The Ancient Witnesses

Chapter 6: The Fullness of Time • 189

knew very well who Jesus was, but he had the welfare of his disciples in mind. As the Commentary says, “John, now in prison and knowing his own departure was imminent, wanted his disciples to follow Christ. So, like a wise father anticipating his death he entrusts his children to a trustworthy guardian, desiring to see them no longer doubting but fully trusting Christ. A more pleasant end he could not hope for than to know his disciples were now complete in Christ. So he asked his question—“are you the one?”—through the disciples, not for his own benefit but so that they might see with their own eyes and believe.” 39 “If John was in prison,” said Father Greg, “how could he know it was Jesus?” “Listen to Jesus’s response,” said Joseph, reading from his Bible, And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matthew 11:4–6). “Jesus was saying to John’s disciples, ‘look for yourselves and learn that the blind see, the deaf hear, and blessed are you if you take no offense in me,’” said Joseph. “After his baptism,” Mentor continued, “Jesus was immediately led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness

39 Opus Imperfectum , Homily 26 on Matt. 11 (PG 13, 772), my translation; compare Kellerman & Oden vol.1,196