Theme: An Advent of healing

Exegetical note
Though John has already strongly implied (3:14) that Jesus is indeed "he who is to come," i.e., the Messiah, what he had heard in prison of "the deeds of the Christ" (v. 2) may have given him second thoughts by not fitting his own expectations of messianic might and judgment. In any case, Jesus' answer to the Baptizer's question is indirect: he points to his miracles, phrasing them not so much to showcase his own identity or powers (much less divinity) as to indicate God's healing activity in his minis…