Matthew 11

Key Verse: Matthew 11:6

Big Idea: Jesus was patient with John’s sincere questions, but His ministry proved who He was.

John the Baptist had been arrested for preaching the truth about King Herod’s sinful marriage, and the stillness of jail clearly gave him plenty of time to think. He had identified Jesus as the One who would take away the sins of the world, but the world seemed very much like it always had. A wicked king continued in his sin, while an innocent man sat in chains, ultimately to be executed.

He sent a messenger to ask Jesus “Are you the One?” He was second guessing himself because things were not going the way that he expected. But he ws still ready to take Jesus at His word. Rather than a simple yes or no, Jesus told the messenger to describe His ministry to John: the blind, the lame, the deaf and the lepers were being healed and the poor were receiving the good news. No direct answer was necessary because God’s Kingdom was breaking into the old order, tearing down the things that were wrong. From 2020, we have an even greater evidence: when Jesus died on the cross in our place and rose again the third day, He proved undeniably that He was the one who would reverse the curse of sin once and for all.

Although John struggled with this period of doubt, Jesus praised him as the greatest man who had ever been born of woman. Although the least of those in the Kingdom has a position of greater honor than John, he was given the unique privilege of being a prophet and more than a prophet – a fulfillment of prophecy.

It is a great encouragement for us to remember that although Jesus condemned the Pharisees and scribes for their refusal to believe, he delt tenderly with John when he wanted to believe, and just needed the reassurance of the Master. At the end of the chapter, Jesus prayed and thanked the Father for not revealing Himself to the elites, but to the humble. What an honor it is for us to be given the chance to receive the message that John preached, and to enter into the Kingdom he foretold.

Discussion Idea: Why did Jesus praise John even when he asked for reassurance? How does this affect the way we should think about our own struggles with faith?

Prayer focus: In Mark 9, a man with a demon-possessed son came to Jesus and prayed: “I believe, help thou my unbelief!” Pray that God would take the mustard seed of our faith, and grow it into a mighty tree for His glory.