I think back to the baptism of Jesus -- the heavens parted and a voice from God affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah.
And yet, here is John, uncertain if Jesus is the one that everyone is waiting for. We want to point back to the baptism and ask if that wasn't enough, if John needed more proof. But John wasn't sure, and he wanted to be sure.
Jesus doesn't give a direct answer -- instead, Jesus points to the miracles that have been performed. Jesus points to his actions to affirm his identity.
We're so much like John. We have moments where we're certain of who Jesus is, and then there are others, where we're crippled by uncertainty, wondering if Jesus can really be who everyone says that he is. How can we know?
Jesus points us to his actions. He points to the miracles he performed. We have the benefit of looking at the greatest miracle Jesus ever performed, his resurrection, which historians have never disproved. All the research I've done has pointed to the historical reliability of the accounts of the resurrection, and so believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus was a known person at the time -- there are non-Gospel historical accounts that speak of him, written far closer to his life than many other historical accounts that we don't doubt.
Jesus doesn't scold John. He points to things that affirm his identity. In the same way, grace is extended to us, mercy for when we are weak, thanks be to God.
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