When
Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to him, “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?”
Matthew 11:1-3
Matthew 10 [34.] “Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s foes will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me. He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me. He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, most certainly I tell you he will in no way lose his reward.”
Matthew 11 [1.] When Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to him, “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?”
Matthew 11 [4.] Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.”
Meaning:
Jesus had finished his instructions to the twelve, ending with the promise that even a cup of cold water given to his disciples would be rewarded (Matthew 10:40-42). Matthew now turns to John the Baptist. Chapters 11 and 12 show different responses to Jesus, from doubt and indifference to open hostility. It begins with a question from the greatest of the prophets. Luke records the same event (Luke 7:18-20).
- “When Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples”
Matthew marks the end of each of Jesus’ five great teaching sections with a similar phrase, as after the Sermon on the Mount: “When Jesus had finished saying these things” (Matthew 7:28). Jesus did not only send others; he himself continued to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.
- “when John heard in the prison”
John had been arrested by Herod Antipas because he had condemned Herod’s marriage to Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. John told him, “It is not lawful for you to have her” (Matthew 14:3-4). The Jewish historian Josephus says the prison was the fortress of Machaerus, east of the Dead Sea. There John heard reports of what Jesus was doing.
- “the works of Christ”
Matthew calls them “the works of Christ”, the deeds of the Messiah: the healings, the raising of the dead and the preaching of good news to the poor described in chapters 8 and 9. Matthew is telling his readers what John was asking about. These were indeed the works of the Christ.
- “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?”
“He who comes” was a way of speaking of the Messiah, echoing “Blessed is he who comes in Yahweh’s name!” (Psalm 118:26) and Malachi’s promise of the Lord coming to his temple (Malachi 3:1). John had announced, “he who comes after me is mightier than I” and had said that this one would bring judgment: “His winnowing fork is in his hand” (Matthew 3:11-12).
Why would John now ask? He was in prison, and Jesus was not acting as John had expected. Instead of fire and judgment, Jesus was eating with sinners and healing the sick. The promised freedom for captives had not freed John. Perhaps he was discouraged; perhaps he wanted his disciples to hear the answer from Jesus himself. Either way, he did the right thing with his question: he took it to Jesus. Jesus answered by pointing to his works and the Scriptures they fulfilled (Matthew 11:4-5).
The Significance of Matthew 11:1-3
- Honest questions are not unbelief
Even John, whom Jesus praised as more than a prophet, had questions. Believers today can go through times of doubt, especially in suffering. The right response is to bring those questions honestly to Jesus.
- God’s ways may surprise us
Jesus did not fulfil John’s expectations in the way John imagined. God’s plans are often different from ours, and better. Judgment will come, but first Jesus came to save.
- Faithfulness in hard places
John remained faithful in prison. Even when circumstances are dark, believers can keep looking to Jesus and wait for his answer.
Cross-References:
Psalm 118:26: "Blessed is he who comes in Yahweh’s name!" The background of the title “he who comes”.
Malachi 3:1: "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me;" The messenger John fulfilled.
John 1:29: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John’s earlier testimony about Jesus.
Conclusion: After sending out the twelve, Jesus continued to teach and preach. John the Baptist, in Herod’s prison, heard about the works of the Messiah and sent his disciples to ask, “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?” Jesus did not match John’s expectations of swift judgment. Even the greatest prophet had questions, and he wisely brought them to Jesus himself.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible