Why Did You Doubt?

[Mr. M]

Matthew 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him,

O you of little faith, why did you doubt?

What happened with the faith of John the baptist? Why did he come to doubt?

Matthew 11:2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 

3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

How does someone come to doubt, after this testimony?

John 1:29-34 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

[Mozart's Starling]

I had childhood trauma over religion and a certain phrase being repeated over and over (in my head) so much so that I still supress it to today. However I was saved by Christ during a mental breakdown that led me to His arms. I am now greatful that it happened because I would be lost without Him.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Mozart's Starling

[JustClay]

All kinds of disappointments, tragedies, and failures can make people doubt that God is in control.  I believe doubts and fears are just natural human reactions to the unexpected or unknown; but in Christ we are so blessed!  The more we grow in the knowledge and understanding of His Word, the more we experience the intervention of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and the more we simply trust and obey, the sooner doubts and fears will vanish—all to be replaced by peace. 
 

John 14:27  NKJV

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 

[farouk]

2 hours ago, Mozart's Starling said:

I had childhood trauma over religion and a certain phrase being repeated over and over (in my head) so much so that I still supress it to today. However I was saved by Christ during a mental breakdown that led me to His arms. I am now greatful that it happened because I would be lost without Him.

What a wonderful testimony, @Mozart's Starling !

[farouk]

1 hour ago, JustClay said:

All kinds of disappointments, tragedies, and failures can make people doubt that God is in control.  I believe doubts and fears are just natural human reactions to the unexpected or unknown; but in Christ we are so blessed!  The more we grow in the knowledge and understanding of His Word, the more we experience the intervention of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and the more we simply trust and obey, the sooner doubts and fears will vanish—all to be replaced by peace. 
 

John 14:27  NKJV

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 

@JustClay Great passage there! reminds me also of John 14 and Proverbs 3.5........

[Mr. M]

18 hours ago, Mr. M said:

What happened with the faith of John the baptist? Why did he come to doubt?

Matthew 11:2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 

3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

@Mozart's Starling, @farouk, @JustClay

[Mr. M]

1 hour ago, Mr. M said:

@Mozart's Starling, @farouk, @JustClay

Matthew 11:4-6 Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.

And herein lies the point, "blessed is he who is not offended because of Me".

[JustClay]

Hi, @Mr. M…. I don’t believe anything at all happened to the faith of John the Baptist or that he was doubtful about the identity of Christ in any way.  After all, John was present at the baptism of Christ and actually heard the voice of God declare, “this is My beloved Sin in whom I am well pleased.” (Mt. 3:17).   How could he doubt what he had witnessed first-hand?  

When John was in prison and heard about “the works of Christ,” I believe he most likely recalled the words of the prophet Isaiah: 

Isaiah 35:4-6  NKJV

4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and save you.”

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.

John had heard about the miraculous works mentioned in verses 5 and 6, but what about the coming “with vengeance” in verse 4?  I believe John’s question was really more one of timing than doubt.  He sent two (for verification) to seek the answer from Christ Himself.  Jesus in His answer reveals the purpose of this first advent:  

Matthew 11:4-5  NKJV

4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

The words of Jesus undoubtedly brought to mind once more the prophecy of Isaiah:

Isaiah 61:1-2  NKJV

61 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,….

This prophecy of Isaiah speaks of both the first (v. 1). and second (V.2) advent; yet Jesus’ reply to John explained that there would be time between these ministry years and His second coming.  I believe John’s question was about timing, and not a question of doubt or a failing of faith.  

Edited March 21, 2023 by JustClay
To emphasize scripture

[Mr. M]

11 minutes ago, JustClay said:

How could he doubt what he had witnessed first-hand?  

Asked and answered.

17 minutes ago, Mr. M said:

Matthew 11:4-6 Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.

And herein lies the point, "blessed is he who is not offended because of Me".

 

19 hours ago, Mr. M said:

“Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

This is a direct contradiction to his sure testimony, as you have pointed out.

19 hours ago, Mr. M said:

And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Everyone who believed in the coming of the Messiah had an expectation as to what the significance would be. Many tried to take Christ and make Him King. John was wrestling with his own expectations: "Aren't you supposed to restore the kingdom of Israel?"

A better question might be "why did John even have disciples anymore, now that Messiah was proclaimed?"

Edited March 21, 2023 by Mr. M
punctuation

[Alive]

7 minutes ago, Mr. M said:

Asked and answered.

 

This is a direct contradiction to his sure testimony, as you have pointed out.

Everyone who believed in the coming of the Messiah had an expectation as to what the significance would be. Many tried to take Christ and make Him King. John was wrestling with his own expectations: "Aren't you supposed to restore the kingdom of Israel?"

A better question might be "why did John even have disciples anymore, now that Messiah was proclaimed?"

Brother--humans are funny critters. We only need to look transparently and deeply at ourselves to see this.

:-)