Matthew 11:1-19

11:2-6 | Jesus answered John’s doubts with a report of His dramatic work. Matthew mentions the giving of sight to the blind first in order to highlight Jesus’ unique ministry. The OT does not record the blind being healed, nor does the NT record any of Jesus’ disciples performing such a miracle. However, it is the most frequent healing miracle that Jesus performed. Jesus also healed the lame, the lepers, and the deaf, and He raised the dead and preached the gospel to the poor. Each of these compassionate acts was proof that Jesus was the Messiah, the Coming One (Isa. 35:5-6; 61:1).

11:7-9 | Using a series of rhetorical questions, Jesus asks the crowd for their appraisal of John the Baptist. Why were they so interested in him? He was a humble prophet who spoke a piercing message.

11:9-10 | Jesus insisted that John was more than a prophet because he served as His forerunner (Mal. 3:1; Luke 1:76). John the Baptist was thus greater than Isaiah, Elijah, Daniel, or any of the other OT prophets because only John had the privilege of personally introducing the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to the nation of Israel.

11:11 | When Jesus said that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist, he was not belittling John but highlighting the extraordinary privilege of being in the kingdom. John prepared the way for the doming of the Messiah, but those in the kingdom experience its reality.

11:12 | The violent take it by force refers to the opposition both John the Baptist and Jesus faced as they advanced the kingdom of heaven. In the advance of the gospel, they faced every type of evil and misunderstanding. So will Jesus’ followers in every age.

11:14 | Although John was not a resurrected Elijah, he took on Elijah’s prophetic role to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Mal. 3:1; 4:5; Luke 1:17; 17:12-14).

11:16-19 | Jesus compared the people of His day to children who cannot be satisfied with any game or activity, whether festive or somber. They rejected John the Baptist because of his ascetic lifestyle, only to turn around and reject Jesus because He ate and drank with sinners. Their unreasonable actions reflected their lack of wisdom.