Things to make you go "Hmmm"

Here are some thoughts to ponder:
In Jesus' first "sermon" in the synagogue, he reads from Isaiah and says, "He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted...to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he stops. He doesn't quote the end of that verse which reads, "and the day of vengeance of our God." All of his teachings on the Kingdom of God/Heaven in his early ministry focus on the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Kingdom--no judgment; just benefits and blessings associated with Kingdom living. In fact, it isn't until the end of his ministry as he heads to Jerusalem that he begins to speak of the coming Kingdom and its judgment and wrath.
Now, from the beginning, however, John preaches the standard Hebrew message of the Messiah--"He will baptize you with spirit and fire." Fire always seems to represent judgment. He also teaches that Messiah has his winnowing fork in his hand so that he can separate the wheat into the barn and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire. John expected and taught that Messiah would exact vengeance and bring God's judgment on the unrighteous.
Here's the part that makes you go, "Hmmm." Is it possible that God removed John when he did to keep John from getting in the way of the advancing Kingdom? Since John's idea of the Messiah was different than Jesus' mode of operation, that could have caused problems. John sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one who was to come or if they should expect someone else...Jesus just wasn't doing things the way John interpreted the Scriptures.
At one point, Jesus says, "There is no one born of woman who is greater than John. Yet, he who is the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John." That statement always seemed contradictory to me. Is it possible that John never truly became a disciple of Jesus? Jesus says he was a prophet and that he taught the same things as the prophets of old, but....Maybe the reason the least in the Kingdom is greater than John is because John never entered the Kingdom as he walked on the earth. He didn't fully buy into the whole love and forgiveness thing--he wanted fire and judgment. Therefore, if John questioned Jesus' Messiahship maybe he had to be removed before he spoke what he thought. He was, after all, an influential man with a following. Just a little something to ponder.