| Matthew 11:1
And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve
disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. 2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. |
Luke 7:19 And John
calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou
he that should come? or look we for another? 20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. |
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| John the Baptist
was very familiar with the writings of the prophet Isaiah, which had much to
say about the Messiah and about his own role. Isaiah 40:3-5,
concerning the "voice of one crying in the wilderness" is quoted in
reference to John in all four of the Gospels. John had reached the
point, while in prison, of doubting the purpose of his life and ministry,
and he began to question if Jesus really was the chosen Messiah.
Rather than directly answering the question posed by John's disciples, Jesus
first demonstrated his power by the things he did, then used the miracles to
point back to the prophecies in Isaiah concerning the Messiah. Isaiah
repeatedly pointed to the healing of the blind and deaf as a mark of the
Messiah (Isaiah 29:18, 35:5, 42:18-19, 43:8). His message to John also
pointed back to Isaiah 61:1, which Jesus himself used on another occasion,
about freeing those in bondage and preaching the Good News to the meek.
There is no record of John's response, but there is also no record of John's
raising any further questions or doubts. The Gospels are our record of what Jesus did in our midst; if we can't believe based on the witness of the Spirit and the Father, he said, we should believe for the "very works sake" (John 14:11). It is perhaps for that reason that Mark, writing to a Roman audience among others, gave great emphasis to the works, the miracles, that Christ performed. In the end, miracles and works by themselves are never enough; these can always be explained away. That was the case with John the Baptist; he could be told about the miracles Christ performed, but making the leap from that to the assurance that these fulfilled the promises in Isaiah required a measure of faith. |
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| Matthew 11:7 And as
they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What
went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. 15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. |
Luke 7:23
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. 24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 25 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts. 26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. |
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| Jesus begins his
tribute to John by describing what he was not. He wasn't like a tall
reed, bending with every breeze. He didn't allow himself to be swayed
by popular opinion, and he didn't hesitate to stand up to the hypocrisy of
the scribes and Pharisees, or the immorality of Herod, even in the face of
persecution, imprisonment, and death. John didn't seek the comfort of
material success and comfort; he was content to live in a harsh environment,
with rough clothing and the most basic of food. His priority was to
fulfill the mission God had called him to do, regardless of the personal
cost or sacrifice. That mission was to be a prophet, the first in 400 years, and, more than that, to be the messenger, the forerunner, for the Messiah. God promised through the prophet Malachi that he would send the prophet Elijah back before the "great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Malachi 4:5). This was the spirit in which John came, Jesus said, a truth he repeated later to his disciples (Matthew 17:10-13). Despite the fact that he wrote no books of prophecy at all, Jesus declared John to be the greatest of the prophets, lofty company indeed. If asked the question, "Who was the greatest prophet?", most Christians would probably name Isaiah, or Jeremiah, perhaps Ezekiel or Daniel. Our opinions are often based on incomplete and imperfect information, and often on the wrong criteria. God has his own criteria, which we may never understand this side of glory. After making this astounding statement, Jesus goes on to make another that is even more surprising. As great as John was, as one naturally born, he ranks below the least in the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God as Luke says. How could that be? The key is "born of women". Every man born of women is destined to die, but those born into God's kingdom are assured of eternal life. John himself, beyond any doubt, was born into the Kingdom of God, else he could not have confessed Jesus as "the Lamb of God", or have been endowed with the indwelling Holy Spirit. His life in his human body was his old life, great by human standards but not in God's eyes. Greatness with God does not consist in what we do, but in who we are. Our only claim to greatness is in Jesus Christ, when we are born anew in him. The reference to the kingdom of Heaven's being "taken by violence" refers to the fact that people were pressing to get into the kingdom because of what John had done. That passion to get in could be attributed directly to the impact of John's ministry. He did what he was called to do. |
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| Matthew 11:16
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children
sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. |
Luke 7:29
And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being
baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. 31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? 32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. 34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! 35 But wisdom is justified of all her children. |
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| Luke clarifies
the account in both his and Matthew's gospels when Jesus asks the rhetorical
question, "Whereunto shall I liken this generation?". Those who had
accepted the ministry of John the Baptist, who had been baptized to
repentance by him, applauded Jesus' description of John, but the scribes and
Pharisees, who had rejected John's teachings, and his baptism, just as they
rejected Christ. Hypocrites that they were, these self-righteous
religious leaders complained about one kind of behavior with John, his
asceticism, and the exact opposite behavior they attributed to Christ.
Their only response was to criticize; the same critical spirit infests far
too many Christians, not just "religious" unbelievers. Satan will use
any device to thwart the work of the Spirit, especially the human pride that
insists that only what we believe is right. The phrase "wisdom is justified of her children" may have been a popular saying. It could either refer to the fact that those blessed with God's wisdom can discern when false attacks are leveled, or that those who rely on the world's wisdom are able to justify themselves on what the world accepts as truth. |
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