The prophet Isaiah lived in troubled times, with Babylon growing in power and eventually conquering Judah. However, today’s extract is full of hope, using the image of the desert blooming with flowers. The jonquil is another word for daffodil. When these bright yellow flowers appear, we know spring is around the corner. It is a good description of what the presence of God does to the human spirit. In these troubled times, Isaiah’s words bring hope and reassurance that God is working among us.
Jesus quoted Isaiah as a comforting message to John. The Baptist had done what was required of him and was now paying the price. He had been a wild man in the wilderness and now he was confined in a dark and probably evil-smelling dungeon. It would have been a depressing situation. Like his fellow Israelites, he would probably have expected a mighty warrior king like David.
Jesus did not answer the question directly. Instead he used the words that Isaiah had spoken of the healing which comes with the presence of the Messiah. When John heard this he must have felt reassured. When the messengers told him about Jesus and how he did not seek out the rich and the powerful but the poor and the marginalised, he must have realised that a very different Messiah to what he had imagined had indeed arrived.