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John's second attempt to lead his disciples to Christ:
v. 2. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
v. 3. and said unto Him, Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another?
When John, in his capacity as herald of Christ, had pointed Him out to his disciples the first time, two of those that heard him speak, followed Jesus, Joh_1:37. Upon a later occasion, John again bore witness of Christ, Joh_3:27-36, which might have been taken as sufficient invitation to all that heard him to become His disciples. In the meantime, John had been imprisoned in the fortress Machaerus, in southern Perca, near the boundary of Moabitis, which, after Jerusalem, was the strongest fortress of the Jews, chapter 14:3. He had now been in prison for some time, but seems to have received the attention and the services of his disciples as before. These men had as yet no full understanding of their master's message, but looked upon Jesus and His work with rather jealous and disapproving eyes. Mat_9:14; Joh_3:28; Luk_7:18. They brought to John an account of Christ's work, of His preaching and its effect, of His miracles of healing and the astonishment of the people. John himself, filled with the Holy Ghost from his birth, having been a witness of the revelation of God and being thoroughly convinced of Christ's Messiahship, Luk_3:15; Joh_1:15-26; Joh_3:28, had no doubts concerning Christ and His mission. But the few disciples that were still clinging to him showed no inclination to leave him and follow the greater Teacher. Therefore he sent them as a delegation with a definitely worded question: Art Thou the Coming One, or shall we expect another? The reference was clear to everyone that knew the Old Testament, Psa_40:7, and was intended to open the eyes of the questioners. "It is certain that John proposes the question for the sake of his disciples: for they did not yet deem Christ to be He whom they should believe Him to be. And John had not come to draw disciples and the people to himself, but to prepare the way for Christ and bring all men to Christ, making them subject to Him.... But when Jesus began to perform miracles and was widely spoken of, then John thought he would dismiss his disciples from him and bring them to Christ, in order that they might not after his death organize a hereditary sect and become Johannites, but all cling to Christ and become Christians; and he sent them that they might learn, not henceforth from his testimony only, but from Christ's words and works themselves, that He was the right man of whom John had spoken."