Church Fathers Commentary Luke 7:18-23

"And the disciples of John told him of all these things. And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to the Lord, saying, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another? And when the men were come unto him, they said, John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another? In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits; and on many that were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good tidings preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me." — Luke 7:18-23 (ASV)

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Certain of His disciples told the holy Baptist about the miracle that was known to all the inhabitants of Judea and Galilee, as it follows: And they told John, etc.

The Venerable Bede: Not, it seems to me, with a simple heart, but provoked by envy. For in another place they also complain, Rabbi, he that was with you beyond Jordan, behold, the same baptizes, and all men come to him.

St. John Chrysostom: But we are most drawn to Him when we have fallen into difficult situations. Therefore, after being cast into prison, John took the opportunity to send his disciples to Christ just when they were most in need of Him. For it follows: And John, calling two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, Are you he that should come? etc.

The Venerable Bede: He does not say, "Are you the One who has come?" but rather, Are you the one who is to come? The meaning is: "Tell me, as I am to be slain by Herod and am about to descend into hell, whether I should announce You to the souls below as I have announced You to those above? Or is this not fitting for the Son of God, and are you going to send another for these sacred rites?"

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But we must completely reject such an opinion. For nowhere do we find the Holy Scriptures stating that John the Baptist foretold the coming of our Savior to the souls in hell. It is also true that the Baptist was not ignorant of the wonderful mystery of the incarnation of the Only-Begotten. He would have also known, among other things, that our Lord was going to preach the Gospel to those in hell after He had tasted death for all, both the living and the dead. But since the word of holy Scripture declared that Christ would come as the Lord and Chief, while others were sent as servants before Him, the Lord and Savior of all was therefore called "He who comes" or "Who is to come" by the prophets. This is according to the Scriptures: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, and, A little while, and he who is to come shall come, and will not tarry. The blessed Baptist, therefore, taking this name as it were from Holy Scripture, sent some of his disciples to ask whether He was indeed "He who comes," or "Who is to come."

St. Ambrose of Milan: But how could it be that he, who said of Him, Behold, him who takes away the sins of the world, would still not believe Him to be the Son of God? For it is either presumption to ignorantly attribute a divine action to Christ, or it is unbelief to have doubted concerning the Son of God. However, some suppose that John himself, being so great a prophet, did acknowledge Christ; yet, not out of doubt but out of piety, he disbelieved that He whom he believed was to come would actually die. Therefore, he doubted not in his faith but in his piety, just as Peter did when he said, Be it far from you, Lord; this shall not be to you.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Or, he asks the question as a matter of divine economy. As the forerunner, he knew the mystery of Christ’s passion. But so that his disciples might be convinced of the Savior's great excellence, he sent the more discerning among them, instructing them to inquire and learn from the Savior's own words whether He was the one who was expected, as it is added: But when the men were come to him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, Are you He...? etc.

But Christ, knowing as God the intention with which John had sent them and the reason for their coming, was at that very time performing many miracles, as it follows: And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities, etc. He did not say to them directly, "I am he," but rather led them to the certainty of the fact, so that they might receive faith in Him, with their reason confirming it, and return to the one who sent them.

Hence, He did not answer their words, but the intention of the one who sent them, as it follows: And Jesus answering said to them, Go your way, and tell John what things you have seen and heard. It is as if He said, "Go and tell John the things which you have heard through the Prophets, but have now seen accomplished by Me." For He was then performing the very things the Prophets prophesied He would do, as it is added: For the blind see, the lame walk.

St. Ambrose of Milan: This is surely an ample testimony that the Prophets acknowledged the Lord. For of the Lord Himself it was prophesied that the Lord gives food to the hungry, raises up them that are bowed down, looses the prisoners, opens the eyes of the blind, and that he who does these things shall reign forever. Such, then, are the signs not of human, but of divine power.

But these are found seldom, if at all, before the Gospel. Tobit alone received sight, and this was the cure of an angel, not of a man. Elijah raised the dead, but he prayed and wept, and then restored him. Elisha brought about the cleansing of a leper, yet in that case the cause was not so much in the authority of his command as in the foreshadowing of the mystery.

Theophylact of Ohrid: These are also the words of Elias, saying, The Lord himself shall come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart.

The Venerable Bede: And, what is no less than these, the poor have the Gospel preached to them. This means the poor are enlightened by the Spirit with hidden treasures, so that there might be no difference between the rich and the poor. These things prove the trustworthiness of the Master, since all who can be saved by Him are equal.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But still, these are only slight examples of the testimony to the Lord. The full assurance of faith is the cross of the Lord, His death, and His burial. Hence, He adds, And blessed is he who shall not be offended in me. For the cross can cause offense, even to the elect, but there is no greater testimony than this of a divine person. For there is nothing that seems to surpass human nature more than for one to offer Himself for the whole world.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Or else, He wished by this to show that whatever was passing through their hearts could not be hidden from His sight. For they were the ones who were offended at Him.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But we have said before that, mystically, John was the type of the Law, which was the forerunner of Christ. John, then, sends his disciples to Christ so that they might obtain the fullness of their knowledge, for Christ is the fulfillment of the Law.

Perhaps those disciples represent the two nations: one, the Jews, who believed; and the other, the Gentiles, who believed because they heard. They wished, then, to see, because blessed are the eyes that see. But when they come to the Gospel and find that the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, they will say, "We have seen with our own eyes," for we seem to see for ourselves the One whom we read about.

Or perhaps, through the agency of a certain part of our Body, we all seem to have traced the course of our Lord’s passion, for faith comes from the few to the many. The Law, then, announces that Christ will come; the writings of the Gospel prove that He has come.