Matthew · chapter 11 of 28
Updated on
Matthew 11 tells how John the Baptist, in prison, sends messengers to ask whether Jesus is the one who is to come. Jesus answers with his works and praises John, rebukes Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for not repenting, thanks the Father for revealing these things to the childlike, and ends with the invitation to the weary and burdened to come to him and find rest.
Chapters 8 to 10 showed the authority and mission of Jesus. In Matthew 11 the first doubts and divided reactions appear: John the Baptist asks questions, the towns refuse to repent and the childlike receive revelation. The chapter ends with one of the most tender invitations in the Gospels.
When Jesus finishes instructing his twelve disciples, he goes on teaching and preaching. John the Baptist, who is in prison, hears about the works of Christ and sends his disciples to ask whether he is the one who is to come or whether they should look for another. Jesus tells them to report to John what they hear and see: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have good news preached to them, and blessed is the one who does not take offense at him.
As the messengers leave, Jesus speaks to the crowd about John: he was not a reed shaken by the wind or a man in soft clothing, but a prophet and more than a prophet, the promised messenger who prepares the way. Among those born of women no one greater than John has arisen, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. John is the Elijah who was to come. Jesus compares this generation to children who respond neither to the flute nor to the dirge, rejecting John for fasting and the Son of Man for feasting.
Then he rebukes the towns where most of his miracles were done because they did not repent: woe to Chorazin and Bethsaida, and to Capernaum, which will be brought down; Tyre, Sidon and Sodom would have responded, and for them the day of judgment will be more bearable. Then Jesus praises the Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because he hid these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. And he closes: come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; take my yoke, learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
John asks from prison whether Jesus is the one who is to come or whether they should look for another. Even the great prophet had doubts when reality did not match his expectations, and Jesus does not rebuke him for it.
Jesus answers by pointing to his works: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the poor have good news preached to them. These are the signs Isaiah announced for the time of the Messiah, and Jesus adds a blessing for the one who does not take offense at him.
Jesus praises the Father because these truths are hidden from the wise and understanding and revealed to little children. Revelation is a gift of the Father, not the result of intelligence, and it comes to those who approach with humility.
Jesus invites all who labor and are heavy laden to come to him for rest, and he presents himself as gentle and lowly in heart. His yoke is easy because he bears it with us, and the rest he offers is rest for the soul, not only for the body.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Whether Jesus was the one who was to come or whether they should look for another. — Matthew 11:2-3
Answer: He told them to report what they heard and saw: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have good news preached to them. — Matthew 11:4-5
Answer: That he was a prophet and more than a prophet, and that among those born of women none greater had arisen. — Matthew 11:9-11
Answer: Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. — Matthew 11:20-24
Answer: To little children, not to the wise and understanding. — Matthew 11:25
Answer: As gentle and lowly in heart. — Matthew 11:28-29
John's question gives us permission to doubt honestly. From prison, when things did not turn out as he expected, he brought his doubt to Jesus himself, and Jesus answered with patience. In a small group you can share a doubt or disappointment with God and remember that he is not scandalized by our questions.
The final invitation is for those worn out from trying to earn the approval of God or of others. Ask what burden you carry that Jesus invites you to place before him, and what it means to take his yoke and learn from his gentleness in that area.
Matthew 11 ends with Jesus' invitation to rest in him, while some reject him and others receive him. In chapter 12 tension with the Pharisees rises, as they question how he keeps the Sabbath and accuse him of casting out demons by Beelzebul.
The text does not explain his motives. Many think that, in prison and with a Messiah who did not act as he expected, John was seeking confirmation. Jesus does not rebuke him but answers with the works the prophets foretold, and afterward praises him before the crowd.
Interpreters understand it as a comparison between eras: John was the greatest of the prophets who announced the Messiah, but whoever belongs to the kingdom now inaugurated by Jesus has a greater privilege. It is not about personal merit but about one's position in relation to the work of Christ.
A yoke is the beam that joins animals to work together, and Jewish teachers used it as an image of instruction. Jesus offers his teaching and his companionship as an easy yoke, in contrast to the burdens others imposed, and promises rest to the one who learns from him.