Apart from these historically suspect references in John and Matthew, there is no reason to think that John believed Jesus to be “the coming one” at an early stage of the ministry. John’s question from prison later in the ministry (“Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” in Matt. 11:3 and Luke 7:19, and thus “Q” material) is therefore to be read as the dawning of curiosity or hope, not as the beginning of doubt.
