Matthew, Chapter 11

Matt. 11:1-6

Matt. 11:1 "And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. 2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye 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."

John had been imprisoned because he made King Herod's wife mad, when he told the king that is was not lawful for him to have his brother Phillip's wife. John had stood for right and had stood up to the king in rebuking him for his ungodly action. There in prison as John awaited what was to become of him, he no doubt had become despondent. When John saw Jesus come to him at the river Jordan, he said, "Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." John had also seen the Spirit descend as a dove upon Jesus as he came up out of the baptismal waters. He had a voice from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. John had been called and sent of God, but now he was in prison awaiting to be executed.

John had been set forth for us in a despondent condition. The truth is nearly all of God's people become despondent at some time. We may wonder if the Lord takes notice of our condition. We may wonder if he understands our problems. We may be facing hardships and trials and wonder if He cares.

In his despondent condition, John sent two of his disciples to enquire of Jesus, "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another." Along with his despondency had come doubts. At one time having a strong conviction that this Jesus was the Lamb of God, John now doubts as to whether Jesus is the promised Messiah or if they were to wait for another.

When John's disciples came to Jesus he was doing many great works. When they asked him the question, he responded to them, "Go and show John again those things which ye 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." We are not told what effect this message had on John, but it should have brought John out of his despondence and doubt. To show John again means that John had already seen the great works.

The same is true for us today. There are works of God that we are witnesses of and that have made a strong impression upon us. Later we become despondent and doubtful. In times like this, we need to remember the things that we have previously seen and heard. When we meditate upon the goodness and greatness of God, it has a way of pulling us out of despondency and doubt and encourages us once again to put our trust in the Lord.


Matt. 11:7-11

Matt. 11:7 "And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Three times the Lord asked the multitude about John, "What went ye out to see?" Three times he hypothetically answered for them. The first answer was, "A reed shaken with the wind." While there are many types of winds in the world, this probably has reference to the wind of public opinion. Many fads attract people's attention. The fads will be different at different times. Was John just one of these fads? However, there was not anything faddish about John. He did not wear fancy clothes. He did not preach a message that would appeal to the world. He was not a "reed shaken with the wind."

The second answer was "A man clothed in soft raiment." The scriptures describe John's raiment as follows: "And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey." The Lord told them that soft raiment is what those in King's houses wear. John's raiment was not soft. He wore rough raiment. The people were not attracted to John because of his royal position. He had no royal position. He was not of the lineage of kings.

The third answer was "a prophet." The Lord affirmed that John indeed was a prophet and that the people went out into the wilderness to see and hear a prophet. Further, the Lord affirmed that John was more than a prophet. John was several things. He was the son of Zacharias and Elizabeth. Zacharias was a high priest of the course of Abia. John was the son of the high priest, thus he was of the blood line of the priests. John was also called of God to be a preacher of the gospel. As such, he was the first God-called gospel minister. According to Luke 1:15 John was a Nazarite: "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink." He was the first recorded Nazarite since Samuel.

In addition, John was the prophesied messenger: Mal. 3:1 "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts." John was the "messenger" sent to prepare the way for the "messenger of the covenant." Jesus is that messenger of the covenant. John was sent to prepare the way for Jesus. John was also the fulfillment of Mal. 4:5, 6: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

"Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." In the kingdom of heaven, he that is greatest is least and he that is least is greatest: Mk. 10:42 "But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. 43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." The Lord made himself servant of all, thus he is the one he is referring to as being the "least in the kingdom of heaven" and therefore greater than John the Baptist.