Spiritual Hiccups - Is Jesus the One?

Although some gospel accounts leave us with the clear impression that John the Baptist recognizes Jesus as Messiah from the get-go, today's reading in Luke presents the Baptist as, at the very least, having second thoughts.  John, by this time in prison, sends his disciples to Jesus asking, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"

When Jesus gives John's disciples an answer, presumably he thinks it a convincing one.  "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."

What is it that makes Jesus the Messiah?  When Christians try to convince others that Jesus is the one, what is it that makes the case?  A great many Christians focus on the topic of personal salvation. But Jesus' answer to John says nothing about this.  Instead Jesus points to a new age dawning.  All the things Jesus mentions are signs of the Kingdom, God's new day, that has come near.  Many Jews believed that the dead would be raised at "the last day," and so the fact that Jesus raises the dead is an especially powerful sign of this day's nearness.

On top of all this, Jesus' remark about blessings upon any who take no offense at him sounds quite different from traditional Christian belief formulas.  He doesn't say "Blessed are those who believe in me," or "Blessed are those who publicly profess my name."  Instead he says "Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me, who doesn't stumble over me."

What makes Jesus the one?  If we go by what Jesus says, and then say that nothing in the world has changed except the "saved" status of some individuals, we imply that Jesus was wrong about the Kingdom drawing near.  Is Jesus the one?  Do we see signs of God's new day?  It's possible that these are pretty much the same question.

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