After the messengers had departed, Jesus spoke to the people concerning John. The Saviour's heart went out in sympathy to the faithful witness now buried in Herod's dungeon. He would not leave the people to conclude that God had forsaken John, or that his faith had failed in the day of trial. "What went ye out into the wilderness to see?" He said. "A reed shaken with the wind?" The tall reeds that grew beside the Jordan, bending before every breeze, were fitting representatives of the rabbis who had stood as critics and judges of the Baptist's mission. They were swayed this way and that by the winds of popular opinion. They would not humble themselves to receive the heart-searching message of the Baptist, yet for fear of the people they dared not openly oppose his work. But God's messenger was of no such craven spirit. The multitudes who were gathered about Christ had been witnesses to the work of John. They had heard his fearless rebuke of sin. To the self-righteous Pharisees, the priestly Sadducees, King Herod and his court, princes and soldiers, publicans and peasants, John had spoken with equal plainness. He was no trembling reed, swayed by the winds of human praise or prejudice. In the prison he was the same in his loyalty to God and his zeal for righteousness as when he preached God's message in the wilderness. In his faithfulness to principle he was as firm as a rock.

Da sendebudene var draget bort, talte Jesus til folket om Johannes. Frelseren havde den dybeste medfølelse med det trofaste vidne, der nu var indespærret i Herodes' fangehul. Han ville ikke lade folket blive i den tro, at Gud havde svigtet Johannes, eller at hans tro havde glippet i prøvelsens stund. "Hvorfor gik I ud i ørkenen?" sagde han. "For at se et rør, som svajer hid og did for vinden?" De lange rør, der voksede ved Jordans bred, og som bøjede sig for ethvert vindpust, var et passende billede på de skriftkloge, der med kritik og fordømmelse havde været vidne til Døberens virksomhed. De svajede hid og did, efter som folkestemningens vind blæste. De ville ikke nedlade sig til at tage imod Døberens sjæleransagende budskab, men alligevel vovede de af frygt for folket ikke åbenlyst at modsætte sig hans gerning. Men Guds sendebud var ikke en sådan fej sjæl. De skarer, der var forsamlede om Kristus, havde været vidne til Johannes' arbejde. De havde hørt hans frygtløse dadel af synd. Johannes havde talt med samme ligefremhed til de selvretfærdige farisæere, de saddukæiske præster, til kong Herodes og hans hof, til fyrster og soldater, toldere og bønder. Han var ikke et svajende rør, der bøjede sig efter menneskers fordomme eller velvilje. I sit fængsel var han den samme i sin troskab mod Gud og sin nidkærhed for retfærdighed, som da han prædikede som Guds sendebud i ørkenen. Han var klippefast i sin troskab over for sine grundsætninger.