Are You the One

Are You the One
Advent 3; Matthew 11:2-11
Jailed by Herod, John suspected
he would not roam wilderness again,
or forage there for wild honey.
His life would soon be forfeit
to a corrupt king’s lustful whim.

Then he sent to Jesus to ask him:
“Are you the one who is to come
or are we to wait for another?”
He feared his hope was delusion,
his prophetic ministry a failure,
his looming fate absurd and futile.

Jesus asked that John’s disciples
tell him what they’d seen and heard:
the healings that Isaiah foretold,
the good news brought to the poor –
but in prison there’s little good news,
and one beheaded cannot be healed.

Jesus realized John envisioned
some more dramatic liberation:
the mighty cast down from their thrones,
the lowly lifted up and fed,
as Mary in her song had prophesied.

John’s despair held him captive,
more so than chains and prison bars:
Jesus’ words begged him to understand:
“Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

Jesus said there’s no-one greater
than John among those born of women,
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven
is greater than he. I like to think
that this double-edged praise gave comfort
and maybe John took the hint
to hope for more life after death.

He preached that God’s kingdom was near,
and prepared the way for its coming.
When the axe fell at last did he see
that his life and worth were enfolded
in the presence of the one he awaited?
	Barbara Messner 10/12/2025