DO I CAUSE ANYONE TO DOUBT

There is a scene in the Gospels where John the Baptist is in prison and begins to wonder if he has Jesus and Jesus’ message all wrong. John believed that the Messiah would be a grand military leader, round up an army of followers to take on and overthrow the Roman government. But that was not the message he was getting from what he was hearing about Jesus. So he sends some disciples to put it to Jesus point blank: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

Yet, we still might ask why would John the Baptist have any doubts about who Jesus was? He had heard what Jesus was doing, namely what Jesus told John’s disciples to tell John what he was doing: the blind seeing, the lame walking, lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, even the dead being raised to life. Only the Messiah could do such things, right? Well, maybe wrong. Maybe many people can, could and do some or all of that. And maybe some were doing it even during John’s and Jesus’ time.

Why else would John need to have his disciples ask such a question? Even today blind people see again, the lame walk again, lepers and the like are cleansed, deaf people receive their hearing back or hear for the first time. Those who perform such miracles are not called the Messiah today and they were not called the Messiah back then even if they did and do Messianic deeds. Some were called doctors and some were called miracle workers but none were called the Messiah.

So if giving sight to the blind or making the lame walk is not a sign or the sign that one is the Messiah, if such great deeds can be done by the ordinary, what was it Jesus said to tell John that sealed the deal for John, let John know that Jesus was who he said he was and who John believed he was? I can’t prove this, but I think it was that last words Jesus told John’s disciples to say to John: “blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

No one could take offense in what Jesus said and did, honestly take offense. It is true that many people took Jesus to task for breaking the Sabbath, for not being politically correct. But those who did knew, in the most secret places in their hearts, even if they would not admit it publicly or to anyone else, that there was nothing in what Jesus said or did for which they could take offense. Nothing.

That is what John needed to hear. That is what set Jesus apart from anyone else before or after. He simply never sinned. Even those who did or do wondrous deeds, like a Mother Theresa or a Francis of Assisi, sin and on a daily basis. They would be the first to say they do, too. Granted, their sins may pale into insignificance when compared to ours; nevertheless, they cannot or ever say, “blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” Neither can you or I. Jesus could and did.

We know that we sin every day, give offense to others, give them pause to doubt us and about our love and care and concern for them. Giving no offense and no reason to doubt means becoming more and more aware each day of our responsibilities to teach others by word and example. Not easy, but Jesus never said it would be. But we must try.