Gospel for the Day: The Dark Night of John's Soul

In Today's Gospel, John the Baptist sends two of his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" 


I remember a priest saying that the context of this question is that John had been playing his part for some time. That role involved substantial (physical and social) hardship on his part. In Matthew's version of this story, John was in prison so he couldn't go to Jesus himself. 


And at some point, he hears news from his disciples about Jesus who has been performing wonders. (Right before today's passage, Jesus had just raised someone from the dead). 


Having heard this news from his disciples, John sends two disciples to ask Jesus if he is the one he had been preparing Israel for. It sounds more emotional in Tagalog, "Ikaw na nga ba ang pinaghahandaan namin?"  Is Jesus the reason for all his hardships and why he was in jail? 


Some commentators (including the annotators of the New American Bible) suggest that maybe John was expecting an earthly king come to liberate Israel. (Maybe he was calling for Israel's repentance in order to restore the old covenant between Yahweh and Israel). Maybe then John was asking, is this all there is to you? Is this it? Where's the political liberation foretold by the prophets? 


Jesus' reply can be read as being a little heavy-handed “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” One could take this to mean that Jesus is telling John, "Look what has been done. Isn't the answer to your question obvious?"


And yet the annotation on the New American Bible suggests that the last line in particular suggests that Jesus is telling John that, yes, I am the one, but not in the way you expected and I hope you do not take offence that I am not what you expected. The prophets misinterpreted things a bit on points of politics. 


I can only wonder what John must have felt when his disciples came back to him with Jesus' response. Maybe that's why this is the reading for the feast day of John of the Cross, author of The Dark Night of the Soul.