Re:Verse passage – Luke 7:18-35 (day six)
One of Luke’s consistent emphases is that news about Jesus did not stay contained. It spread quickly, widely, and almost uncontrollably. From the earliest chapters, Luke tells us that fear, wonder, and word about Jesus moved through towns, synagogues, and households (Luke 1:65; 4:15, 36–37; 5:15; 7:16–17). This is simply the nature of the Kingdom of God. When God’s reign breaks into the world, it unsettles the status quo. People talk. Questions surface. Expectations are challenged.
John the Baptist heard these stories too. Sitting in prison, he sends messengers to Jesus with a question that feels surprising: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Hadn’t John already seen the Spirit descend at Jesus’ baptism? Hadn’t he proclaimed the coming kingdom? And yet, like many in Israel, John may have expected a different kind of Messiah.
Luke invites us to notice an important distinction. John’s question is not dismissive skepticism; it is sincere seeking. He brings his confusion honestly to Jesus. That posture stands in sharp contrast to Jesus’ hometown, whose familiarity bred contempt rather than faith. Luke reminds us that the Kingdom spreads not only through miracles and proclamation, but through honest questions brought humbly to Jesus—questions that keep us listening rather than closing ourselves off.
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