As
these went their way, 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? But what did you go out to see? A man in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in king’s houses. But why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet.
Matthew 11:7-9
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.”
Matthew 11 [7.] As these went their way, 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? But what did you go out to see? A man in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in king’s houses. But why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ Most certainly I tell you, among those who are born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptizer; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. If you are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 11 [16.] “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call to their companions and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you didn’t dance. We mourned for you, and you didn’t lament.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”
Meaning:
John’s disciples had come to Jesus with John’s question, and Jesus had sent them back with an answer and a blessing for those who do not stumble over him (Matthew 11:6). As soon as they left, Jesus turned to the crowds. Some of them may have wondered whether John’s question showed weakness. Jesus defends John with three questions and gives him the highest praise. Luke records the same words (Luke 7:24-26).
- “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?”
Crowds from Jerusalem, Judea and the region around the Jordan had gone out to hear John and be baptized (Matthew 3:4-6). Jesus asks them to remember why they went. Each question expects the answer “No”, until the last one.
- “A reed shaken by the wind?”
Tall reeds grew along the Jordan and bent with every breeze. A reed is a picture of a weak, unstable person who changes his opinion to please others. John was nothing like that. He had called the Pharisees and Sadducees “offspring of vipers” to their faces (Matthew 3:7), and he had told King Herod that his marriage was unlawful, which cost him his freedom (Matthew 14:3-4). His question from prison was not the wavering of a reed but the honest question of a faithful man in great suffering. Like Jeremiah, he stood firm “against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests” (Jeremiah 1:18).
- “A man in soft clothing?”
John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt and ate locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4), like Elijah, “a hairy man, and wearing a leather belt around his waist” (2 Kings 1:8). Soft, fine clothing belonged to the courtiers in palaces like those of Herod Antipas. John was no courtier or flatterer. Ironically, he was now in a king’s house, but as a prisoner, not as a guest.
- “To see a prophet?”
Yes, the people rightly regarded John as a prophet; even the chief priests were afraid to deny it, “for all hold John as a prophet” (Matthew 21:26). For centuries Israel had heard no new prophet, and John’s appearance stirred great excitement. His father Zechariah had said at his birth, “And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High” (Luke 1:76).
- “much more than a prophet”
John was more than a prophet because he was himself the subject of prophecy. The next verse explains: he is the messenger foretold by Malachi, sent to prepare the way for the Lord (Matthew 11:10). Other prophets spoke of the coming Messiah from a distance. John pointed to him in person.
The Significance of Matthew 11:7-9
- Standing firm
John was not a reed shaken by the wind. Followers of Jesus are called to be steady in truth, not changing their convictions to win approval from others.
- Simplicity over comfort
John chose a simple life for the sake of his calling. Comfort and luxury are not evil in themselves, but they can make it hard to speak the truth to the powerful. Faithfulness may require giving up some comforts.
- Faithful people can have questions
Jesus defended John immediately after John expressed his doubt. Honest questions do not cancel a person’s faithfulness. Jesus is gentle with his struggling servants.
Cross-References:
Matthew 11:10: "Behold, I send my messenger before your face," Why John is more than a prophet.
Luke 1:76: "And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High," Zechariah’s words at John’s birth.
2 Kings 1:8: "He was a hairy man, and wearing a leather belt around his waist." Elijah, whom John resembled.
Conclusion: As John’s disciples left, Jesus asked the crowds why they had gone into the wilderness. Not to see a reed shaken by the wind, for John stood firm before kings and leaders; not to see a man in soft clothing, for John lived simply; but to see a prophet, and much more than a prophet. Jesus honoured John’s faithfulness even in his time of questioning, and calls his followers to the same steadfastness.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible