John believed Jesus would “clear his threshing flooring, collect his wheat into his granary, and burn the chaff with unquenchable hearth”. Every week additional on, nevertheless, John is languishing in jail. John had preached fearlessly, confronting the Pharisees and Sadducees, and referred to as out Herod for divorcing his spouse and marrying his sister-in-law. Herod had him imprisoned, however John didn’t thoughts as he thought of that Jesus would rescue him.

John’s expectations of Jesus weren’t what he thought they might be. After many months in jail, when John heard what Jesus had been doing: therapeutic the sick, casting out demons and instructing people who the meek and the persecuted are blessed, telling them to show the opposite cheek and to like not simply neighbours however enemies, he despatched his disciples to Jesus to ask if he’s the one who’s to return, or ought to they search for one other.

Like John, we’ve got expectations of God and have been disenchanted in that we wished him to be invincible and highly effective, and use His divine powers to heal the sick, cease wars, and wipe out world starvation. Jesus, nevertheless, shouldn’t be this sort of Saviour. His means of saving the world is thru love, sacrifice and repair.

An episcopal priest in Guam, Western Pacific, Irene Egmalis-Maliaman, claims “the gospel shouldn’t be a fairytale with a contented ending however moderately a kaleidoscope of pleasure, ache, hope, struggling, peace, concern, triumph, give up, religion, doubt, disappointments, which means, loss, and fulfilment.”

Jesus shakes up the gang, telling them to search for God – not amongst these wearing effective robes or dwell in royal palaces – however moderately among the many least and susceptible, amongst God’s prophets, like John the Baptist, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Zechariah.