Luke 7:18-35
From the prison where Herod had shut him up (Luke 3:20), John the Baptist sends two of his disciples to the Lord Jesus to enquire of Him. Behind the questions asked, his doubts and his discouragement are obvious. He had proclaimed the kingdom, and had been thrown into prison as a result. Is it really possible that the Lord Jesus is "he that should come"?
When many people consider the state of the Church today, the persecution of believers in many countries, and the indifference of the world to the Gospel, they begin to doubt the Lord’s power and His reign. But this reign will not be established before the Church is taken and the fulfilment of the events foretold in prophecy.
The works of the Lord Jesus then give an answer to the question of the two messengers.
John had testified of the Lord. Now it is the Lord who testifies to the same crowds about John. And He sadly points out the reception given by this privileged generation to the ministry of this forerunner and to His own ministry (v. 31). Neither the pleading of John (his calls to repentance) nor the good news of the Saviour which should have resulted in joy and praise, had touched an answering chord in the hearts of the majority of these people and their leaders.