“Are You the One Who is to come, or shall we look for another?” was the question that John the Baptist sent His disciples to ask Jesus Christ in Luke 7. (John 17:19). John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus came “from heaven” and was “above all,” and he was aware that he had been given the responsibility of “preparing the way of the Lord; make His paths straight” (Isaiah 40:3). However, Luke 7 records that Jesus had not (yet) fulfilled all of John’s own prophecies and pronouncements, such as the impending judgment, which may have led him to ask, “Are You the One [the Messiah] Who is to come?” How were the people surrounding Jesus supposed to know that He existed if even John had to ask this question?
Messianic clues
Deuteronomy 18:15–19 contains the first mention of the anointed One in the Old Testament. God had already assured Moses, circa 1450 BC, that He would send forth a unique prophet for His people. Subsequent prophecies were sent to prophets on this impending Messiah, or Savior. When Philip, a disciple of Jesus, says to Nathanael—who would later follow Jesus—that “we have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph,” he is aware of this. Prophetic predictions from Isaiah (4:2; 7:14; 9:6-7; 40:10–11, etc.), Jeremiah (23:5; 33:14), Ezekiel (34:23), and Zechariah (6:12) are also included in Philip’s statement.
The disciples saw signs of the Messiah appearing before their eyes and knew they were seeing things that had been predicted hundreds of years prior. It is known that Jesus traveled with two of the gospel writers throughout His public ministry. Even before writing a word, the apostle Matthew knew that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Isaiah 52:13–53:12 in Matthew 8:16–17, Malachi 4:5–6[1] in Matthew 11:14–15, and Hosea 11:1 in Matthew 2:13–15 are just a few of the numerous Messianic prophesies that Matthew either personally recognized from Scripture or learned about from Jesus.
In his Gospel, the apostle John recorded numerous predictions regarding the crucifixion. Exodus 12:1–51 in John 1:19, Genesis 22:1–18 in John 3:16, Deuteronomy 18:15–16 in John 5:45–47, and Micah 5:2 in John 7:40–43 are some other, earlier fulfillments.
Were the apostles immediately aware of Jesus’ deity?
The apostles gradually came to understand Who was among them. As they attested later (Acts 10:38), their belief that Jesus was the One was progressively cemented in their hearts by His authoritative teaching (Matthew 7:28–29) and the numerous miracles that He worked. However, this did not occur suddenly. The account of Jesus’ rebuke of nature’s forces in Mark 4:35–41 describes how he saves the disciples in the boat during a storm by restoring their safety. “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” they question one another, their voices full of horror.
In fact, how are we to know who He is? The response is that we refer to God’s Word because [God communicates His truths to us through His Word]. The passages Psalm 107:28–30 may have come to mind for the disciples in the boat. Then, in their anguish, they called out to the LORD, and He answered them. He calmed the sea and brought stillness to the storm. He then led them to their intended sanctuary, and they were relieved that the waters were calm. Just as God did in the Psalm, so too did Jesus quiet the storm and the sea.
God’s answer to us in times of anguish
Jesus responded to John the Baptist’s query in Luke 7 by quoting from the Bible. Jesus could have answered, “Yes, I am the Messiah,” in response. But John might have been going through a crisis of faith while he was incarcerated. He was “filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb,” according to Luke 1:15, and he had personally heard the voice of God when he had baptized Jesus (Mark 1:9–11). His whole existence had been devoted to getting ready for the mission that Luke 1:16–17, which even promised the “spirit and power of Elijah,” foretold to his father. But John the Baptist was imprisoned within a year or two after beginning his career, and Jesus had not yet accomplished all of the prophesies of the Messianic movement. Thus, he was in dire need of validation.
Instead of answering, “Yes, I am,” Jesus gave a remark that would make John’s misgivings go. Jesus initially healed “many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind He bestowed sight” for an hour before John’s disciples came. Then he commanded John’s followers to go and report to John what they had witnessed and heard: lepers are cleansed, the blind are given their sight, the lame are made to walk, the dead are raised from the grave, and the impoverished are given the good news. And anyone does not take offense at Me is blessed.
These passages from Isaiah 29:18, 35:5, and 61:1 apply. These would have been readily recognizable to John and comforting to him. The final line of 61:1, which reads, “Proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound,” is not what Jesus quoted. It’s interesting to note that Jesus doesn’t inform His own disciples that John is the greatest among those born of women until after John’s disciples have left. However, the least powerful person in God’s kingdom is greater than him.
Could God not have been ‘clearer’?
It is truly fascinating that all of the Old Testament books contain specific or general references to Jesus. In fact, there are hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus Himself and His ministry, even though the books were written by approx. 40 writers who must all have received separate divine inspiration. The prophecies are ‘hidden treasures’, to be revealed to whoever needed to read them at the right time. None of the prophecies are ‘signposted’ as: “This is about the Son of God Who will be incarnated; will be the Messiah and will redeem the sin of mankind” – these treasures are only available to those who are willing to make the effort and study the Word. Yet, there is more to it than that.
Given their proficiency in Scripture analysis, the Pharisees and scribes had little issue determining the birthplace of the Messiah (Matthew 2:3-6, for example). However, Jesus did not meet their expectations of the Messiah as a Rabbi. They had anticipated that the kingdom of Israel would be physically restored and that the Messiah would overthrow the oppressive regime in Rome. They did not like what Jesus did since it went against their rabbinic rule and beliefs, even if He did not do these things. By accepting the Holy Spirit and committing to Christ, we require spiritual discernment.
How can Biblical prophecies convince us?
The disciples were persuaded by Jesus’ authoritative teaching, His healing miracles, and the fulfillment of Scripture. Scriptures from the Old Testament predicted every aspect of his earthly life, from beginning to “end.” This not only persuades us that Jesus is the One, but it also unequivocally proves that no one else is “the one,” as no one else can make such a claim without the support of more than a millennium’s worth of predictions.
Additionally, we are able to find prophesies for ourselves because of what we read in John 16:7–15. John 14:2, Romans 8:28, Romans 10:9–10, Philippians 4:6-7, Hebrews 13:5, and 1 Peter 2:24 are a few verses that list treasures. Scripture aids believers in distinguishing between what is and is not true.
[1] Take note that this final allusion refers to John the Baptist, not to Jesus directly, but to the one who before Him and heralded His arrival.
Thanks to Gospel Images for the beautiful painting.
