”
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At that time, Jesus healed many people of their illnesses and diseases; he freed them from evil spirits and gave sight to the blind.
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Then he answered the messengers:
“Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the poor are given good news. Now, listen:
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Fortunate are those who meet me and are not offended by me.”
Commentaries
About John the Baptist.
“Are you the one who was to come, or should we wait for another?” The news about Jesus does not align with the messianic expectations of that time, which is why John’s direct question comes from prison. Jesus’ response is positive: the signs he shows before the messengers are evidence of his messianic work, which he had already announced in the synagogue of Nazareth: the proclamation of the Lord’s year of grace (4:19), which is good news for the poor (22) and is being fulfilled despite the confusion and opposition from the religious authorities (30). God surpasses our expectations (23-28).