Luke 7:22 “Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.”
The things Jesus here mentions are all fulfillment of prophecy. However, in the same passages where we find many of these, there is also a theme of the release of prisoners. It may be that John was hoping Jesus would get him released from prison.
But, this would require a direct intervention in the political machine. During His earthly ministry Jesus did not directly influence the politics, but allowed all to run its course. This ultimately led to His crucifixion. So to be sure it was difficult for John, just as for Christ’s other disciples, to understand the plan as it unfolded. The expectation they were working off of was that Jesus would at that time set up His earthly kingdom. And this would get John out of prison and relegate him to a place of honor.
We need not be hard on John. Jesus wasn’t. He knew what John was going through and encouraged him. John was the first great preacher of Christ, but he was also the first to suffer for Christ’s sake.
Heavenly Father, You alone know the end from the beginning. You know the plans You have for us. You have everything figured out. We need not worry about tomorrow, or ten thousand years from now, You are in both and have control over it all. We can trust You with the future, even when the present seems cloudy. You have brought to our lives the light of Your Son. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.