Have you ever experienced life circumstances that caused you to doubt who Jesus is? You are not alone. There are so many people that we encounter at Courage For Life who share with us how they are struggling with difficult life circumstances which challenge their faith in Jesus. We encourage them to embrace the life Jesus intended for them by praying for them, sharing Scriptural truth, and distributing our digital and print resources to help them grow in their knowledge of and relationship with Jesus.
If your life circumstances make you doubt who Jesus is, you are not alone. John the Baptist experienced difficult life circumstances that made him question his faith in Jesus. John the Baptist was imprisoned because he shared the truth about Jesus and people’s need for repentance. The leaders of his day were angry with John’s message so to quiet him they imprisoned John. In prison, John the Baptist began to question who Jesus is, so much so that he sent his disciples to ask Jesus a question.
John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” Matthew 11:2
From this experience of unfair and unfavorable life circumstances, John the Baptist poses a question to Jesus. But to understand how astonishing John the Baptist’s question is, you must know more about John the Baptist’s birth, life, and ministry.
Miraculous Birth
The birth of John the Baptist was a miracle to Zechariah and Elizabeth. They had no children, Elizabeth was barren, and both were very old (Luke 1:7). Yet, God intervened on their behalf and sent an angel to announce to Zechariah his son’s birth even before Elizabeth conceives (Luke 1:11-20).
Before John the Baptist was born, in the womb of his mother Elizabeth, he responded to Jesus’ presence in Mary’s womb. When Mary was pregnant with Jesus, she traveled to see her cousin Elizabeth who was approximately six months pregnant with John the Baptist. When Mary entered Elizabeth’s home, John the Baptist leaps in Elizabeth’s womb and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, affirms Mary as the mother of Jesus, the Messiah (Luke 1:39-45).
John the Baptist has a miraculous birth to a barren woman, to very old parents, announced by an angel of God, and through the Holy Spirit, affirms the truth about Mary’s virgin conception of Jesus, the Son of God.
Divinely-Appointed Life
After his birth, John the Baptist was circumcised on the eighth day, named John according to the message from the angel of God, and everyone recognized the hand of God was upon his life in a special way (Luke 1:57-66). Even his father, Zechariah, who was stuck mute for doubting his birth, regained his speech and prophesied about John saying, “And you my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell His people how to find salvation through forgiveness of sins” (Luke 1:76-77).
John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel. Luke 1:80
God-Empowered Ministry
At God’s prescribed time, God gave John the son of Zechariah a message while he was living in the wilderness (Luke 2:2). John began to travel place to place preaching that people be baptized to show they had repented of their sins and turned to God for forgiveness (Luke 2:3). One day Jesus came to where John was preaching and baptizing, and something supernatural happened. Jesus asked John to baptize him and as John did “the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form descended on him [Jesus] like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy” (Luke 3:21b-22).
John the Baptist experienced God, the Father declaring audibly Jesus, the Son as the Messiah. Even before this divine declaration, John the Baptist knew his earthly cousin, Jesus, was the one from God that should baptize him, not the other way around (Matthew 3:14-15).
John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am – so much greater than I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” Mark 1:7-8
John the Baptist continued to proclaim the message of repentance and testify that Jesus is the Son of God and “the Lamb God” to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). But some of John’s disciples were confused about John’s ministry after he identified Jesus as the Messiah (John 3:26).
John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for Him. … He [Jesus] must become greater and greater, and I [John the Baptist] must become less and less.” John 3:27-28, 30
John the Baptist is clear about his ministry role in God’s kingdom, and he is certain about who Jesus is from his womb encounter with the Holy Spirit, his life and ministry affirmed by God and both his parents, and God’s messages to him, as well as God’s audible declaration at Jesus’ baptism.
Jesus’ Response to Doubt
Even with all this evidence, John the Baptist is imprisoned and his life circumstances contribute to him doubting who Jesus is. What a remarkable change in John’s thoughts about Jesus when his life circumstances are unfair, unfavorable, and not what John expected for a life devoted to following God. Therefore, John sent his disciples to question Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” Matthew 11:2b
Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen –the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” And He [Jesus] added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of Me.” Matthew 6:4-6
Jesus responds personally to John’s question by reminding John what John had learned and proclaimed throughout his life and ministry; a message from the prophet Isaiah: when Jesus comes, he will open the eyes of blind, unplug the ears of the deaf, and help the lame walk (Isaiah 35:5-6).
Even though John was experiencing difficult and unexpected life circumstances, Jesus reinforces the work God is accomplished despite John’s imprisonment. Jesus lovingly reminds John of what John already knows about Jesus but had lost sight of because of his imprisonment. Jesus also encourages John not to let Jesus’ ministry activities (or lack of intervention regarding John’s imprisonment) to lead John to have inaccurate thoughts about who Jesus is.
Jesus praises John for his faithful life and ministry despite his doubting. John the Baptist is never released from prison, and eventually he is brutally beheaded (Matthew 14:10-11). When Jesus heard the news of John’s death, Jesus went to a remote area to be alone (Matthew 14:13).
Jesus loved John the Baptist, responded to John’s doubt, never changed John’s circumstances (imprisonment), and grieved John’s death. Jesus exalts John the Baptist among the people saying, “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, no is greater than John the Baptist.” (Matthew 11:11a). What high praise from Jesus for a man who allowed difficult life circumstances to challenge his faith in who Jesus is.
Apply to Your Life
If you are like so many who struggle with doubt about who Jesus is, especially when difficult and unexpected circumstances occur in your life, learn from John the Baptist’s life and Jesus’ response to him.
- Doubting who Jesus is when life is unfair and unfavorable can happen to anyone, even people like John the Baptist who had a miraculous birth, godly parental support, divinely-appointed life, and God-empowered ministry.
- Don’t let your doubt about Jesus grow without questioning it. Take your doubt to Jesus. Ask Jesus who He is and allow what Jesus says about Himself in the Bible help you know Him more fully.
- Having doubt when experiencing difficult and unexpected life circumstances, does not lessen Jesus’ loves you. Jesus is aware of every detail of your life and yet, Jesus doesn’t want life’s difficulties to make you doubt who He is. Jesus challenged John the Baptist to remember all the truth about Jesus that John already knew from his life and had proclaimed to others. What truth about Jesus can you revisit and reclaim to combat doubts generated by your current life circumstances?
- Even if your life circumstances don’t change for the better, can you affirm and believe Jesus is who He says He is?
Jesus is the Son of God and has all authority on heaven and earth to accomplish His mission of reconciling people to God through faith in Him. Life circumstances can challenge your faith in Jesus, but you have a way to respond if doubt creeps in.
