The Study of Matthew
11:1-24
In the last chapter Jesus was sending out the twelve. We begin this chapter with John the Baptist
sending out his disciples to ask Jesus a question. Then, Jesus will rebuke cities who saw His mighty works
but refused to repent. Lastly, we see Jesus offering His rest.
Doubting, Accepting, and Rejecting Ministry (1-30)
Ministry (1) - Jesus sends out “His twelve disciples” after “commanding” and commissioning them in
chapter 10. Then Jesus “departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.”
John’s Doubts (2-6)
John was imprisoned back in 4:12. Now, John “sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the
Coming One, or do we look for another?’” (3). These disciples of John came to Jesus with John’s
question.
John’s doubts are not one of faith so much as of understanding the ministry of Jesus. He may have
expected judgement because of his and Jesus’ call for repentance since Israel had not repented as a
nation. He may have expected one who would deliver them from Rome.
Jesus sends an answer back to John of all the miracles He was doing among the people and of the gospel
being preached to the poor (4-5). These miracles validated Who Jesus was by what He was doing. David
Jeremiah writes, “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.” (JSB, p.1299)
Verse 6 may seem like a rebuke of John but see this as a general statement to accept Christ as He is in
His perfect ministry and not what people thought it should be. “Instead of appearing as a colorful
military general, the Messiah had come as a humble Carpenter. His gentleness, lowliness, and
humiliation were out of character with the prevailing image of the militant Messiah… Verse 6 should not
be interpreted as a rebuke to John the Baptist. Everyone’s faith needs to be confirmed and strengthened
at times. It is one thing to have a temporary lapse of faith and quite another to be permanently stumbled
as to the true identity of the Lord Jesus. No single chapter is the story of a man’s life. Taking John’s life in
its totality, we find a record of faithfulness and perseverance.” 1
John’s Ministry (7-19)
Instead of putting John down for doubting Jesus’ ministry, He begins to praise him for his ministry. Jesus
asks the crowd a few rhetorical questions (7-9). The answer to the first two is “no.” He answers in verse
9 that “yes,” he was a prophet, “and more than a prophet” (9). John was the only prophet who was
privileged to introduce the Messiah to Israel (10-11a). “He who is least in the kingdom of heaven is
greater than he” (11b). To be a citizen of the kingdom is greater than to announce its arrival.2
1
MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1243). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.
2 Ibid
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John had already suffered for his preaching of the kingdom by being imprisoned by Herod (13). John the
Baptist was not Elijah, even though Elijah had not died but was taken up in the whirlwind (see II Kings
2:11). “In fact, John himself denied that he was Elijah (John 1:21); yet he came in the spirit and power of
Elijah (Luke 1:17).” 3 If they had received John’s message and ministry (14), he would have fulfilled the
prophecy concerning Elijah in Malachi 4:5.
Jesus then gives a picture of that generation as children in verses 16-17. He then explains it in verses 1819. Jesus was not “a glutton and a winebibber” but He was “a friend to tax collectors and sinners”
(19a). The Pharisees were corrupt in their thinking and in their hearts, “But wisdom is justified by her
children” (19b). “Her children” are the results produced.
Jesus’ ministry Rejected (20-24)
Many, including the Pharisees and scribes, had rejected John and Jesus’ ministries. Jesus now announces
coming judgement on some cities “in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did
not repent” (20). He pronounced, “Woe to you, Chorazin…” and “Bethsaida” (21) because of their
rejection of the mighty works and the One Who did the works. He stated that “Tyre and Sidon… would
have repented” if they had seen these mighty works (21). He continued by saying, “it will be more
tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you” (22). Then He mentions “Capernaum,
who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in
you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day” (23). Think about the immensity
of that statement. Again, He said “it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of
judgment than for you” (24). Are we held responsible for the amount of “light” or witness given to us
from God? Should we be concerned with that today in America?
3
MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1412). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
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