And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
Parallel translations
- WEB John, calling to himself two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?”
- BSB So John called two of his disciples and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”
- NKJV And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
- NASB And after summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for another?”
- NLT and he sent them to the Lord to ask him, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
John sends two disciples to ask Jesus whether He is the coming One or whether they should expect another. He seeks assurance about Jesus' messianic identity.
Overview
From prison, John, perhaps perplexed that Jesus' ministry differed from expectations of judgment, sends to confirm whether Jesus is the promised Messiah. Faithful interpreters see honest inquiry rather than unbelief here. The question gives Jesus occasion to point to His works as evidence that He is indeed the Christ foretold by Scripture.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 23
- Isa 9:6–7For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
- John 4:25The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
- Isa 40:10–11Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
- Mic 5:2But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
- Luke 10:1After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
- Isa 7:14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
- Isa 59:20–21And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
- Gen 3:15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
- Mal 3:1–3Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
- Jer 23:5–6Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
- Zech 9:9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
- Hag 2:7And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
- Dan 9:24–26Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
- Gen 22:18And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
- Gen 49:10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
- Deut 18:15–18The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
- Isa 11:1And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
- Acts 10:7–8And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;
- Mal 4:2But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
- Ps 110:1–4The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
- Rev 11:3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
- Josh 2:1And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
- Mark 6:7And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 7:19 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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