Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 7:20

"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?" — Luke 7:20 (ASV)

The healings and presumably also the raising of the widow’s son apparently have not sufficed to convince John of Jesus’ messiahship. This reluctance seems strange, considering John’s role in announcing the Coming One and in baptizing Jesus. There are several reasons why John needed further confirmation. He was in prison (3:20). This could lead to depression and, in turn, doubt. Further, he might wonder why, if the Messiah was to release prisoners (Isaiah 61:1) and if Jesus was the object of that prediction , he had not freed John. Also, though he had received reports of Jesus’ ministry, John himself had apparently not witnessed spectacular messianic miracles such as he might have expected; nor had he heard Jesus claim outright that he was the Messiah. John still had “disciples” (vv.18, 20), but this need not mean he had been continuing a separate movement because of uncertainty about the Messiah.