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MATTHEW 11 COMMETARYEDITED BY GLE PEASE
Jesus and John the Baptist1 After Jesus had finished instructing
his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in
the towns of Galilee.[a]
BARES, "And it came to pass ... - The directions to the apostles
were given in the vicinity of Capernaum. The Saviour went from
thence to preach in their cities; that is, in the cities in the
vicinity of Capernaum, or in Galilee. He did not yet go into
Judea.
CLARKE, "This verse properly belongs to the preceding chapter,
from which it should on no account be separated; as with that it
has the strictest connection, but with this it has none.
To teach and to preach - To teach, to give private instructions
to as many as came unto him; and to preach, to proclaim publicly,
that the kingdom of God is at hand; two grand parts of the duty of
a Gospel minister.
Their cities - The cities of the Jews.
GILL, "And it came to pass,.... In the course of things, and as
before determined and resolved on, that
when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples;
when he had given them a commission to preach the Gospel, had
finished all his instructions he thought fit to give them, and
orders he enjoined them, relating to that work; as where they
should go, what they should say, how they should behave, and what
treatment they should meet with; and had given them all proper
advice and encouragement,
he departed thence, from the place where he then was: he did not
desist either from the ministry of the word, or from working of
miracles, but went out into other parts of the country,
to teach and to preach in their cities: meaning either in the
cities of the Jews, or in the cities of his disciples; and these,
either the cities they belonged to, from whence they came, namely,
the cities of Galilee; for the disciples were Galilaeans, and in
which parts Christ now was; or else the cities where he sent them
to preach first, and then came himself, and confirmed their
doctrine by his own ministry and miracles.
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HERY, "The first verse of this chapter some join to the
foregoing chapter, and make it (not unfitly) the close of that.
1. The ordination sermon which Christ preached to his disciples
in the foregoing chapter is here called his commanding them. Note,
Christ's commissions imply commands. Their preaching of the gospel
was not only permitted them, but it was enjoined them. It was not a
thing respecting which they were left at their liberty, but
necessity was laid upon them, 1Co_9:16. The promises he made them
are included in these commands, for the covenant of grace is a word
which he hath commanded, Psa_
105:8. He made an end of commanding, etelesendiatassn. Note, The
instructions Christ gives are full instructions. He goes through
with his work.
2. When Christ had said what he had to say to his disciples, he
departed thence. It should seem they were very loth to leave their
Master, till he departed and separated himself from them; as the
nurse withdraws the hand, that the child may learn to go by itself.
Christ would now teach them how to live, and how to work, without
his bodily presence. It was expedient for them, that Christ should
thus go away for awhile, that they might be prepared for his long
departure, and that, by the help of the Spirit, their own hands
might be sufficient for them (Deu_33:7), and they might not be
always children. We have little account of what they did now
pursuant to their commission. They went abroad, no doubt; probably
into Judea (for in Galilee the gospel had been mostly preached
hitherto), publishing the doctrine of Christ, and working miracles
in his name: but still in a more immediate dependence upon him, and
not being long from him; and thus they were trained up, by degrees,
for their great work.
3. Christ departed, to teach and preach in the cities whither he
sent his disciples before him to work miracles (Mat_10:1-8), and so
to raise people's expectations, and to make way for his
entertainment. Thus was the way of the Lord prepared; John prepared
it by bringing people to repentance, but he did no miracles. The
disciples go further, they work miracles for confirmation. Note,
Repentance and faith prepare people for the blessings of the
kingdom of heaven, which Christ gives. Observe, When Christ
empowered them to work miracles, he employed himself in teaching
and preaching, as if that were the more honourable of the two. That
was but in order to do this. Healing the sick was the saving of
bodies, but preaching the gospel was to the saving of souls.Christ
had directed his disciples to preach (Mat_10:7), yet he did not
leave off preaching himself. He set them to work, not for his own
ease, but for the ease of the country, and was not the less busy
for employing them. How unlike are they to Christ, who yoke others
only that they may themselves be idle! Note, the increase and
multitude of labourers in the Lord's work should be made not an
excuse for our negligence, but an encouragement to our diligence.
The more busy others are, the more busy we should be, and all
little enough, so much work is there to be done. Observe, he went
to preach in their cities, which were populous places; he cast the
net of the gospel where there were most fish to be enclosed. Wisdom
cries in the cities (Pro_1:21), at the entry of the city(Pro_8:3),
in the cities of the Jews, even of them who made light of him, who
notwithstanding had the first offer.
JAMISO,"Mat_11:1-19. The imprisoned Baptists message to his
master - The reply, and discourse, on the departure of the
messengers, regarding John and his mission. ( = Luk_7:18-35).
And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding
his twelve disciple rather, the twelve disciples,
he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities This
was scarcely
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a fourth circuit - if we may judge from the less formal way in
which it was expressed -but, perhaps, a set of visits paid to
certain places, either not reached at all before, or too rapidly
passed through, in order to fill up the time till the return of the
Twelve. As to their labors, nothing is said of them by our
Evangelist. But Luke (Luk_9:6) says, They departed, and went
through, the towns, or villages, preaching the Gospel, and healing
everywhere. Mark (Mar_6:12, Mar_6:13), as usual, is more explicit:
And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they
cast out many devils (demons) and anointed with oil many that were
sick, and healed them. Though this anointing with oil was not
mentioned in our Lords instructions - at least in any of the
records of them - we know it to have been practiced long after this
in the apostolic Church (see Jam_5:14, and compare Mar_6:12,
Mar_6:13) - not medicinally, but as a sign of the healing virtue
which was communicated by their hands, and a symbol of something
still more precious. It was unction, indeed, but, as Bengel
remarks, it was something very different from what Romanists call
extreme unction. He adds, what is very probable, that they do not
appear to have carried the oil about with them, but, as the Jews
used oil as a medicine, to have employed it just as they found it
with the sick, in their own higher way.
HAWKER 1-6, ""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."
When the Lord Jesus had finished his charge to his disciples,
and was about to depart on his own personal ministry, he received a
message from John the Baptist. We have noticed somewhat of this
wonderful man, Mt 3. to which I refer. John was now in prison, for
honestly telling Herod, that his intention of taking his brother
Philips wife, was unlawful. Mat_14:4. John had given the most ample
testimony to the Redeemers person and character, and that not from
human authority, but divine. Joh_1:30-34. It now sends his
disciples to Jesus for their conviction also. I cannot for a moment
conceive, that John himself had any doubts concerning Christ,
though some writers have ventured to think so. Let the Reader turn
to the Sermon John preached to the Jews, and judge for himself.
Joh_3:27, to the end. Our Lords answer to Johns disciples is very
striking. I beg the Reader to turn to those Scriptures which speak
of the Messiah in the Old Testament, and compare them with the life
and ministry of Jesus in the New, and he will at once discover the
beautiful correspondence. Gen_3:15; Gen_22:17; Gen_49:10;
Isa_35:4-6; Isa_61:1; Isa_8:14-15; Rom_9:33; 1Pe_2:7-8. And when
the Reader hath duly pondered those blessed scriptures in proof, I
will detain him but for the moment to observe, what a gracious
testimony the Lord himself hath provided for his poor, doubting,
fearful disciples, who, in the absence of higher evidences, can
still say they love his name, amidst all their weaknesses and
undeservings. Joh_21:17.
SBC 1-6, ""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
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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."
When the Lord Jesus had finished his charge to his disciples,
and was about to depart on his own personal ministry, he received a
message from John the Baptist. We have noticed somewhat of this
wonderful man, Mt 3. to which I refer. John was now in prison, for
honestly telling Herod, that his intention of taking his brother
Philips wife, was unlawful. Mat_14:4. John had given the most ample
testimony to the Redeemers person and character, and that not from
human authority, but divine. Joh_1:30-34. It now sends his
disciples to Jesus for their conviction also. I cannot for a moment
conceive, that John himself had any doubts concerning Christ,
though some writers have ventured to think so. Let the Reader turn
to the Sermon John preached to the Jews, and judge for himself.
Joh_3:27, to the end. Our Lords answer to Johns disciples is very
striking. I beg the Reader to turn to those Scriptures which speak
of the Messiah in the Old Testament, and compare them with the life
and ministry of Jesus in the New, and he will at once discover the
beautiful correspondence. Gen_3:15; Gen_22:17; Gen_49:10;
Isa_35:4-6; Isa_61:1; Isa_8:14-15; Rom_9:33; 1Pe_2:7-8. And when
the Reader hath duly pondered those blessed scriptures in proof, I
will detain him but for the moment to observe, what a gracious
testimony the Lord himself hath provided for his poor, doubting,
fearful disciples, who, in the absence of higher evidences, can
still say they love his name, amidst all their weaknesses and
undeservings. Joh_21:17.
CALVI, ".And it happened that when Jesus had made an end In this
passage
Matthew means nothing more than that Christ did not desist from
the exercise of his
office, while the Apostles were laboring in another direction.
As soon, therefore, as
he sent them away, with the necessary instructions, to
perambulate Judea, he
performed the duties of a teacher in Galilee. The word
commanding, which
Matthew employs, is emphatic; for he means that they did not
receive a commission
to do what they pleased, but were restricted and enjoined as to
the statements which
they should make, and the manner in which they should conduct
themselves.
BARCLAY 1-6, "The career of John had ended in disaster. It was
not John's habit
to soften the truth for any man; and he was incapable of seeing
evil without
rebuking it. He had spoken too fearlessly and too definitely for
his own safety.
Herod Antipas of Galilee had paid a visit to his brother in
Rome. During that visit
he seduced his brother's wife. He came home again, dismissed his
own wife, and
married the sister-in-law whom he had lured away from her
husband. Publicly and
sternly John rebuked Herod. It was never safe to rebuke an
eastern despot and
Herod took his revenge; John was thrown into the dungeons of the
fortress of
Machaerus in the mountains near the Dead Sea.
For any man that would have been a terrible fate, but for John
the Baptist it was
worse than for most. He was a child of the desert; all his life
he had lived in the wide
open spaces, with the clean wind on his face and the spacious
vault of the sky for his
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root And now he was confined within the four narrow walls of an
underground
dungeon. For a man like John, who had perhaps never lived in a
house, this must
have been agony.
In Carlisle Castle there is a little cell. Once long ago they
put a border chieftain in
that cell and left him for years. In that cell there is one
little window, which is placed
too high for a man to look out of when he is standing on the
floor. On the ledge of
the window there are two depressions worn away in the stone.
They are the marks
of the hands of that border chieftain, the places where, day
after day, he lifted
himself up by his hands to look out on the green dales across
which he would never
ride again.
John must have been like that; and there is nothing to wonder
at, and still less to
criticize, in the fact that questions began to form themselves
in John's mind. He had
been so sure that Jesus was the One who was to come. That was
one of the
commonest titles of the Messiah for whom the Jews waited with
such eager
expectation (Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35; Luke 19:38; Hebrews 10:37;
Psalms 118:26). A
dying man cannot afford to have doubts; he must be sure; and so
John sent his
disciples to Jesus with the question: "Are you he who is to
come, or shall we look for
another?" There are many possible things behind that
question.
(i) Some people think that the question was asked, not for
John's sake at all, but for
the sake of his disciples. It may be that when John and his
disciples talked in prison,
the disciples questioned whether Jesus was really he who was to
come, and John's
answer was: "If you have any doubts, go and see what Jesus is
doing and your
doubts will be at an end." If that is the case, it was a good
answer. If anyone begins
to argue with us about Jesus, and to question his supremacy, the
best of all answers
is not to counter argument with argument, but to say, "Give your
life to him; and
see what he can do with it." The supreme argument for Christ is
not intellectual
debate, but experience of his changing power.
(ii) It may be that John's question was the question of
impatience. His message had
been a message of doom (Matthew 3:7-12). The axe was at the root
of the tree; the
winnowing process had begun; the divine fire of cleansing
judgment had begun to
burn. It may be that John was thinking: "When is Jesus going to
start on action?
When is he going to blast his enemies? When is the day of God's
holy destruction to
begin?" It may well be that John was impatient with Jesus
because he was not what
he expected him to be. The man who waits for savage wrath will
always be
disappointed in Jesus, but the man who looks for love will never
find his hopes
defeated.
(iii) Some few have thought that this question was nothing less
than the question of
dawning faith and hope. He had seen Jesus at the Baptism; in
prison he had thought
more and more about him; and the more he thought the more
certain he was that
Jesus was he who was to come; and now he put all his hopes to
the test in this one
question. It may be that this is not the question of a
despairing and an impatient
man, but the question of one in whose eyes the light of hope
shone, and who asked
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for nothing but confirmation of that hope.
Then came Jesus' answer; and in his answer we hear the accent of
confidence. Jesus'
answer to John's disciples was: "Go back, and don't tell John
what I am saying; tell
him what I am doing. Don't tell John what I am claiming; tell
him what is
happening." Jesus demanded that there should be applied to him
the most acid of
tests, that of deeds. Jesus was the only person who could ever
demand without
qualification to be judged, not by what he said, but by what he
did. The challenge of
Jesus is still the same. He does not so much say, "Listen to
what I have to tell you,"
as, "Look what I can do for you; see what I have done for
others."
The things that Jesus did in Galilee he still does. In him those
who were blind to the
truth about themselves, about their fellow-men and about God,
have their eyes
opened; in him those whose feet were never strong enough to
remain in the right
way are strengthened; in him those who were tainted with the
disease of sin are
cleansed; in him those who were deaf to the voice of conscience
and of God begin to
listen; in him those who were dead and powerless in sin are
raised to newness and
loveliness of life; in him the poorest man inherits the riches
of the love of God.
Finally comes the warning, "Blessed is he who takes no offence
at me." This was
spoken to John; and it was spoken because John had only grasped
half the truth.
John preached the gospel of divine holiness with divine
destruction; Jesus preached
the gospel of divine holiness with divine love. So Jesus says to
John, "Maybe I am
not doing the things you expected me to do. But the powers of
evil are being
defeated not by irresistible power, but by unanswerable love."
Sometimes a man can
be offended at Jesus because Jesus cuts across his ideas of what
religion should be.
COKE, "Matthew 11:1. Had made an end of commanding Had finished
his
instructions to, &c. Heylin. In their citiesmeans "in the
other cities of the Jews;"
for the pronoun is often put without having a noun going before,
to which it refers.
Compare Luke 4:15; Luke 5:17.: or else, by the cities here
mentioned, we may
understand those cities of Galilee, of which the apostles were;
see Acts 2:7. The
attentive reader will observe, that the chapters are again here
very ill divided, as
this verseshould certainly close the last chapter. See
Bengelius's Greek Testament,
the divisions whereof are the most judicious that I have met
with.
BURKITT, "Our blessed Saviour having sent forth his twelve
apostles in the
foregoing chapter, to plant and progagate the gospel, we find
him, in this chapter,
following them himself in that great and necessary work; He
departed to teach and
to preach in their cities. Christ, the great Bishop and Shepherd
of souls, sent not
forth the apostles as his curates, to labour and sweat in the
vineyard, whilst he took
his ease at home; but he followed them himself: his word of
command to them was,
Praite sequar; Go ye before, I will follow after.
ote, 1. That preaching of the gospel is a great and necessary
work, incumbent upon
all the ministers of Christ, let their dignity and pre-eminence
in the church be what
it will. one of the servants are above their Lord.
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2. That if there be a distinction betwixt teaching and
preaching, as some apprehend,
they are both the work of Christ's ministers, who are obliged
from their master's
example to perform both: teaching is in order to the conversion
of sinners, and
preaching in order to the edification of saints.
EBC 1-15, "HITHERTO almost everything has been hopeful and
encouraging in our Evangelists record of the Saviours ministry. It
began like daybreak on the shores of the sea of Galilee. Great
multitudes followed Him wherever He went; and those whom He called
to be with Him cheerfully responded to the summons. When He
preached the Gospel of the kingdom, the people were astonished at
His doctrine, and recognised that He "taught them as one having
authority, and not as the scribes." His works of healing were
warmly welcomed, and to a large extent appreciated by the people
generally, though already it was apparent that those whose selfish
interests were touched by the progress of the truth were ready to
cavil and complain. Notwithstanding this, the work has grown upon
Him so that He has found it necessary to arm His twelve disciples
with powers like His own, and send them forth as heralds of His
kingdom through the land.
But the path of the King is not to be a triumphal progress. It
is to be a via dolorosa, leading to a cross and a grave. Many
prophecies had been already fulfilled, as our Evangelist has shown
again and again: but there are others of a different sort which can
as little fail of their fulfilment, -like that which speaks of the
Messiah as "despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief." It is not at all to be wondered at, then,
that the Evangelist should now give his readers some idea of the
discouragements which met the King in the setting up of His kingdom
on the earth. The first of these which he mentions comes from a
quarter from which least of all it might have been expected.
1. John in doubt. (Mat_11:1-15)
It was, indeed, not at all unnatural that John should be in
doubt. Think of his character: stern, uncompromising, severe, and
bold to rashness. Think of his circumstances: languishing in prison
for the truths sake, without any prospect of rescue; -after all,
was Jesus King, or Herod? Remember, too, in what terms he had
predicted the coming One: "Now also the axe is laid unto the roots
of the trees"; "He that cometh after me is mightier than I"; "Whose
fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and
gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff
with unquenchable fire." Did not this betoken a work which would be
swift, severe, thorough, -very different from anything of which he
could hear in his prison cell? The coming of the kingdom was too
gentle and too slow for the stern, impatient Baptist. Accordingly,
"offended" (see Mat_11:6, R.V: "finding occasion of stumbling") in
his Master, he sends this message, in the hope possibly that it may
constrain Him to avow Himself and to bring matters to a crisis:
"Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?"
Though it was natural enough that John should doubt, it was none
the less trying to Jesus. The disciples were only children yet. Not
one of them could enter into full sympathy with Him. John, the
forerunner, was the one strong man, on whom He had reason
thoroughly to rely, who had been tried again and again, and always
found brave and true. Yet it is he who sends the doubting message.
What a shock it must have been to the sensitive heart, what a trial
to the faith, of the Man Christ Jesus!
The message must have been a very disturbing and disconcerting
one, and fitted, if widely known, to neutralise to a large degree
in the minds of the people the witness John
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had borne to Jesus. It is the last thing the Evangelist would
have thought of mentioning, if he had been actuated in the
selection of his material by motives of policy; and the fact that
this incident is published in two of the Gospels is a striking
illustration of what is manifest throughout-the perfect simplicity
and candour of the sacred historians.
Have we not reason to be most thankful that they did record it?
To the truly thoughtful mind it is no weakening of the testimony of
John; while it is full of comfort for the honest doubter, giving
him the assurance that even when the most serious questions trouble
him-even though the very foundations of his faith seem to be
shaken-"there hath no temptation taken" him "but such as is common
to man," such as even a brave and true soul like John had to face;
full of encouragement also to do just as he did, -go straight to
the Master Himself with the doubts, and let Him deal with
them-wisely, faithfully, tenderly-as He does here.
How, then, does He deal with them? By a miracle, opening the
prison doors, and so making it perfectly plain to him that not
Herod, but Jesus, is King? By a sudden outburst of vengeance,
destroying hosts of unrepentant sinners and alarming all the
country side, and so satisfying the sternest thoughts of the
Baptist in his cell? Not at all. He deals with them as He intends
to deal with doubters always: points him quietly to the many tokens
of His Divine mission-not in the way of judgment wrought on sinners
nor of any grand demonstration which will astonish the nation, but
in the quiet progress of His helpful, healing, comforting work:
"Go, and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: 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." Then He encourages him to hold
fast the beginning of his confidence firm unto the end, by adding
the significant words, "Blessed is he, whosoever shall find none
occasion of stumbling in Me" (R.V). It was far better for John
himself that he should be allowed to rally, than that anything
special should be done to meet his doubts. He did rally; he did
secure the blessing his Master set before him; he was satisfied
without any open demonstration, satisfied to wait on and suffer in
faith and patience, till at last he sealed the testimony of his
magnificent life by a martyrs death.
Those are in some respects to be envied who in childlike
simplicity believe without doubt or question; but there is a
special blessing for those who by the very force of their nature
must wrestle with doubt:, yet in the trying hour find no occasion
of stumbling in Him. They come out of the conflict more than
conquerors through Him that loved them.
The answer sent to John was kind; but there was no flattery in
it-not even a word of commendation of his heroic endurance. The
Master knew the strength of His disciple, and He dealt with him
accordingly. But as soon as the messengers are gone He tells the
people what He thinks of him. He in effect deprecates the thought
of judging John by a message sent in an hour of weakness and
despondency. "Do not imagine for a moment," He seems to say, "that
the man you went out into the wilderness to see is feeble as a
reed, or soft as a courtier. He is all, and more than all, you took
him to be. He is a prophet indeed; and much more, for He is a
herald of the heavenly King. Among them that are born of woman
there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist; and though he
has not the advantages of even the little ones in the kingdom of
heaven, inasmuch as he belongs to the old dispensation, yet, as
herald of the new, he occupies a peculiarly honoured place-he
stands between the old and the new; for all the prophets and the
law prophesied until John; while from the days of John the Baptist
until now the kingdom of heaven is preached, and men are pressing
into it. He is, in fact, if only you had ears to hear, if only your
minds were open to read the Scriptures according to the spirit of
them, that very Elijah whose coming your prophet has taught you to
expect" (Mat_11:7-14).
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So far we have followed what seems to be the drift of our
Saviours words in regard to John; but there is more than this in
them. He is contrasting the feebleness and fickleness of the
multitude with the strength and stability of John. There is before
His mind, throughout, the thought of the transcendent importance of
the events of the time as compared with the thoughtlessness of the
people of the time. The question "What went ye out for to see?" was
intended not merely to bring into relief the greatness of John, but
to search their hearts. The important events of the time had
circled first around John the Baptist, then around Himself. The
people had not the least idea of the transcendent greatness of John
and still less of the infinite greatness Of Him to Whom he had
borne witness. Jesus did not wish as yet fully to assert His own
claims, yet He desired to bring the inconsiderate multitudes to
some conception of the things which their eyes saw, to rebuke and,
if possible, to correct their thoughtlessness and indifference.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR 1-5, "Art Thou He that should come?
Johns inquiry
I. The inquiry made by the baptist. It was suggested by the
incredulous state of his disciples.
(1) Because if Jesus was Messiah He had not exerted His power
for the deliverance of John from prison;
(2) Because they observed that our Saviour had as yet made no
public claim to the title; and
(3) Because the manner of our Saviours life and conversation had
less appearance of sanctity than the life of their master.
II. The reply made by the saviour.
1. AS to the manner of it. It is not direct and positive, but
enables them to answer their question themselves.
2. As to the matter of it. Three things deserve to be weighed by
us.
(a) The remarkable gradation and rise there is in the
particulars there mentioned;
(b) The appositeness of it in relation to the inquirers;
(c) The general force and evidence of the argument contained in
it. (Francis Atterbury.)
Marks of convincing miracles
I. They must be above the known powers of all natural
causes.
II. They must he done publicly and in the face of the world,
that there may be no room to suspect artifice and collusion.
III. The doctrines which they are brought to vouch must be every
way worthy of God.
IV. They should carry marks of good-will and beneficence to
men.
V. It is the more convincing if such miracles were foretold,
and
VI. If there be no appearances of self-interest and design in
the worker of such miracles.
-
(Francis Atterbury.)
Johns message to Jesus
It will appear odd that John should entertain any doubt, or
require any satisfaction about this matter John sent this message,
not from any doubt which he himself entertained of the matter, but
in order that the doubts which his disciples had conceived about it
might receive an answer and satisfaction from the fountain head.
From our Lords answer we are entitled to infer that-
I. The faith which He required was a rational assent and faith
founded upon proof and evidence. These were given in His
miracles.
II. Our Lords miracles distinguished Him from John.
III. Our Lord distinctly put, the truth of His pretensions upon
the evidence of His miracles.
IV. Our Lord fixes the guilt of file unbelieving Jews upon this
article, that they rejected miraculous proofs which ought to have
convinced them. (W. PaIey.)
Proving Jesus to be the Messias
I. The evidence which our saviour gives of his being the true
messiah, and to prove this three things were necessary:-
1. To show that He was sent by God, and had a peculiar
commission from Him, by the miracles which He wrought.
2. This will more clearly appear by the correspondency of the
things here mentioned with what was foretold by the prophets
concerning the Messias.
(1) It was foretold of the Messias that He should work
miraculous cures (Isa_30:4-6);
(2) That He should preach the gospel to the poor (Isa_61:1);
(3) That the world should be offended at Him (Isa_8:14).
II. An intimation in the text that notwithstanding all the
evidence Christ gave of himself yet many world be offended at
him.
1. Consider how the poor came to be more disposed to receive the
gospel than others. They had no earthly interest to engage them to
reject the Saviour. They enjoy little of the good things of this
life, and are willing to entertain good news of happiness in
another.
2. What those prejudices are which the world had against Christ.
That He wrought miracles by diabolical skill; that He kept company
with sinners; that He profaned the Sabbath. (J. Tillotson, D.
D.)
The Messiah
I. The prophets declared that the Saviour should be Himself the
Everlasting God (Mic_
-
5:2).
II. The family of the Messiah was foretold (Isa_11:1).
III. The prophets foretold the time at which the Saviour should
be born.
IV. The place of the Saviours birth was foretold.
V. The character of the Messiah was the subject of prophecy.
VI. The offices the Messiah was to sustain for His people were
foretold by the prophets.
VII. The prophets plainly foretold the manner of Christs death,
resurrection, and exaltation. Application:-
1. To those who treat with unholy mirth this sacred season.
2. There may be some whose faith in the incarnate Son of God is
assaulted by Satan, and perplexed by cruel doubts.
3. There are those who have been effectually taught by the
Spirit to believe in Him who came in the flesh. No man can say that
Jesus is the Christ but by the Holy Ghost. (E. Blencowe, M. A.)
Third Sunday in Advent
I. The word of the Lord stands firm. Forty centuries had passed
since the promise of the seed of the woman had been given.
II. The work of the Lord goes on. Men may not understand it; His
own servants may be perplexed about it. But there is the secure
ongoing of the eternal plan.
III. The consummation cometh-all that pertains to Messianic work
He will perform. God has no cause for haste. (J. A. Seiss, D.
D.)
I. Johns doubt. The subject of the doubt-the Messiahship of
Jesus.
II. Johns way of acting under the doubt.
1. What he did not do. He did not boast of His doubt. He was not
content to remain in this state of-doubt without making an effort
to rise out of it.
III. Christs answer to johns doubt. Johns question is, in
substance, the question of to-day. But the answer of Jesus is
distinct, calm, dignified. (Dr. Ritchie.)
Doubting
I. That there is No sin in doubting. Some doubts are sinful,
when born of irrational prejudices, or bred of unregulated life.
But doubt, of its own nature, cannot be sinful. Must be hesitation
till evidence be sufficient.
II. But faith is better than doubt. We are never encouraged in
Scripture in cultivating an inner habit of intellectual or moral
scepticism. Doubt is only a means to faith.
III. There may exist honest doubt, notwithstanding diligent
efforts made to remove it.
-
1. In any attempt to subdue scepticism, regard should be had to
the proximate cause of it, or to the real cause of it. Much
perplexity has a physical cause. The gospel for the body: rest,
change, ocean, may remove this. Doubt has intellectual cause; not
to be forced down by acts of will, but by prayer for more light.
There are doubts which have a moral origin. Let conscience speak
and remove them.
2. That nearly all doubts concerning Christ or Christian truth,
ought to be brought in some way before Christ Himself, and given as
it were into His own hand for solution. Christs reply to the
Baptist was clear, prompt, convincing. It is an argumentative
reply; fresh evidence is presented. Christs work is always open to
examination, and testifies to His Messiahship; if it does not then
do not believe. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)
Doubt, a means to faith
What would be thought of a chemist who should conduct an
experiment, day after day, making a number of little variations in
his method, but always withholding the deciding element from the
crucible, or else persistently refusing to look at the result? Or,
what would be thought of a merchant, always reckoning up his
figures, but never writing down the final sums? Or, what of a
captain who should sail his ship in a circle? Or, of a traveller
always on the road, never reaching home or inn? (A. Raleigh, D.
D.)
Conflicts with unbelief.
Martin Luther, of a kindred spirit with the Baptist, and with a
like task to perform, had many days of despondency, and passed
through many conflicts of unbelief. He writes: One may overcome the
temptations of the flesh, but how hard it is to struggle against
the temptations of blasphemy and despair. Again: Having all but
lost my Christ, I was beaten by the waves and tempests of despair
and blasphemy. Bunyan, who, with his wonderful imagination, could
body forth the things unseen and spiritual, as if he could see them
with his eyes, hear them with his ears, and touch them with his
hands, had many conflicts with unbelief. Of all temptations I ever
met with in my life, he says, to question the being of God and the
truth of His gospel is the worst, and worst to be borne. When this
temptation comes it takes my girdle from me, and removes the
foundation from under me. Though God has visited my soul with never
so blessed a discovery of Himself, yet afterwards I have been in my
spirit so filled with darkness, that I could not so much as once
conceive what that God and that comfort were with which I had been
refreshed.
Natural melancholy obstructs the sense of Divine comfort
As it is in clear water, when it is still and transparent, the
sun shines to the very bottom; but, if you stir the mud, presently
it grows so thick that no light can pierce into it. So it is with
the children of God: though their apprehensions of Gods love be as
clear and transparent, sometimes, as the very air that the angels
and glorified saints breathe in heaven, yet if once the muddy
humour of melancholy stirs they become dark, so that no ray of
comfort can break into the deserted soul. (Bishop Hopkins.)
Morbid self-suspicions
Colton declares that in moments of despondency Shakespeare
thought himself no poet;
-
and Raphael doubted his right to be called a painter. We call
such self-suspicions morbid, and ascribe them to a hypochondriacal
fit; in what other way can we speak of those doubts as to their
saintship, which occasionally afflict the most eminently holy of
the Lords people!
Truth not afraid of the light
Here is One evidently, who is not afraid of the light. He will
not seek the homage of superstition. Depend on it, Christ is glad
of the science of to-day, and its investigations, when carried on
in the spirit of reverence and earnestness. He is glad for the
broadening light, and for every new coign of vantage whence we can
look at Him. Shall we, then, be afraid of the light? When we take a
rose, a lily out of the garden, we put it in the clearest light
that all its beauty may be seen. We are not afraid of the light for
it. We say, Get the microscope, and let its lenses concentrate the
rays upon these flowers of God, and they will glorify Him all the
more. Shall it not be so with this Rose of Sharon, this Lily of the
Valley! Ask your question! Push your inquiry! Who is afraid of it?
Not Christ. Not we. (J. Brierley, B. A.)
2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the
Messiah, he sent his disciples
BARES, "The account contained in this chapter of Matthew, to the
Mat_11:19, is found, with no material variation, in Luke 7:18-35.
John was in prison. Herod had thrown him into confinement on
account of his faithfulness in reproving him for marrying his
brother Philips wife. See Mat_14:3-4.
It is not certainly known why John sent to Jesus. It might have
been to satisfy his disciples that he was the Messiah; or he might
have been desirous of ascertaining for himself whether this person,
of whom he heard so much, was the same one whom he had baptized,
and whom he knew to be the Messiah. See Joh_1:29.
CLARKE, "John had heard in the prison - John was cast into
prison by order of Herod Antipas, Mat_14:3, etc., (where see the
notes), a little after our Lord began his public ministry,
Mat_4:12; and after the first passover, Joh_3:24.
GILL, "Now when John had heard in the prison,.... The person
here spoken of is John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, who
was now in the prison of Machaerus; being put there by Herod, for
his reproving him for taking Herodias, his brother Philip's wife;
and whilst he was there, an account was brought him by his own
disciples, see Luk_7:18 of
-
the works of Christ, the miracles he wrought; as the healing of
the centurion's servant, the raising from the dead the widow's son
of Nain, and the like; upon hearing of which,
he sent two of his disciples, who might be the most prejudiced
against Christ, because of the increase of his followers, and the
decrease of their master's; and because he did not live such an
austere life as John did; and who, notwithstanding all that they
had heard, and their master had told them of Jesus, were not easily
persuaded that he was the true Messiah. Moreover, two of them were
sent, both because it was more honourable to Christ, and that they
might be proper witnesses of what they saw and heard; and since it
was not so much for himself, as for the sake of his disciples, that
these messengers were sent.
HERY, "What he preached we are not told, but it was probably to
the same purpose with his sermon on the mount. But here is next
recorded a message which John Baptist sent to Christ, and his
return to it, Mat_11:2-6. We heard before that Jesus heard of
John's sufferings, Mat_4:12. Now we are told that John, in prison,
hears of Christ's doings. He heard in the prison the works of
Christ; and no doubt he was glad to hear of them, for he was a true
friend of the Bridegroom, Joh_3:29. Note, When one useful
instrument is laid aside, God knows how to raise up many others in
the stead of it. The work went on, though John was in prison, and
it added no affliction, but a great deal of consolation, to his
bonds. Nothing more comfortable to God's people in distress, than
to hear of the works of Christ; especially to experience them in
their own souls. This turns a prison into a palace. Some way or
other Christ will convey the notices of his love to those that are
in trouble for conscience sake. John could not see the works of
Christ, but he heard of them with pleasure. And blessed are they
who have not seen, but only heard, and yet have believed.
JAMISO,"Now when John had heard in the prison For the account of
this imprisonment, see on Mar_6:17-20.
the works of Christ, he sent, etc. On the whole passage, see on
Luk_7:18-35.
CALVI, "2.ow when John had heard. The Evangelists do not mean
that John
was excited by the miracles to acknowledge Christ at that time
as Mediator; but,
perceiving that Christ had acquired great reputation, and
concluding that this was a
fit and seasonable time for putting to the test his own
declaration concerning him,
he sent to him his disciples. The opinion entertained by some,
that he sent them
partly on his own account, is exceedingly foolish; as if he had
not been fully
convinced, or obtained distinct information, that Jesus is the
Christ. Equally absurd
is the speculation of those who imagine that the Baptist was
near death, and
therefore inquired what message he should carry, from Christs
mouth as it were, to
the deceased fathers. It is very evident that the holy herald of
Christ, perceiving that
he was not far from the end of his journey, and that his
disciples, though he had
bestowed great pains in instructing them, still remained in a
state of hesitation,
resorted to this last expedient for curing their weakness. He
had faithfully labored,
as I have said, that his disciples should embrace Christ without
delay. His continued
entreaties had produced so little effect, that he had good
reason for dreading that,
after his death, they would entirely fall away; and therefore he
earnestly attempted
-
to arouse them from their sloth by sending them to Christ.
Besides, the pastors of
the Church are here reminded of their duty. They ought not to
endeavor to bind and
attach disciples to themselves, but to direct them to Christ,
who is the only Teacher.
From the beginning, John had openly avowed that he was not the
bridegroom,
(John 3:29.) As the faithful friend of the bridegroom he
presents the bride chaste
and uncontaminated to Christ, who alone is the bridegroom of the
Church. Paul
tells us that he kept the same object in view, (2 Corinthians
11:2,) and the example
of both is held out for imitation to all the ministers of the
Gospel.
BROADUS, "Message From John The Baptist, And Resulting
Discourse
Having given a general account of our Lord's journeys about
Galilee, with some
important specimens of his teaching and his miracles (compare on
Matthew 8:1),
and having added an account of his sending out the Twelve, with
much preparatory
instruction, Matthew now advances to other topics. Before
introducing examples of
the Parables (Matthew 13), he mentions a remarkable message from
John the
Baptist, and our Lord's discourse thereupon, (Matthew 11:2-30)
and then gives
instances of avowed opposition to him on the part of the
Pharisees. (Matthew 12.)
The paragraph noted above (Matthew 11:2-19) includes so much of
the discourse
occasioned by John's message as relates to John himself. This is
also given, and with
unusually little difference of phraseology, by Luke; (Luke
7:18-35) and from the
connection of his narrative it appears probable, (compare Luke
7:1, Luke 7:11,
Luke 7:18) that this message from John was sent shortly after
the delivery of the
Sermon on the Mount. We have heretofore seen that the
arrangement of Matthew,
in Matthew 5-13, is not chronological but topical, a course not
uncommonly pursued
by historians and biographers.
I. Matthew 11:2 f. The Message
ow when John had heard in the prison. As to John's early life
and ministry, see on
"Matthew 8:1 ff." It has been stated in Matthew 4:12, that he
was 'delivered up,' in
the way familiar to Matthew's first readers, and afterwards
described. (Matthew
14:3 ff.) He had now been confined in the Castle of Machaerus,
east of the Dead Sea
(see on "Matthew 14:3"), for probably not less than twelve
months, during which
time Jesus has been pursuing his ministry in Galilee. John was
allowed some
intercourse with his followers, (Matthew 10:2, Luke 7:18) who
brought him
accounts of what was going on in the outer world. Yet this year
of imprisonment
must have been for him a dreary time. He had indeed been
accustomed to
comparative solitude for years 'in the deserts'; (Luke 1:80) but
at that time life was
before him with its high hopes, and he doubtless felt himself to
be preparing for a
great mission, the nature of which was gradually growing clearer
to his mind. Then
came some eighteen months of public labours, during which he was
attended by vast
crowds, and his ardent nature must have revelled in the high
excitement of his work.
And now he is shut up, he, a "son of the wilderness," in one of
the deep, dark, and
frightfully hot dungeons of Machaerus, deprived of fresh air and
bodily exercise, of
cheerful mental employment and opportunity to do good, and
dependent for any
future opportunities on the caprice of a weak king and a cruel
woman. As Elijah
-
sometimes got sadly out of heart, so John, who in many respects
closely resembled
him (see on "Matthew 3:4"), would be likely to grow desponding,
in this season of
enforced idleness and uncertain danger. (Compare the occasional
depression of
Moses also.) This state of things may account for the perplexity
which John's
message of enquiry seems to indicate. He heard from his
disciples, (Luke 7:18) who
would learn the report, circulated throughout the country, (Luke
7:17) and some of
whom had at least on one occasion heard Jesus themselves.
(Matthew 9:14)
The works of (the) Christ. Matthew's narrative usually employs
our Lord's proper
name, Jesus; but in introducing John's question whether Jesus
was the Messiah, he
implies the answer by calling him 'the Christ,' i.e., the
Messiah. (Compare on
Matthew 16:21 and on Matthew 1:1): For the importance of the
article, 'the Christ,'
see on "Matthew 2:4". His 'works' signify his general activity
(which would include
teaching), but especially his miracles. This seems to be
suggested by the answer,
(Matthew 10:4 f.) which points to the things they 'bear and
see,' to his miracles and
the good tidings he preached. Likewise 'all these things' in
Luke 7:18, would
naturally include not merely the two miracles which there
immediately precede, but
some account of his remark. able teachings, as in the Sermon on
the Mount, which
had just occurred. Even in John, who usually employs the term
'works' to mean
miracles, (John 5:36, John 10:38, etc.) in Matthew 9:4 'work the
works of him that
sent me,' can hardly be restricted to miraculous works. Sent two
of (properly by) his
disciples, (compare Revelation 1:1) was in many manuscripts and
versions altered
into 'sent two of his disciples' (simply changing to), so as to
be like Luke 7:19. The
true reading in Matt. 'by' or 'through' implies all the more
strongly that John sent
the message of enquiry for his own satisfaction. We still know
from Luke (Luke
7:19) that the number of messengers was two; they would be
company for each
other in the journey of some eighty miles, and might supplement
and confirm each
other's statements upon returning. (Compare on Matthew 10:5) For
the word
disciples, see on "Matthew 5:1"; as to the position of the
disciples of John at this
period, see on "Matthew 9:14".
Art thou he that should come, or the coming (one)? 'Thou' is
expressed in the
original and at the head of the sentence, so as to be strongly
emphatic; and to this
corresponds the emphatic position in the Greek of another. 'The
coming (one)' had
become a familiar designation of the Messiah, (Matthew 3:11,
Matthew 21:9,
Matthew 23:39; John 6:14, John 11:27; Hebrews 10:37) having
probably been
derived from Psalms 118:26, Matthew 3:1 f., etc. Look we, or
more probably, 'are
we to look,' as in oyes and Darby, or 'shall we look' as in
Tyndale and Geneva. The
Greek subjunctive has in this word the same form as the
indicative, and so the term
is ambiguous. The Latin versions take it as indicative, and this
probably influenced
the Common Version, following Great Bible and Rheims. The
Peshito is ambiguous,
but the Memphitic is distinctly subjunctive. The majority of
leading commentators
take it as subjunctive (see Meyer, Weiss). The plural, 'are we
to look,' means
persons in general who cherished the Messianic hope. The form of
John's question
seems naturally to imply (Weiss) that he had regarded Jesus as
the Messiah, and
that he wished to learn whether he should still think so. The
whole tone of the
narrative, even more in Luke than Matthew, naturally suggests
that John asked at
-
least in part on his own account, to remove difficulties in his
own mind. So already
Origen (Cremer): "John's question was not for his own sake
alone, but also for the
sake of those who were sent." Tertullian also three times
intimates that John himself
was in doubt whether Jesus was the Messiah. So among recent
writers, eander,
Meyer, Bleek, Ewald, Keim, Reuss, Godet, Plumptre, Schaff,
etc.
But many have thought it wholly inconsistent with John's
position and previous
testimony to suppose that he now felt personally the slightest
doubt; and so they
hold that he sent simply for the satisfaction of his disciples.
So Chrys. (and his
followers), with Cyril, Aug., and Jerome, followed by Luther,
Calvin, and Beza, by
Bengel, Maldonatus, and many others. ow, it is always desirable
to accept the
plain, straightforward meaning of a passage, unless there be
insuperable difficulties
in the way of so doing. Any one who did not know John's previous
utterances would
certainly understand Matt. and Luke as here implying that he
sent to Jesus for his
own sake as well as that of his disciples. It is very difficult
to believe that John
would send in his own name ('are we to look for another?') and
Jesus send back the
answer to him personally ('Go, your way and tell John'), when it
was all merely for
effect upon the minds of John's followers. Theophyl. actually
says that John "affects
to inquire," and Euthym., "in pretence inquiring." The only
reason for adopting
such an interpretation is the supposition that John cannot have
been in doubt after
his known previous testimony. But while John knew himself to be
the harbinger of
Jesus (John 1:33) and also to be the harbinger of the Messiah,
(John 3:28) as indeed
had been understood by his father Zachariah, (Luke 1:67-79)
still it was conceivable
that Jesus might possibly not be the Messiah. Among the various
confused ideas
which the Jews had developed from imperfectly understood
Messianic prophecies,
the notion was entertained by some that a succession of great
personages would
arise. Elijah, they generally believed, would return to life;
some thought that
Jeremiah also would return, and perhaps others of the great
prophets; then there
was 'the prophet' predicted in Deuteronomy 18:15, who was not
universally
identified with the Messiah. (See John 1:20 f.; John 7:40 f.;
Matthew 16:14, Luke
9:19) Some thought it very likely that these would come in quick
succession, to
herald with all the greater pomp the approach of the glorious
King of Israel. Some
such notion is certainly involved in the question, 'Art thou the
coming (one), or are
we to look for another ?' ow, John would naturally share the
current Jewish ideas
(as the apostles did at that time), except so far as they were
corrected by the special
revelations given to him. These revelations, according to the
whole history and
manifest law of God's communications to men, extended only to
the truths necessary
for his own station and appointed work. There is therefore
nothing surprising, and
nothing derogatory to John, in the idea that amid the despondent
and perplexed
thoughts of a weary prisoner, he began sometimes to question
whether Jesus was
himself the Messiah, or only a second and greater forerunner.
Points which later
revelations have made clear enough to us, may easily have
perplexed him. We need
not suppose that he at any time wholly lost his persuasion that
Jesus was the
Messiah, but only that he became harassed by difficulties that
he could not solve;
and he shows great confidence in Jesus by referring the whole
question to him.
These 'works' which he heard of as wrought by Jesus were very
remarkable. But
how strange it was that the great worker, to whom he had himself
borne testimony,
-
did not come out publicly in the Messianic character, and have
himself crowned,
and reign as the Anointed King; how strange that, with the power
of working such
astonishing miracles, he should leave his devoted servant and
herald to languish so
long in this unjust imprisonment, cut off from the work in which
he delighted. John
was embarrassed, plexedperhaps (Kohler, Morison) impatienthe
knew not
what to think, and was weary of waitinghe would send and ask
Jesus himself;
and while the answer cleared up his own perplexity, as he hoped
would be the case,
and perhaps aroused Jesus to prompter action, it might at the
same time help him in
overcoming (compare John 3:25-30) the obstinate hostility to
Jesus which some of
his disciples manifested (Compare on Matthew 9:14)
COFFMA, "John had grown uncertain as to whether Christ was
indeed the
Messiah or not. The uncertainty probably arose from the
following circumstances:
(1) John had been cast into prison, and Christ had made no move
to free him; (2)
John was suffering cruel and unjust persecution and probably
foresaw his
approaching martyrdom; (3) Jesus' identity as the Messiah was
not being
proclaimed at that time with the dogmatic certainty which John
doubtless expected;
(4) the reasons for Christ's reticence about his Messiahship
could not have been
clear to John. In fact, people would be somewhat in the dark
about this, even today,
had it not been for Luke's concise statement of the strait in
which Jesus found
himself at that moment. "I have a baptism to be baptized with,
and how am I
straitened till it be accomplished!" (Luke 12:50). The
philosopher John Locke
traced the narrowness of the path our Lord had to travel. It was
his purpose to die
for the sins of the world; but his purpose would have been
thwarted if he had been
put to death for sedition. The popular misconception that the
Messiah would
supplant the Romans made it very difficult to walk the fine line
between convincing
all people of good will, on the one hand, that he was actually
the Messiah, while, on
the other hand, at the same time dispelling any thought that he
would take the
secular government away from the Romans. That Jesus was indeed
hard pressed or
"straitened" to find the true ground between those two parallel
courses is evident.
In this frame of reference, it is easy to see why Christ would
openly declare himself
the Messiah while conversing with the woman at the well of
Samaria (John 4:26),
whose word was worthless in court because she was a Samaritan,
and upon other
occasions fail back upon more noncommittal expressions such as
"thou sayest."
The deputation from John, therefore, precipitated a very
delicate situation. It was
absolutely necessary that John be confirmed in his conviction
that Jesus was the
Messiah, but not by any declaration that would result in Jesus'
being hailed into
court as a seditionist. Dummelow summed up Christ's skilled
handling of the
question in these words,
By a reference to Isaiah 61:1, he declared plainly enough, and
yet not too plainly,
that he was the Messiah. He worked a number of miracles in their
presence in proof
of his Messianic claims (Luke 7:21), and finally sent them back
to John with a
message in which he expressly mentioned his miracles, and
promised a blessing to
those who should attach themselves to him. The spectacle of
Christ's miracles must
have been particularly impressive to the disciples of John, who
performed no
-
miracles (John 10:41)[1]
It should be noted that in times of personal misfortune,
suffering, hardship, or
persecution, one's faith is inclined to waver; and those things
which seemed so
positive and certain under more favorable circumstances and in
brighter days tend
to be dimmed and obscured. Any sufferer who struggles with
life's tribulations and
feels that his prayers have not been answered can find deep: and
sympathetic
thoughts for John and his doubts. ote too that John took the
wise course by
presenting his difficulties and uncertainties directly to the
Lord. If he had inquired
of the Pharisees, or others, he could have found no alleviation
of his distress. Take it
up with Jesus. That is always best, and in fact is the only way
to solve problems and
doubts. ote again that Jesus said, "Go show John AGAI ..."
(Matthew 11:4,
KJV). This teaches that even the best men and the most faithful
disciples need to be
told "again and again" the wonderful things of Christ and his
kingdom.
Tell me the story slowly, That I may take it in. That wonderful
redemption, God's
remedy for sin; Tell me the story often, For I forget so soon:
The early dew of
morning Has passed away at noon.[2]
- Hymn: "Tell Me the Old, Old Story"
[1] J. R. Dummelow, One Volume Commentary (ew York: The
Macmillan
Company, 1937), p. 664.
[2] Kate Hankey, Hymn o. 227, "Tell Me the Old, Old Story"
(Chicago: Great
Songs Press, 1960).
ELLICOTT, "(2) When John had heard in the prison.The position of
the Baptist
was so far that of a prisoner treated with respect. Herod
himself observed him, and
heard him gladly. Herodias had not yet found an occasion of
revenge. His disciples
came and went freely. Some of these we have seen (Matthew 9:14)
as present when
our Lord was teaching, and certain to hear of such wonders as
those narrated in
Matthew 8, 9. He himself, in the prison of Machrus, was
languishing with the
sickness of hope deferred for the Messianic kingdom, which he
had proclaimed. His
disciples brought back word of what they had seen and heard
(Luke 7:18), and yet
all things continued as before, and there was no deliverance
either for himself or
Israel. Under the influence of this disappointment, he sent his
two disciples with the
question which the next verse records.
BESO, "Matthew 11:2-6. ow when John had heard in the prison
(into which he
had been cast by Herod Antipas, a little after he began his
public ministry, chap.
Matthew 4:12, and Matthew 14:3, &c.) of the works of Christ
That is, of some of
his many miracles, &c. He sent two of his disciples ot, as
is probable, because
he doubted himself, but to confirm their faith. And said, Art
thou he that should
come amely, the Messiah? Or look we for another Under that
character?
Considering what clear evidence John had received by a
miraculous sign from
heaven that Jesus was the Messiah, (see John 1:33,) and what
express and repeated
testimonies he himself had borne to this truth, it cannot
reasonably be supposed that
-
he now doubted of it. But some of his disciples, offended and
discouraged by his
long imprisonment, as well as the freedom of Christs
conversation, so different
from the austerity used by their master and his disciples, might
begin to call it in
question, and therefore John might think it necessary to put
them in the way of
obtaining further satisfaction. Doddridge. ow at this very time,
according to
Luke, (Luke 7:21,) Jesus cured many of their infirmities and
plagues, &c. He
therefore said to these disciples, Go and show John those things
which ye hear and
see Which are a stronger proof of my being the Messiah than any
bare assertions
can be. Comp. Isaiah 35:5-6; Isaiah 61:1. And blessed is he
whosoever shall not be
offended in me Or brought to doubt my being the Messiah on
account of the
mean circumstances in which I appear. For many will be induced
to question it,
notwithstanding all the evidences I have given, and shall give
of it.
COKE, "Matthew 11:2. ow when John had heard, &c. Beausobre
and Lenfant,
with some others, think, that John was so discouraged by his own
long
imprisonment, that he began himself to doubt whether Jesus was
himself the
Messiah; and agreeably to this he supposes, that when our Lord
says, happy is he
that is not offended in me, he meant it as a caution to John
that he should be upon
his guard against so dangerous a temptation. But, considering
what clear evidence
John had before received by a miraculous sign from heaven, and
what express and
repeated testimonies he himself had borne to Jesus, I cannot
imagine this to have
been possible; especially as he foresaw and foretold that he
must himself quickly be
laid aside. John 3:30. But his disciples might very probably be
offended at this
circumstance, as well as at the freedom of Christ's
conversation, so different from
the austerity used among them; and, therefore, he might think it
necessary to put
them in the way of farther satisfaction; not to saythat John
might have been uneasy
at the reserve which Christ maintained, and that he might
imagine it agreeable to
the good design of his own office thus to urge a more express
declaration. This
appears an easy and natural solution of the difficulty arising
from this event. Some
writers, however,and those of distinction, are of different
sentiments. Mr. Bell, in his
treatise on the divine mission of John the Baptist, and the Lord
Jesus Christ, part 3:
sect. 8 has shewn, that this remarkable message, viewed in every
light, supplies us
with one of the most satisfactory circumstantial proofs of the
integrity and divine
character of the Lord Jesus, and of the truth of the Baptist's
mission, which the
gospel affords: and whether we can point out the particular
motives which actually
induced the true Elias to send his disciples with such a message
to the true Messiah,
or not, is an inquiry of no real importance at all, however it
might gratify our
curiosity to be able to solve the question; since in the mean
time it appears
abundantly plain, that no such message could on any account have
been sent from
John to Jesus, had they in reality been no better than
imposters. See the note on
Matthew 11:4. The reader will find more onthis subject in
Jortin's Discourses, p.
196. Bishop Atterbury's, vol. 3: p. 35 and Archbishop
Tillotson's Serm. 11
COSTABLE, "Herod Antipas had imprisoned John in the fortress of
Machaerus
east of the Dead Sea (cf. Matthew 4:12; Matthew 14:3-5). [ote:
Josephus,
Antiquities of. . ., 18:5:2.] There John heard about Jesus'
ministry. Matthew wrote
that John heard about the works of "the Christ." This is the
only place in Matthew
-
where the name "Christ" standing alone refers to Jesus. [ote:
Henry Alford, The
Greek Testament, 1:114.] Matthew evidently referred to Jesus
this way here to
underscore the fact that Jesus was the Christ, the Greek term
for Messiah. John had
doubts about that, but Matthew presented Jesus as the Messiah in
unequivocal
terms. The "works" of Jesus would include His teachings and all
of His activities,
not just His miracles.
John sent Jesus a question through some of John's disciples.
This use of "disciples"
is another proof that this word does not necessarily mean
believers in Jesus. These
disciples were still following John. They had not begun to
follow Jesus. John
questioned whether Jesus was "the coming One" after all (Psalms
40:7; Psalms
118:26; Isaiah 59:20). "The coming One" was a messianic title.
[ote: Lenski, p.
425.] John had previously announced Jesus as the coming One
(Matthew 3:11), but
Jesus did not quite fit John's ideas of what Messiah would do.
He was bringing
blessing to many but judgment to none (cf. Matthew 3:10-12).
[ote: See James D.
G. Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit, pp. 55-62.]
"The same questions of the ultimate triumph of God undoubtedly
face everyone in
suffering for Christ's sake. If our God is omnipotent, why does
He permit the
righteous to suffer? The answer, of course, is that the time of
God's judgment has
not yet come but that the final triumph is certain." [ote:
Walvoord, Matthew: . . .,
p. 80.]
An old interpretation of John's question is that he asked it for
his disciples' sake,
but he never doubted Jesus' identity himself. There is nothing
in the text to support
this view. Rather John, like Elijah, seems to have become
discouraged (cf. Matthew
11:14). Probably this happened because Jesus did not begin to
judge sinners
immediately.
The confusion of the King's forerunner 11:2-6 (cf. Luke
7:18-23)
Even John the Baptist had doubts about whether Jesus was really
the promised
Messiah.
"Matthew includes the record of this interrogation for at least
two reasons. First,
the questioning of Jesus by John, a representative of the best
in Israel, points up the
misconception of Israel as to the program of the Messiah and His
method. He had
heard of the works of Jesus (Matthew 11:2), and they certainly
appeared to be
Messianic. However, Jesus did not suddenly assert His authority
and judge the
people as John probably had thought He would (Matthew 3:10-12).
Because of this
misconception he began to doubt. Perhaps his being in prison, a
place which was
certainly incongruous for the herald of the King, reinforced his
doubts....
"The second purpose of these few verses (Matthew 11:2-6) is to
reaffirm the concept
that the works of Jesus prove His Messiahship." [ote: Toussaint,
Behold the . . ., p.
148.]
BURKITT, "It was not for John's information that he sent his
disciples to Jesus, but
for their satisfaction; that he was the true and promised
Messiah; John was assured
of it himself by a sign from heaven at our Saviour's baptism,
Matthew 3:17. But
-
John's disciples out of great zeal to him their master, envied
Christ himself, and
were unwilling to believe any person greater than their master,
(Archbishop
Tillotson, vol.5) therefore John, out of a pious design to
confirm his disciples in the
belief of Jesus being the true Messias, sends them to our
Saviour, to hear the
doctrine which he taught, and to see the miracles which he
wrought.
Learn hence, What a pious desire there is in such as know Christ
experimentally
themselves, to bring all that belong to them to a saving
acquaintance with him.
Archbp. Tillotson, Vol. V.
PETT, "Verse 2-3
ow when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he
sent by his
disciples, and said to him, Are you he who is coming, or should
we look for
another?
In his prison John heard of the kind of works that the Messiah
was doing, but
what he heard did not fit in with his conception of the Messiah.
That Jesus was the
Messiah has already been stated in Matthew 1:1; Matthew 1:16-17.
Thus this may
be just Matthews interpretive comment, showing that he feels
that he has by now
quite definitely demonstrated that Jesus was the Messiah, and
expects his readers to
appreciate the fact. But it is quite possible that he wants us
to know that that was
also how John thought of Him, for John certainly saw Him as an
end day
(apocalyptic) figure, the Coming One (Matthew 3:11; compare
Matthew 21:9;
Matthew 23:39; John 6:14; John 11:27). But that was the point.
He could not in that
case quite understand what He was doing. (This was not the first
time that John had
been taken by surprise by Jesus (Matthew 3:14), revealing that
he continually did
not completely comprehend what the Coming One would be all
about, and was
required to respond in faith). So he sent his disciples to ask
Jesus about Himself.
Was He the Coming One, or should they be looking for someone
else? That was the
question. Could he expect instant action or had he to wait for
another of a different
kind from Jesus? He was not offended with Jesus. He just wanted
to know. Perhaps
he had been mistaken in his assumptions?
Another. The word indicates another of a different kind. What
Jesus was doing
did not quite fit in with his expectations.
What then was causing Johns difficulty? Perhaps it arose because
he felt that it was
time that Jesus commenced recruiting followers out of the great
crowds that
followed Him, so as to establish His Kingly Rule, something that
He appeared not to
be doing. On the other hand he had not even prepared in that way
himself, which is
against that suggestion. Even more possibly there may be a hint
of what was in his
thoughts when we consider what Jesus said later about the crowds
view of Him,
that he was an ascetic. Jesus had previously joined him in the
wilderness. Perhaps
John found it difficult to understand a prophetic figure Who now
seemingly ate and
drank with outcasts and sinners, held lightly to ritual (John
was a priest from a
priestly family), and discouraged His disciples from fasting. He
had had no
opportunity of discussing this with Him and it may well all have
appeared to him
-
very strange, for Judaism was a religion that took such things
very seriously, and
none more seriously than he had himself . Could such behaviour
really reveal Gods
Coming One? Perhaps there was even a hint in his words that he
felt that Jesus
should consider whether He was behaving quite as He should.
All this may have played a part, but Jesus reply suggests that
He knew that his
main problem lay in his misunderstanding of His ways. Thus Jesus
knew that the
way in which to satisfy him was to show him that, while not
perhaps doing what
John had expected, He was fulfilling what the Scriptures had
promised, and what
was more, Scriptures which were also connected with
judgment.
He Who is coming. By this John may have meant the Messiah, or
the Prophet of
Deuteronomy 18:15 or Isaiah 61:1-3, or the coming Elijah
(Malachi 4:5-6), all of
whom were expected figures (see John 1:20; John 1:25). Or he may
have had in
mind some other expected figure. Some have traced the idea to
Habakkuk 2:3 which
speaks of something or someone who will surely come, and that at
the appointed
time. Others have thought of Genesis 49:10 and the coming of
Shiloh to gather the
people, or of the Coming One of Psalms 118:26 Who will come in
the name of the
Lord. And still others of the Redeemer Who would come to Zion to
turn away
transgression from Jacob (Isaiah 59:20), which would tie in with
the earlier citation
of Isaiah 40:3 (see Matthew 3:3). But the fact that he expected
the Coming One to
pour out Spirit and fire seems to point either to the Messiah
(which could include
some or all of the above), or alternatively to another, but more
powerful, Elijah
(compare 2 Kings 2:9-10; 2 Kings 2:15; 2 Kings 1:10; 2 Kings
1:12, and see also
Revelation 11:5). He may indeed have combined the two ideas in
the light of
Malachis prophecies (Malachi 3:1 b, 2; Matthew 4:5-6), and even
have included
some of the other concepts. For while Jesus saw John as the
coming Elijah (Matthew
11:14), it was not how John saw himself (John 1:21), although we
should remember
that that was a reply to people who were thinking literally of
Elijah returning
(something which Jesus did not believe either). He saw himself
as the one who was
sent to prepare the way for God to act (Matthew 3:3; John 1:23;
compare Malachi
3:1 a), with a Greater yet to come. And Matthew will shortly
make clear to his
readers precisely Who that Coming One is (Matthew 12:17-21).
We should note that, contrary to popular opinion, Jesus was
already drenching
His Apostles in Holy Spirit as is evidenced by His giving to
them the power to heal,
cleanse lepers, raise the dead and cast out evil spirits
(Matthew 10:8), which they
could not have done without the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28). But
John might not
have appreciated that, and he probably felt that the fire just
did not appear to be on
the horizon at all.
The disciples of John. We know almost nothing about the
disciples of John. We
do know that they fasted, and especially so because of what had
happened to their
leader (Matthew 9:14). It would appear therefore that they
formed a recognised
grouping similar to that of the Pharisees (and of the Essenes),
loose but definite.
And they possibly sought to pass on the teaching of John, and
even to preach that
the Kingly Rule of Heaven was coming. Of course those who like
John the Baptist
-
himself had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah would
transfer their
allegiance to Jesus, as Peter, James, John and Andrew had done,
although these
particular ones who now came to Jesus may have been waiting to
see first what
would happen their leader. But there would be many disciples of
John who had
responded to his message when they had come to Jerusalem for the
feasts, and who
were now scattered around the world, and back in their own
homes. And many of
them probably continued to look ahead and hope for what John had
promised,
without necessarily believing that Jesus was the fulfilment of
what John had taught,
or indeed knowing much about Jesus (for many of them Palestine
was far away).
Certainly there appear to have been largish numbers of disciples
of John around the
world with whom the later church came into contact (e.g. Acts
19:1-6)
PETT, "Verses 2-6
Jesus Assures John That He, Jesus, Is The Expected Coming One
For Whom John
Was Preparing The Way (11:2-6).
John, languishing in a dungeon in the Fortress of Machaerus,
east of Jordan,
(compare Matthew 4:12; Matthew 14:3-5), was clearly puzzled. He
had come to
prepare the way for the Coming One Who was promised, the One Who
was to
succeed him. And he had expected to hear of wonderful things
happening. He had
expected to hear of an even greater response of people than he
himself had seen,
with a powerful work of the Spirit of God taking place on them
(Matthew 3:11-12),
which would also result in fiery judgment being carried out on
the ungodly
(Matthew 3:7; Matthew 3:12), and this would include the king who
had thrust him
into this dungeon, and the introducing of Gods Kingly Rule
(Matthew 3:11-12). But
from the information that had reached him nothing highly unusual
was happening
at all. There did not seem to be any ominous stirrings. There
was no sign of a
righteous uprising like that spoken of at Qumran and by the
Essenes. Everything
just seemed to be going on almost as normal. He did not lose his
faith in Gods
promises. He was just perplexed, and wondered whether he had
misinterpreted
things. Perhaps he had been wrong in thinking that Jesus was the
Coming One.
Perhaps He was not the Coming One after all, and he must wait
patiently for
someone else? So he sent his disciples to Jesus to make
enquiries.
In those days access to prisoners by close friends and relatives
was allowed so that
they could supply them with food and necessities (compare
Matthew 25:36), and
John appears to have been no exception. In his case his closest
disciples had the
courage to visit him and seek to sustain him, and it was these
brave men who came
to Jesus with Johns questions.
Analysis.
a ow when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he
sent by his
disciples, and said to him, Are you he who is coming, or should
we look for
another? (Matthew 11:2-3).
b And Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the
things which you
hear (Matthew 11:4 a)
-
c And see (Matthew 11:4).
c The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers
are cleansed and the
deaf hear, and the dead are raised up (Matthew 11:5 a).
b And the poor have good tidings preached to them (Matthew 11:5
b).
a And blessed is he, whoever shall find no occasion of stumbling
in me (Matthew
11:6).
ote that in a comes Johns question and in the parallel is Jesus
assurance. In b
is reference to what Johns disciples hear, and in the parallel
it is the proclamation
of the Good ews. In c is reference to what they see, and in the
parallel is a
description of what they see.
PETT, "Verses 2-12
The Messiah Has Come, And One Who Is More Than the Messiah,
Overcoming the
Powers of Satan, And While Rejected By The Many He Is Revealing
Himself And
Being Accepted By Babes And By The Meek and Lowly And Those Who
Do The
Will Of His Father Who Form His ew Household (11:2-12).
Central to this whole section is Matthews declaration of Jesus
as the One Who has
come fulfilling the Isaianic prophecy concerning the Servant of
YHWH (Matthew
12:17-21). For justification of this statement see the chiasmus
below. As such He
comes as the One Who is pleasing to God, and has Gods Spirit
upon Him, bringing
hope to the Gentiles and a ministry of restoration to His own
people, as He
triumphantly establishes righteousness and truth. And it is
around this, and mens
response to it, that the whole section is constructed.
Indeed if we compare the passages before and after Matthew
12:17-21 we see a
distinct difference in their emphases. Prior to the declaration
concerning the coming
Servant the emphasis is on Jesus as:
The Coming One Who is fulfilling the Scriptures concerning
Himself (Matthew
11:3-6), and revealing His authority (Matthew 12:1-16), and His
essential Oneness
with the Father (Matthew 11:25-27).
The pressing forwards against all opposition of the Kingly Rule
of Heaven which is
now present among them, and for which John, the greatest of the
prophets, had
prepared the way (Matthew 11:7-15), which is manifested by the
work of the Spirit
of God (Matthew 12:28).
Thus while the people as a whole may have expressed their
dissatisfaction with John
and Himself (Matthew 11:16-19), and have ignored the signs which
reveal Who He
is (if the works which have been done in you), something which
can only result in
their final judgment (Matthew 11:20-24), and while the Pharisees
may have turned
against Him (Matthew 12:2; Matthew 12:14), there are those who
are religiously
speaking babes, but who have been enlightened by His Father, and
have come to see
the truth about Him (Matthew 11:25-27). To them He has revealed
the Father, so
that they may walk in oneness with Himself as the One Who is
meek and lowly
(Matthew 11:28-30).
However, once the declaration of Him as the Spirit anointed and
beloved Servant of
-
YHWH has been made (Matthew 12:17-21), we are suddenly faced
with what lies
behind all this opposition, the activities of the powers of evil
(Matthew 12:22-32;
Matthew 12:43-45). These are seen to be what is responsible for
the
unresponsiveness of the Jews, although only because their hearts
are evil (Matthew
12:33-37). And this is accompanied by an assurance that these
evil powers will be
defeated by the power of the Spirit Whose presence in Him
reveals that the Kingly
Rule of God has come upon them as Gods prospective people
(Matthew 12:28).
evertheless many will sadly fail to respond and will therefore
discover that their
position becomes seven times worse than before (Matthew
12:43-45). The section
then ends with Jesus introducing His new family (Matthew
12:46-50), His new
household, the ones who have been delivered from the despoiled
household of
Satan (Matthew 12:29). These form a new household which again
demonstrates
that the Kingly Rule of Heaven is being established. Indeed we
could see as lying
behind this section the words spoken to Paul by God in Acts, to
turn them from
darkness to light (Matthew 11:25-30), and from the power of
Satan to God
(Matthew 12:28-29).
But there are also a number of other themes in the section. The
first is the theme of
the misunderstanding of His ministry. The section opens with the
puzzlement of
John, the one who has announced Him (Matthew 11:2-6). It
continues with the
puzzlement of the people who can understand neither John nor Him
(Matthew
11:16-19), nor His signs (Matthew 11:20-24). And that is
followed by the puzzlement
of the Pharisees (Matthew 12:1-15). But with that puzzlement
comes Jesus
assurance that the ones whom His Father have blessed will see
and understand.
Thus John will be blessed in this way in Matthew 11:6, and all
Jesus disciples will
be blessed in this way in Matthew 11:25-30. For they will come
to see that He is the
Servant of YHWH promised by Isaiah, Who coming as the chosen and
beloved of
YHWH. He will have His Spirit upon Him, and will accomplish His
purpose in
meekness and lowliness, finally restoring and bringing to a
flame all Gods true
people, which will also include the nations as a whole (Matthew
12:17-21). Satan will
be put to flight and the eyes of the blind will be opened and
their tongues released
(Matthew 12:21-32) so that they will do and say what is true
(Matthew 12:33-37),
thus being revealed as His Messianic family (Matthew
12:46-50).
Another theme is that of Who Jesus is (a constant theme in the
Gospel). He is the
Christ (Matthew 11:2), the One Who has been announced by the new
Elijah
(Matthew 11:9; Matthew 11:14); the Son of Man (Matthew 11:19;
Matthew 12:8;
Matthew 12:32; Matthew 12:40); the chosen and beloved Servant of
YHWH
(Matthew 12:18); the Son of David (Matthew 12:23); the Spirit
anointed One
(Matthew 12:18; Matthew 12:28; Matthew 12:32); the One Whose
Messianic signs
should bring forth repentance (Matthew 11:20-24); the One Who is
greater than
Jonah or Solomon (Matthew 12:41-42). And in direct contrast are
those who fail to
respond to Him, this (evil) generation (Matthew 11:16; Matthew
12:45); who
behave like spoiled children (Matthew 11:16-19); who refuse to
repent (Matthew
11:20-24); who criticise His actions (Matthew 12:2; Matthew
12:10); who include
Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 12:2; Matthew 12:14; Matthew
12:24; Matthew
12:38), who are active against Him; and yet who think of
themselves as wise and
-
understanding (Matthew 11:25; compare Matthew 11:19).
A further theme is the presence of the Kingly Rule of Heaven. It
has been
manifested by signs (Matthew 11:5), prepared for by John the
Baptiser (Matthew
11:10; Matthew 11:14), is coming in forcefully (Matthew 11:12),
and is manifested
by the Son of Mans Lordship over the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8), and
by the Spirits
working (Matthew 12:28) which evidences the fact that the Kingly
Rule of God has
come upon them.
And finally there is the theme of judgment. For although He has
come to save, His
very being here is a guarantee of coming judgment (John 3:19-21;
John 12:47-48). It
will come on those who see His signs and refuse to repent
(Matthew 11:20-24); on
those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit at work through Him
(Matthew 12:32);
on those who refuse to respond to His preaching (Matthew
12:41-42); and on those
whose repentance ha only been half-hearted (Matthew 12:45).
The Whole Section Can Be Analysed As Follows
a He is questioned as to whether He is the Coming one, and
replies, Tell John what
you see, that is, the Messianic signs. He then stresses to the
crowds the greatness of
John the Baptist, but points out that the coming of the Kingly
Rule of Heaven
transcends John, and that it is now coming forcefully - the new
age is here (Matthew
11:2-15).
b This generation, who have come to see John and Jesus, and have
declared that
they do not fit in with what they want - for on the one hand
they criticise John for
being an Ascetic, and on the other they criticise Jesus for
being a Winebibber - are
like children playing games. Wisdom is justified by her works
(w