⁶ Further testifying to John’s honesty in the matter is the record in Luke 3:15-17: “Now as the people were in expectation and all were reasoning in their hearts about John: ‘May he perhaps be the Christ?’

8. Why were the people then in expectation of Messiah’s appearance, and why was the matter urgent for them?

⁸ Not strange that “the people were in expectation.” Likely they had figured out from the Scriptures that the time was due for the Messiah to appear. So they fell to reasoning on whether John the Baptizer was the promised Messiah or not. (Daniel 9:24-27) The matter of the Messiah or Christ was an urgent one. God, the Sender of the Messiah, was not dragging out the time indefinitely. He had determined upon sending the Messiah, and he had a marked time for putting his determination into effect. He is no procrastinator, but he holds to his time schedule as given in his Word.