Matthew 11:1-6

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Introduction

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Messengers from John the Baptist

11 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

What we’re going to see here in chapters 11-12 is a compilation, or an arrangement, of the varying responses to Jesus and his message. The variety of dialogue and interactions found in chapters 11-12 won’t be as cohesive as we’ve observed in previous chapters, like chapters 5-10, but it’ll provide a backdrop for the parables that begin chapter 13 where Jesus will labor repeatedly to explain and illustrate these varied responses to his life and ministry.
These parables will serve almost like a commentary on the all the different responses that Jesus will receive to his ministry. Through these parables Jesus will seek to explain why some immediately embrace him, why some remain uncertain of him, and why some will outright reject him. So you can think of chapters 11-12 as sort of a backdrop for what Jesus will address directly in chapter 13. And I think you’ll see today that chapter 11 begins will one of these examples.
And I think you’ll see today that chapter 11 begins will one of these examples.

Conclusion & Transition

So let’s start there in verse 1,

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

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Here Matthew does what he’s done several times already, he concludes his thoughts and moves us to the next section of his narrative. We saw this at the end of chapter 4 leading up to Jesus’ sermon on the mount, again in chapter 7 as Matthew concluded Jesus’ sermon on the mount, and again in chapter 9 as he summarized and concluded his many accounts of Jesus’ miracles. And so it is again, here, that Matthew concludes his record of Jesus’ interaction with his disciples. But he not only concludes his previous record but he transitions us to the next section of his book.
He tells us that Jesus heads back into the towns and villages of Galilee to continue teaching and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. Now, what we’re not told is whether the disciples have since returned from their earlier mission, or if they returned some time later, but eventually we’ll see the disciples accompanying Jesus again at the beginning of chapter 12 as if they had never left.

Matthew’s intent to show that Jesus is the Messiah

Now I point this out for good reason, because what’s important for us to understand, and I’ve mentioned this before, is that Matthew is not necessarily concerned with giving us a comprehensive moment to moment account of Jesus’ life, he has an end goal in mind, he intends to highlight certain aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry to point his Jewish readers to their Messiah (and by extension us to Jesus).
So while Matthew’s account is certainly chronological for the most part, his emphasis and concern is primarily with the events of Jesus’ life that point his Jewish readers to Jesus as their Messiah. It’s much like what we do when we recount certain stories to one another, we recall and highlight the parts of those stories that are relevant to those who are listening and the subject that we’re discussing. And it’s important that we continue to recognize this overarching purpose because realizing this will always help us to rightly understand what Matthew intends to teach and show us.

John the Baptist in Prison

Now, let’s continue reading there starting in verse 2,

2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

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So here we find John in prison, sending his disciples to deliver a message to Jesus. And if you’ll recall back in chapter 4 of Matthew’s Gospel we were briefly told of John’s imprisonment. We read in verse 12,

12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.

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It’s not much but we’re to assume that from that point on until now John has been in prison. Now, what’s incredible is that we know precisely where John was held captive. The prison was located within a great palace fortress built by Herod the Great only 15 miles southeast of where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea. We know this because of the writings of the well known Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.

Machaerus

We also know that this was one of three palace fortresses built on the eastern border of the Roman Empire, and this particular fortress was the only one on the eastern side of the Jordan River, or what’s called the Transjordan. The fortress, like the other two, was built on a high hill surrounded by steep valley walls. It was approximately 3,600’ above sea level which means it had a commanding view overlooking the Dead Sea, and this particular palace fortress was called the Machaerus.
It was a military outpost, served as a prison for certain foreign enemies, and was even used as a luxurious getaway for Herod Antipas, who was the Roman governor of the district of Galilee and of a region called Perea (east of the Jordan where this particular palace fortress was located). This site also makes sense because it’s only 15 miles southeast of the Jordan River where John was known to spend most of his time preaching and baptizing his disciples in the river.
While Josephus tells us that John was killed because of political reasons and because Herod Antipas fear that he might cause an uprising, Matthew gives us a more detailed account of the circumstances. We read in chapter 14, starting in verse 1,
This site also makes sense because it would have been only a few miles east of the Jordan River where John was known to spend most of his time baptizing his disciples in the river.

14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. 6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, 7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

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So we get this picture of Herod Antipas throwing a party at the palace fortress and finding himself in a situation where he’s pressured into put John to death who was being held in prison there.

John sends a message

But before this all happens, here in Matthew chapter 11, while John is still alive and being held at Machaerus, we read there in verse 2 that,
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when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

So after some time, while in prison, John gets word of what Jesus has been up to, he gets word of what Jesus has been doing, and that prompts him, or motivates him to ask Jesus a very strange question, he asks him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

John’s question

Now, what’s strange about his question is that John seems to be bewildered, or perplexed, by the report he has received concerning Jesus. It’s as if the information that he’s received has prompted him to reconsider his initial affirmation that Jesus is the Messiah. And if that’s the case then what about Jesus’ actions has prompted his concern?
Because if you’ll recall in John’s Gospel twice he emphatically identified Jesus as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (, ) And in Matthew chapter 3 we saw John even refuse to baptize Jesus because of who he was, that instead Jesus should be baptizing him. So we get the impression that something has changed or happened that is causing John, in a sense, to waiver or to question his initial conviction.
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And so along the way Jesus encounters a band of John's disciples who have come to deliver a message to him from John the Baptist.
So you can think of chapters 11-12 as a backdrop for what Jesus will address directly in chapter 13.
What we’re going to see here in chapters 11-12 is a compilation, or an arrangement, of the varying responses that people with have toward Jesus and his message. The variety of dialogue and narratives found in chapters 11-12 won’t be as cohesive as we’ve observed in chapters 5-10 but it’ll provide a backdrop for the parables in chapter 13 where Jesus will labor repeatedly to explain and illustrate these varied responses to his life and ministry. These parables will serve almost like a commentary on the all the varied responses to Jesus and his ministry.
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And in all honesty, I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure what the answer is to that question, simply because the Scriptures are sufficiently vague on the matter. However, with that in mind, I think it would still be helpful to suggest some possibilities so, at the very least, we can see that we shouldn’t despair over John’s question.

Messianic expectations

It appears, based on John’s question, that he had certain biblical expectations for the Messiah, and that some of those expectations at least are not playing out as he had envisioned, hence his question.
However, with that in mind, I think it would still be helpful to suggest some possibilities so, at the very least, we can see that we shouldn’t despair over John’s question. There are good and helpful scenarios that can explain John’s question. And while we can’t be dogmatic about them they can serve to comfort us.
The first is that it’s important that understand that John is human, and what I mean by that is I think our tendency as Christians is to hold John in high esteem, and we should with good reason, however, this doesn’t mean he’s superhuman. We read aloud just last week in the Book of Jeremiah where God comforts Jeremiah
Now, I think the only direct scriptural evidence we have that might give us some insight is what we know about John’s disciples and how they interacted with Jesus and his disciples. You might recall back in the question posed by John’s disciples to Jesus himself, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?” They seem to be almost offended, or at the very least confused, as to why Jesus wouldn’t hold his disciples to the same standards of religious propriety as they held to. And what I think this shows us is that John and his disciples had their own personal expectations of how the Messiah would behave, even on a personal level.

Personal & Missional Expectations

And I’m sure they even had their own personal expectations of how Jesus would carry out his mission, what it would look like. For instance, when we read John’s interaction with the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 3 we see an emphasis and even expectation of the Messiah coming in judgement, so it’s possible that John’s expectations of that coming judgement, associated with the Messiah, have not yet come to pass as quickly as he might have originally expected.
And what I think this shows us is that John and his disciples had their own personal expectations of how the Messiah would behave and even how he would carry out his mission. For instance, when we read John’s interaction with the Pharisees in Matthew chapter 3 we see an emphasis and even expectation of God’s coming judgement, so it’s possible that John’s expectations of that coming judgement associated with the Messiah have not yet come as quickly as he might have originally expected.
And it’s important to remember that John is absolutely right to have such an expectation. However, it’s helpful to realize and understand that the Jews only ever expected one coming of the Messiah, and it wouldn’t be until Jesus’ arrival that we would find out later that he intends to come again to bring final judgement upon the earth, so John may very well have expected too much too fast, therefore prompting his cause for concern.

Jesus affirms his identity

So when Jesus receives John’s message he simply reaffirms his identity by rooting the reports of what John has been hearing about him, in OT prophecy. This is why he quotes and here in verses 4-5.
Let’s read them there together,

4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

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Jesus purposefully uses the words of Isaiah to reaffirm to John and his disciples that he is indeed the one they’re looking for, and that his deeds confirm it.
Now if you were to spend a little time reading chapters 35 and 61 of Isaiah you would quickly see that Isaiah mingles both God’s coming mercy and God’s coming vengeance, so I don’t think it’s a stretch or even a problem for John to have expected both of these things to be carried out by the Messiah. However, what the Jews didn’t realize was that Jesus would bring both God’s mercy and God’s vengeance via two separate comings. In his first he heralds God’s mercy and in his second he will bring with him God’s judgement.
Now, there’s much I could say about prophecy and how we ought to rightly interpret it, and as time goes on we’ll have more opportunity to do that, but today I just want to give you an analogy that I think is helpful as you consider the prophetic books of the Bible, how to understand prophecy, and how it applies to John’s understanding of the Messiah.

Example of hiking mountains

All of you know that I like to hike, and that I like to hike mountains, and when I do often many of those who come with me, who are maybe new to hiking to the top of a mountain, often ask me, as we head up, this question, “Is that the top?” and I tell them “No, not yet.” And then once we crest that what they thought was the top, they look ahead and ask again, “Now, is that the top?” and again I reply, “Nope, not yet.” And this usually happens 2 or 3 times until we finally reach the actual summit.
Now prophecy can be very much like this. When we read prophecy the words in front of us have a particular meaning and relevance to the here and now, and we even realize that those words have a future fulfillment that we can’t yet see clearly. And so it would have been with the Jewish people. They would have seen that Isaiah was speaking to them in the context of their exile within the Babylonian Empire, but they were also able to see allusions to a Messiah who be a greater fulfillment of those prophecies. However, what they couldn’t see were the mountains above or beyond that. They couldn’t see with clarity how these promises would reach their fulfillment through that coming Messiah. It’s like seeing a mountain range in front of you and upon reaching the summit of one of those peaks you realize the mountain rage continues into the distance.

John’s limited understanding

While John was a prophet his understanding was still limited, and I suspect because of that limitation John couldn’t have ever fully understood how the Messiah’s mission would play out in detail, so whatever expectations he had, no matter how biblical they were, he could still only see from his limited human perspective, which I believe is what may caused him to second guess Jesus’ messianic identity, so Jesus answers John’s confusion by highlighting the connection between his deeds and the OT prophecies in Isaiah.

Miracles from chapters 8-9

In fact, what’s really cool is that the miracles which Matthew lists here in verses 4-5 are all found recorded back in chapters 8-9 to prove Jesus messianic identity. This is another glimpse into Matthew’s overarching intention for his book to deal specifically with Jesus messianic credentials, and even John’s question of doubt serves that purpose.

Blessed are those who are not offended by me

And finally we reach verse 6, where Jesus admonishes, if not gently rebukes, John’s question, we read,
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6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

Or as one translation puts it, “And happy is the person who is not caused to stumble because of me.” The implication, of course, is that the report that John had received, which prompted his question had, at least in some small degree, caused him to stumble on account of Jesus, it had caused him to doubt, so Jesus tells him, and by extension the rest of us, “blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Is there something about Jesus that causes you to keep him at arms length? Is there something that prevents you from believing on him? Is there something that prevents you from trusting him?

The Apostle Thomas

Jesus’ words here are reminiscent of the Apostle Thomas who didn’t believe the disciple’s report that Jesus had risen from the dead and said,
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“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

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And finally after Thomas had put his finger into the mark of Jesus’ hands and placed his hand onto his side, Jesus said to him, “Do not disbelieve, but believe.” and “ Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ()
Our Lord’s admonition for us today, and in this text, is that we might not stumble on account of him, that blessed are those who do not cease to believe, even to the smallest degree, because of him.

Prayer

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