<p>11:4&nbsp;<em>And Jesus answered and said to them: Go and tell John- </em>&nbsp;They had already told him once- the same word is used for how they initially had told John these things (Lk. 7:18). There is definitely the sense that John needed to work through the implications of what he was hearing, rather than having some specific explanation from the Lord.</p>
<p><em>The things which you hear and see</em>- The request that John &lsquo;hear&rsquo; these reports more carefully begs connection with the Lord&rsquo;s frequent comment that the Jews heard but did not really hear (e.g. Mt. 13:13-17). John&rsquo;s lack of understanding appears to be in some sense culpable and at best disappointing to the Lord. The Lord is seeking to assure John that if he just thinks about the evidence, it&rsquo;s clear that Jesus is indeed Messiah, and as John had earlier preached- Son and lamb of God, who saves His people from their sins. He seems to be saying that that was so wonderful and fundamental, that the rearrangement of the prophetic timetable is in a sense irrelevant compared to that. Whether or not the timing or chronology of events surrounding the Kingdom comes true as we expect, or whether or not we discern how God has re-planned the fulfilment of prophecy- is all irrelevant compared to the wonder of knowing Jesus as the Christ and personal Saviour.</p>