John the baptist doubts

11:1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.

² And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples ³ and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ⁵ The blind see 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 who is not offended because of Me.”

⁷ As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. ⁹ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.
¹⁰ For this is he of whom it is written:

‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

Who will prepare Your way before You.’

¹¹ “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
¹² And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. ¹³ For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.
¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

¹⁶ “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, ¹⁷ and saying:

‘We played the flute for you,

And you did not dance;

We mourned to you,

And you did not lament.’

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

—Matthew 11:1–19

The transition in the opening statement of this section which moves from Jesus’ commissioning of the Twelve to His own tour of ministry through Galilee is a continuation of the thrust of the entire section (10:1–12:50). The passage presents the messianic claims of Jesus. According to Luke, John’s disciples came with his question in the context of the miracle at Nain where Jesus raised the widow’s son. Consequently, Jesus’ fame went throughout all Judea and the surrounding region (Luke 7:18–35).

John, imprisoned in the fortress of Machaerus by the Dead Sea, having been arrested by Herod the tetrarch of Galilee, was forced to draw his conclusions from fragments of information. He sent several of his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Is it thy coming that was foretold, or are we to wait for someone else?” (Knox). Matthew has this happening to set the stage for Christ’s interactions with the Pharisees which follow in this section.

While John was asking for “proof” of Jesus’ messiahship, Jesus, instead of offering proof, gave him evidence. The walk of faith most often means to accept evidence in the place of proof. God is His own proof and faith will not stop short of coming to God Himself. The evidence which Jesus gave was that the prophet’s words were being fulfilled (Is. 35:5; 61:1), that the messianic age had dawned with the Messiah’s activities. Jesus’ statement focused His authority to reinterpret the messianic expectation, saying, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” We can develop from this section some basic observations on the grace of God in Christ: (1) grace is at work in miraculous changes; (2) grace is being announced; and (3) grace is its own evidence, vv. 4–6.

The end of the old age has arrived, the new age is dawning. The eschaton, announced by the prophets, is not about to dawn; it has dawned (Is. 34; 61:5–7). The new age is being manifested by word and deed. Yet miracles evoke both faith and doubt, for faith is personal response to evidence. In these verses (2–6) we see (1) Johndesire for certainty about the Messiah. The doubt may not have been about our Lord’s mission but about His way of manifesting the mission. What kind of Messiah is He since He has not toppled the powers of the political and religious orders? The idea of the Suffering Servant was not primary in John’s perception. But it may be that John’s intent in his question was to press Jesus to be more open about His messiahship. We see (2) Jesus’ description of what is happening, for the Spirit’s work in community incorporates Isaiah 35:6–7. Jesus is emphasizing a different aspect of messiahship than that which was the popular concept. And we see (3) Jesus’ declaration of confidence in His self-understanding, for ultimately miracles are not the important point but rather the Person of the Christ.

Jesus pays a remarkable tribute to John, saying that He was “more than a prophet” (vv. 7–11). While God’s prophets in history were great, John was the greatest. While they predicted the messianic age, John stood at the threshold of the new age! He was more than a prophet in that he lived at the dawn of the crisis period of history. Of this, C. G. Montefiore, himself a Jew and not a Christian, said, “Christianity does mark a new era in religious history and in human civilization. What the world owes to Jesus and to Paul is immense; things can never be, and men can never think, the same as things were, and as men thought, before these two great men lived.” The inbreak of the kingdom of Christ, which John only saw at its dawning, but which went beyond John, caused Jesus to say that the “least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” This is because John did not experience the full work of Christ, the meaning of His death on the Cross, His Resurrection and His Ascension (see Luke 7:34–35; 16:16; Mark 9:11–13). We should note especially (1) the tradition of the prophet, vv.7–9; (2) the testimony of John’s prophetic role, v. 10; and (3) the transition to new kingdom realities, v. 11.

The last part of this section (vv. 12–19) gives us the new interpretation of the messianic age. First, the focus of tension is over the kingdom of heaven (v. 12). Jesus may have meant violent men oppose it; exposing the negativism of the scribes and Pharisees toward the kingdom. However, this is not an easy verse to interpret and some commentators see this as a declaration that the kingdom had to be introduced by radical acts of exorcism and healing as a part of its inbreaking rather than as a loving message of peace and mercy. But Luke’s expression that “everyone storms his way into the kingdom,” may clarify what Jesus actually meant, that the kingdom was being entered by desperate persons. Persons with intense interest and deep need pressed their way into the kingdom. Second, the fulfillment of prophecy is not readily understood (vv. 13–15). The common expectation that the messianic age would be announced by a return of Elijah was interpreted by Jesus to mean “in the spirit of Elijah,” and the fulfillment of Malachi 4:5 was introduced in John. Third, the formula of Jesus’ ministry was disregarded by his people (vv. 16–19). He said the people were acting like domineering children who blame their companions for being spoilsports.

The statement by Jesus, made in irony, says of the people who were so “wise” in their criticism, “Wisdom is justified by her chil-dren.” The scene is of children playing in the street, crying “spoilsports, spoilsports.” “We wanted to play at weddings,” shouted the boys, for the round dance at weddings is done by men; “We wanted to play at funerals,” shouted the girls, for the mourner’s dirge is done by women. The use of the word kathamenois places the children in roles of passive spectators; those playing the flute left to their playmates the more strenuous exercise, and they did not comply. Jesus said that God sent His messengers, but all the people did was to criticize. They said that the Baptist was a madman because he fasted when they wanted to make merry. They said that Jesus should be separate when He ate with sinners. All that these people wanted to do was to play childish games while missing the kingdom!

A biographical message on John should include the following: (1) John had a proper understanding of himself, John 1:19–23. (2) John had a clear sense of mission; in John 3:30 he said of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (3) John had a spiritual certainty that radiated, John 5:31–33; as William James said, “Lives based on having are less free than lives based on doing or on being.” (4) John had a reputation for righteousness, Mark 6:20, for he was heard and feared by Herod. (5) John was an effective witness to the truth, John 10:41, for the people said, “All the things that John spoke about this Man were true.” It was said by John Wesley, “Get on fire and they’ll come and watch you burn.”

¹

Matthew carefully turns our attention from the apostles, on the brink of their service, to John the Baptist, who is coming to the end of his. He has been imprisoned and sends his disciples to Jesus to ask if he is the one who was to come (v. 3). At one level, it is a surprising question from someone whose whole ministry was designed to demonstrate that Jesus was indeed the one who would do remarkable things among men (see 3:11–12). For this reason, some have suggested that John’s purpose was to encourage the disciples whom he personally sent to Jesus.

However, Jesus’ answer is directed to John; and this is the clue to help us realize that John is facing serious doubt and uncertainty. He has seen the miracles, but something does not fit his understanding of the messianic prophecies. After all, John has preached that Jesus would baptize with fire, would thresh with a winnowing fork and would burn the chaff (3:12). To date, there has been no obvious act of judgement.

Jesus sends the disciples back with an answer that draws heavily on Isaiah 61:1. There the Messiah was predicted as one anointed to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and to open the prisons to the bound. Jesus is telling John that the messianic purpose has begun to be realized among men. While John is looking for more evidence of this, Jesus asks him to be content with the evidence there is and not count it for too little.

The gospel is being preached and is authenticated by the miracles of healing and of resurrection. Isaiah went further and spoke of Messiah judging the nations; Jesus does not refer to this. This will take place in God’s time. John has to be content with the inauguration of Christ’s kingdom, and not be offended.

The whole episode gives Jesus opportunity to explain the significance of the ministry of John. The reason for this may be in part to restore John’s reputation following the message from prison; however, Jesus’ main function is to show how the very messianic purpose intimated in the Old Testament included the ministry of John. The citation of Malachi 3:1 in 11:10 demonstrates that John is the ‘messenger’ who was to herald the coming of Jesus, and the ‘Elijah’ who was predicted in Malachi 4:5.

Jesus describes John as the greatest man ever born (v. 11); yet, comparatively speaking, the ‘least’ of those now in the kingdom of Christ is greater than John. Jesus’ words are an indication of the superiority of the new administration of God’s plan of salvation which has been inaugurated in his coming and in his teaching.

The reception that John received is also mirrored in the reception that Jesus himself has received. People are fickle; disappointed expectations lead to simplistic explanations. John’s lifestyle led to his being called a devil (v. 18); Jesus’ friendship with sinners became an occasion of accusation and mockery (v. 19). Yet the service of John has been highly valued by God.²

find this passage somewhat interesting and at the same time somewhat difficult. In it, Matthew tells us of an inquiry that came to Jesus from John the Baptist, an inquiry that raises all kinds of questions.

Matthew writes: Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (vv. 1–3). In the previous five chapters, we have examined Jesus’ selection of the Twelve Apostles and His words of instruction and warning prior to sending them on a trial mission. Matthew tells us the He then departed to teach and preach, and presumably the Twelve went in other directions doing the same (see Mark 6:12; Luke 9:6). It was during this time, when Jesus was without His closest followers, that John the Baptist sent two of his own disciples to ask Jesus a question. We are told that John “had heard in prison about the works of Christ.” Matthew does not explain whether these were the works Jesus did in this specific time or those He had been performing throughout His ministry. Notice, however, that Matthew did not say “the works of Jesus.” Rather, he spoke of “the works of Christ,” that is, the Messiah. Matthew had no doubt as to who Jesus was. However, John did. He wanted to know, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

Do you feel the pathos in that question? John was languishing in prison, and he seems to have developed some doubts that Jesus actually was the Messiah. It was not always so. When Jesus came to the Jordan River to be baptized, John saw Him coming and cried out confidently: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b). John understood that he was God’s appointed herald of the Messiah, and he did not hesitate to single out Jesus as that Messiah. This suggests to us that John had a God-given understanding of the identity of Jesus and of the significance of His mission.

However, we see throughout biblical history that when God gave His message to the prophets, the prophets did not always have a complete comprehension of the message that they had been commissioned to deliver. This lack of understanding seems to have been at work in John’s case. He identified Jesus as the Redeemer, but his understanding of the work of Jesus obviously was not complete, because he balked when Jesus presented Himself for baptism. If John had had a complete understanding of Jesus and what He was about, he would have been instantly willing to baptize Jesus, for He would have known that even though Jesus was sinless, He needed to obey the whole law of God. But John did not know this. He could not immediately see how it was appropriate for the sinless Lamb of God to undergo a ritual that involved cleansing.

This lack of understanding surfaced again when John was put in prison. He heard reports that Jesus was preaching, teaching, and healing people, but these activities somehow did not meet his expectations for what the Messiah was to do. Perhaps he thought along the same lines as most of the people of the nation—that the Messiah would be a mighty King who would get rid of the Romans and bring to pass a spiritual kingdom where God would reign, not Caesar. But Jesus was doing nothing of the sort. So, John wondered: “What’s going on out there? I thought the Lamb of God was going to bring the kingdom of God that I announced. If this is the kingdom of God, what am I doing here?”

Have you ever felt like that? I think we are all prone to ask, “If God is sovereign, why did he allow this to happen to me?” Once we grasp the truth that God is sovereign, we immediately begin to come up with all kinds of expectations as to what God will do. When He does not behave the way we expect Him to, we become a bit disillusioned. I wonder what Joseph was thinking when he was languishing in prison in Egypt. I have to think that Joseph wondered whether his prayers ever got beyond the ceiling. He had no idea what God would bring to pass in his future—that he would become the prime minister of the land. Likewise, Paul languished in house arrest in Rome. I would not be surprised to learn that he, too, wondered, “Where’s God?” This is a typical human weakness.

Because of that, I am not all that distressed about John the Baptist. He was bewildered. He had incorrect expectations. He could not figure out what was happening. But to his great credit, he did the right thing. He went to Jesus with His question. He went straight to the source, sending two of his disciples who had visited him in prison. He sent them to Jesus to ask whether He really was the long-expected Savior.

One of the great tragedies of human history is that the vast majority of the Jewish people at that time thought they had this question answered. They were quite sure Jesus was not the One who was to come, and so they were determined to wait for another. John writes, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Today, two thousand years later, Jews are still waiting for the Messiah. No one has yet met their expectations. They missed the One who did come.³

John the Baptist

John the Baptist, sometimes called John the Baptizer (e.g., Matt 3:6; Mark 1:5), was born around 4 bc, six months prior to the birth of his cousin, Jesus. His parents were the elderly Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:13, 36). Prior to his son’s birth, Zechariah was told by an angel the child was to be named John (Luke 1:13). The angel also declared the boy would be spirit-empowered and was to be raised in the Nazirite tradition (Num 6:3; Judg 13:2–5)—all of which were indications of the special role this child would serve in the plans of God (Luke 1:14–15). Further, the angel related that John would minister in the spirit of Elijah, serving as a prophet and a preacher, and preparing the people for God’s intervention in history (Luke 1:16–17; Mal 4:5).

The Gospels recount little of John’s childhood years (Luke 1:80), focusing primarily on his later ministries of preaching and baptism; his work made an enormous impression on people, attracting huge crowds (Matt 3:5–6; Mark 1:5; John 3:23). John preached a message of the judgment of God and the good news (Luke 3:18).

The Gospel of Matthew indicates that John wore unique clothing, consisting of a camel hair wrap secured by a leather belt around his waist. This is a significant detail. When clothing is mentioned in the Bible, it indicates an aspect of the person’s character or role. John’s attire speaks of his function as prophet and suggests his poor economic status (see Matt 3:4; 2 Kgs 1:8; Zech 13:4). He also lived on grasshoppers and wild honey, nourishment garnered from the wilderness environment in which he lived and preached (Matt 3:1–4).

While he grew up in the wilderness of Judaea, lived as an ascetic, and practiced immersion like the Essenes from Qumran, John likely had no association with the Dead Sea community. Unlike the Essenes’ baptism, John’s baptism was performed once as an initiation to prepare people for the coming Messiah.

According to Luke 3:1, John the Baptist began preaching in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar. Tiberius’ rule started in ad 14, suggesting John began in ad 28 or ad 29. John’s preaching focused on the expected near end of history accompanied by divine judgment. The imminent judgment was described as happening in the present (Matt 3:10; Luke 3:9), and the vivid imagery was intended to summon the Jewish people to a national movement of repentance. In light of the approaching judgment, John demanded that all people repent and receive baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3). John did not consider racial privilege (being an Israelite) an exclusion from repentance and baptism (Matt 3:7–10). John’s baptism, “for the forgiveness of sins,” is slightly misleading (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; niv; tniv; nasb). It is unlikely John believed that his baptism produced forgiveness. If a person’s lifestyle was not repentant, the baptism would have no significance (Luke 3:8).

Many thought John to be the Messiah (Luke 3:15), but John predicted the coming of Jesus, whose status would make John pale in comparison (Matt 3:11–12; Mark 1:7–8; Luke 3:15–18; John 3:30). John prophesied about God’s imminent coming, preached about the need for repentance, and baptized—but the remedy for human sin required the coming of Jesus.

At one point in John’s ministry, Jesus comes to John to be baptized. John initially refuses (Matt 3:14) because Jesus clearly does not have any personal sin to be confessed. In His baptism, Jesus humbles Himself and identifies with sinners. Further, this one-time baptism marked the arrival of the era of God’s salvation.

While John closely associated himself with Jesus while in prison (Luke 7:18–23), he questions if Jesus is the expected “coming one.” This doubt is understandable since his imprisonment was likely not a part of his expectation of the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation.

Jesus said John was greater than a prophet (Matt 11:7b–9; Luke 7:26). He also said that of all those born of women, there was none greater than John (Matt 11:11; Luke 7:28). In these statements, Jesus elevated John above the ot prophets without giving him messianic status.

John was ultimately beheaded for rebuking Herod Antipas for divorcing his wife and marrying Herodias, the wife of his brother, Philip (Matt 14:3–12; Mark 6:17–29; Luke 3:19–20). John’s conflict with the authorities and his death foreshadowed some of the elements Jesus would experience in His ministry.

In John’s role as prophet, the details of God’s plan of salvation can be seen. Jesus did not just appear; God sent a messenger to proclaim His arrival and preach about the role He would play in the divine plan of redemption (Luke 1:15–17).⁴

11:3–5 Are you the one who is to come? John is probably concerned because his present imprisonment does not match his understanding of the Coming One’s arrival, which was to bring blessing on those who repented and judgment on those who did not (see note on 3:11). Jesus’ ministry, however, is in line with prophetic promises about the time of salvation, as seen especially in these descriptions that recall the words of Isaiah: the blind receive sight (cf. 9:27–31; Isa. 29:18; 35:5), the lame walk (Isa. 35:6; cf. Matt. 15:30–31), lepers are cured (Isa. 53:4; cf. Matt. 8:1–4), the deaf hear (Isa. 29:18–19; 35:5; cf. Mark 7:32–37), the dead are raised (Isa. 26:18–19; cf. Matt. 10:8; Luke 7:11–17; John 11:1–44), and the good news is preached to the poor (Isa. 61:1; cf. Matt. 5:3; Luke 14:13, 21). Jesus’ deeds gave sufficient proof of who he was and that the prophesied time of salvation had come (“the year of the Lord’s favor”; Isa. 61:1; cf. Isa. 62:1).⁵

Note the truth Jesus

Healed the blind

lame people walked

deaf hear

dead are alive

Good news is preached

Salvation is here

Matthew 11:2 (NKJV)

Rejection of John the Baptist

Luke 7:19–30

² And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples

1 Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Matthew (Vol. 24, p. 18). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

2 Campbell, I. D. (2008). Opening up Matthew (pp. 67–69). Leominster: Day One Publications.

3 Sproul, R. C. (2013). Matthew (pp. 334–335). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

4 Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

5 Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1842). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

his disciples