Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
This particular temptation of presumption, with all its catastrophic consequences, if yielded to, nipped at the heels of Jesus constantly, as the devil sought to thwart the plan of salvation in various ways and through many different agencies. As was stated before in a previous Bible study, John was probably wondering why Jesus did not come to look for him in prison, seeing that He was his cousin and he had been faithful in the execution of duty. In fact, the Bible mentions prison visits particularly, as The Lord tallies the numbers of the faithful.
So yes, there is even a Scriptural basis for Jesus to have visited John, and therefore, the question is: Why didn’t Jesus go? The answer is as simple as it gets, for Jesus was neither sent, or directed by The Father to go, even though it is a good thing. It must be observed here that going to look for John in prison would have been a good thing, especially because he was thrown in jail for speaking the truth. But we should always remember that just because something is good, does not necessarily mean that it is God’s will that you do it, or you go there.
[The Desire of Ages pp 216] John would not discuss his doubts and anxieties with his companions. He determined to send a message of inquiry to Jesus. This he entrusted to two of his disciples, hoping that an interview with the Savior would confirm their faith, and bring assurance to their brethren. And he longed for some word from Christ spoken directly for himself. The disciples came to Jesus with their message, “Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another?”
Matthew 11:4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which you do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
May God add is blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!