John Seeks an Affirmation of Jesus' Identity

Our instant question is, when was this? We aren’t directly told, but perhaps we can narrow the time by some hints in the text. As previously discussed, if Jesus left Judea following a period of teaching that began with Passover, we can set the beginning of John’s imprisonment. If Jesus left Judea because of John’s arrest, it would have probably been in the fall of 30 A.D. If some weeks passed between the appointment of the twelve and the arrival of John’s disciples, they would have come around the end of 31 A.D., or the beginning of 32. This seems the most probable. If so, John had been imprisoned just over a year when he sought a confirmation of Jesus’ identity as the Messiah.