Many have surmised that John was having doubts. It does seem that way, but it's hard to reconcile with the fact that when he first saw Jesus, he knew exactly who He was. He said, "Behold, the lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29, 36). When Jesus was baptized, the heavens were opened, John saw the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus like a dove, and he heard a voice from Heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:15-17).
However, two years of languishing in prison may have made John wonder about what he had seen and heard. If Jesus was the Messiah and He was doing miracles as John had heard that He was, why didn't He get him out of prison? Perhaps his question was really, "Have you forgotten about me?"
We know from Scripture that God didn't deliver John the Baptist from prison. Instead, He allowed him to be murdered. Yet he wasn't forgotten. Death doesn't separate us from God. It takes us into into His immediate presence.
However, those who have experienced the new birth (which began on the Day of Pentecost--see Acts 2) have a great advantage over John. They aren't reliant on mere visions or voices. I'm a Christian because God transformed me through the new birth of John chapter 3. He made me a new person overnight, opened my understanding, took me out of darkness into light, gave me His Holy Spirit, forgave my sins, and granted me everlasting life.
The first time I was born, it was dramatic in the truest sense of the word. I didn't exist, and then in just nine months I was birthed as a screaming, eating, sleeping, breathing, seeing, human being. The second time I was born, it was just as radical. You may doubt that, but it's something I can never doubt, even if I wanted to.
