John the Baptizer was in trouble, and not knowing exactly what his fate would be, he suspected the worst. He was in for a long and uncomfortable imprisonment, at best, and he could expect to be executed, at worst. John was soon to lose his head, as you and I know very well, so Herod could save face. He knew he was in trouble. For some unexplained reason, he rather suddenly and unexpectantedly, after reports that his ministry was devoted to preparing the way of the Lord, became uncertain about Jesus’ identity. For the second time - this time from jail - he sent disciples to Jesus with a knotty question for the person he believed to be the Messiah.

On this occasion, John’s disciples were instructed to ask Jesus about his identity, not about matters like eating and drinking on the Sabbath. T…