Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

— 2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’ — 7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Once the bold voice in the wilderness, John the Baptist is now imprisoned and unsure. He sends his disciples to Jesus with a question that echoes through every human heart that has known suffering, waiting or doubt: “Are you really the one?”

It’s a moment of deep honesty that John, who had once confidently proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb of God, now wrestles with uncertainty. Jesus doesn’t respond with a direct answer. Instead, he says, “Go and tell John what you hear and see…” and then points to the signs of the kingdom: the blind see, the lame walk, and the poor receive good news. Jesus is not pointing to power or conquest but to mercy, healing and restoration. These are the quiet fruits of God’s kingdom breaking into the world and the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened…the lame shall leap like a deer…sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 35:5–6, 10)

The Messiah is here, but comes in a way no one expected.

This is a core truth of our faith: God rarely comes as we expect. We look for God in strength, but God is revealed in vulnerability. We expect thunder, and instead we find a whisper. We wait for miracles, but often we receive moments of grace folded into the everyday.

We must stay awake to the reality that God is already at work, not only in grand gestures but also in the kindness of strangers, the resilience of those who suffer, and the simple beauty of creation.

When we, like John, wonder, “Are you really the one?” Jesus invites us to look again, to listen, to notice. The signs of his presence are all around us. We only need to stay awake.