Our text begins with John as a prisoner of Herod, held in the fortress at Machaerus near the Dead Sea (Josephus Ant. 18.116-119). The details of John’s arrest and martyrdom are recorded in Matthew 14:3-12. This John in prison appears different from the one we met earlier, fearlessly heralding the coming One (3:11-12). From prison, John appears more tentative, as he sends two disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (11:3). How did this man who so confidently preached Jesus as the Messiah and trusted so fully in His character (3:14), now come to question his identity? Most likely it was John’s lengthy languishing in prison that had broken him down. How could the One who promised to ‘set the prisoners free,’ not free him from Herod’s jail? We can say that John was a ‘bruised reed’ and his faith was like a ‘smoldering wick.’ As we might expect, the Messiah’s answer to John, and by extension to all people whose faith might waver in the midst of suffering, does not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick. Instead in beatitude form (11:6), Jesus encourages John, and us, to remain faithful no matter what the circumstances.
