The next section (7:18–35) can be subdivided into three smaller units: (1) the Baptist’s doubts about Jesus (7:18–23), (2) the role of John the Baptist (7:24–30), and (3) the fickleness of the religious leaders (7:31–35). It is not surprising that John begins to have doubts while in prison (cf. Matt. 11:2–19) about whether Jesus is the “one who is to come.” (This phrase seems to be John’s way of referring to the Messiah; cf. Luke 3:16.) Moreover, the judging aspect of Jesus’s ministry is strangely lacking (cf. Luke 3:17). Jesus replies to the query of John’s disciples by pointing to the wonders and signs he has performed (7:21–22). These miracles were particularly significant because in the Old Testament they point to the arrival of the era of salvation, the coming age when God would fulf…