Matthew 11:1-19

Matthew 11:1-19 NIV

After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:

“ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

“ ‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.’

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, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

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Reading Jesus here causes me to ask, "Why does He speak in riddles? Why doesn't He answer plainly." He could have responded to John's disciples by simplifying saying, "Yes, I am the Messiah."

What validity would Jesus' own testimony mean? To His hometown, He was just the carpenter's son. To the priests and Pharisees, Jesus was just some uneducated country bumpkin with no accredited training in the law of Moses. Sure, Jesus was tutored by a local rabbi like all they other kids, but who was He to say He's the messiah? No. Jesus' testimony alone wasn't enough to convince people. Signs and wonders accompanied His ministry which pointed to the fact that the Messiah had come.

Jesus makes this basic defense in John's gospel account.

John 10:36-38 NIV

Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

The works Jesus was doing got the attention of John the Baptist. It's interesting that John needs to ask if Jesus is the one they've been waiting for. John all but said Jesus was the one when he baptised Him. But now John is in jail. We aren't told why. We have to wait until Matthew chapter 14 to learn why he was arrested. But I wonder if this ugly turn of events for John discouraged and confused him. After all he was a faithful servant of God. If Jesus is the Messiah, then why hadn't He taken control of Israel's government, thrown the Romans out with a blast of His divine nostrils, and got on with restoring Israel to glory as prophesied? John sat in jail wondering what is going on. So he sent his disciples to inquire if Jesus is the messiah.

Jesus answered affirmatively by pointing to the miracles. He is basically noting that His ministry is fulfilling scripture which prophesied the coming of Christ. Compare these passages from Isaiah to Jesus' answer.

Isaiah 35:5-6 NIV

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 61:1 NIV

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

Matthew 11:5 NIV

The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

According to some sources the first century Jews believed there would be four messianic miracles as signs affirming that the Christ had come. These were

1) curing leprosy
2) giving speech to the mute (which in the Jewish mind was some sort of exorcism)
3) healing birth defects like lameness
4) raising the dead

Jesus has performed all these signs and yet many still do not believe. And so He addressed the crowd arround Him. He told of how righteous John the Baptist was. In fact John was the pinnacle of the era under the law of Moses. Now, however, there is a new era unfolding under a new covenant in Christ. Therefore the least in this new era are greater than the best of the former era. It is because of the righteousness that comes by faith which enables a greater righteousness.

Those who live by rules will find they fail to become the kind of person God desires. The rules can turn some into hard hearted legalists. The rules become a damning burden. But in Christ there is a new way to please God. It is to accept Christ as Saviour and live in God's grace. Grace gives us a power that is greater than sin. Those who are led by the Spirit can become what the law intended to create in us.

The apostle Paul states this in Romans.

Romans 8:3-4 NIV

For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

In essence God enables the followers of Christ, through a reconciled relationship with God, to attain a righteousness greater than what is achievable under the law, for it is God's own righteousness working in and through the believer. John the Baptist functioned as the herald for the coming Christ. He is an embodiment of the prophecy that Elijah will come to announce the arrival of the messiah. John baptized with water for repentance and forgiveness of sin, but Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit who transforms the believer to become like Christ.

Matthew 11:12 NIV

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.

As far as I'm concerned, interpreters really do not know what Jesus meant in verse 12 above. The 1984 version of the NIV said, " the Kingdom of Heaven has been advancing forcefully and forceful men take hold of it."

Clearly the 2011 NIV offers a reading focused not upon the transforming effect of the kingdom, but attacks by opponents upon it. Personally I prefer the 1984 reading. It fits well with what follows. The fickleness of the crowd will not give them entry to the kingdom. Only wholehearted surrender to Christ will do. That takes courage. That takes faith! It takes a kind of force of will to become a disciple of Christ, to throw off the things of this world and enlist in His mission to transform the world in love.

Jesus ends this public interaction with a prophetic pronouncement to the onlookers. The fickle crowd who followed the spectacle, whether John or Jesus, are like children wanting to be entertained. "Show us another miracle, Jesus!" "Oh come on! We've come to see what you can do. Don't disappoint us!" And the crowd in its fickle approach also enjoys gossip. Some say John has a demon. Some say Jesus is a drunkard and hangs out with lowlifes. But wisdom will be seen for what it is, wise and good deeds that lead to life. In the same way the deeds of Jesus or John, the lasting effect of their ministries, will prove themselves as good, true and right.

The question this passage presents is, "Where am I in regards to Christ?"

"Do I believe He is the Messiah and Saviour of the world, or do I think perhaps He was just a really good man, maybe even a prophet?"
"Do I believe Jesus performed the miracles reported here in the gospels, or do I consider them metaphors for some spiritual lesson?"
"Do I really believe Jesus has the power to change me to be like Him?"
"Do I even want change or am I fickle?"
"Am I like the crowd following Jesus around or am I a disciple stepping out of the crowd to follow Jesus in transforming the world in His love and grace?"

God be with you as you confront these searching questions. Step out of the crowd. Muster your will and follow Jesus into life.