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SCRIPTURAL ACCURACY, SPELLING, OR GRAMMAR

MATTHEW

CHAPTER 11

Matthew 11:1-10

11:1 After Yeshua had finished instructing the twelve talmidim, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns nearby.

2 Meanwhile, Yochanan John the Immerser, who had been put in prison, heard what the Messiah had been doing; so he sent a message to him through his talmidim, 3 asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for someone else?” 4 Yeshua answered, “Go and tell Yochanan what you are hearing and seeing — 5 the blind are seeing again, the lame are walking, people with tzara’at lepers are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised, the Good News is being told to the poor — 6 and how blessed is anyone not offended by me!”

7 As they were leaving, Yeshua began speaking about Yochanan to the crowds: “What did you go out to the desert to see? Reeds swaying in the breeze? 8 No? then what did you go out to see? Someone who was well dressed? Well-dressed people live in kings’ palaces. 9 Nu, so why did you go out? To see a prophet! Yes! and I tell you he’s much more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom the Tanakh says,

‘See, I am sending out my messenger ahead of you;

he will prepare your way before you.’ CJB

11:1-19

More Than a Prophet: The Forerunner

Matthew 11:1 is an epilogue to 9:37-10:42; in 11:2-19, John, like Jesus and the Twelve, becomes a model for Christian discipleship.

11:1. Emissaries would often be sent to prepare people for the coming of a king or other important figure before his arrival. "Cities" is meant in a broad rather than a technical Greek sense: there is no indication that Jesus approached major cities like Sepphoris or Tiberias. Even most of the larger agricultural towns had fewer than three thousand inhabitants, and the Galilean countryside was full of villages.

11:2-3. John's attitude here contrasts strikingly with 3:14. Some commentators have suggested that John is concerned about reports that Jesus has been touching the unclean (8:3; 9:20,25); to this report Jesus replies with the results of those touches (11:5). More likely, John, like most of his contemporaries, is tempted to think of a *kingdom bringer (3:11) or royal *Messiah rather than a miracle worker, so Jesus vindicates his healing mission with a text about the blessings of the messianic era (11:5). John's *disciples had probably traveled on the main road northward from Herod's fortress Machaerus, where John was imprisoned, through Perea beside the Jordan, to cross into Galilee, where Jesus was teaching.

11:4-6. Jesus cites signs from Isaiah 35:5-6 that refer to the arrival of the messianic era; cf. Isaiah 26:19; 61:1.

11:7. Reeds were fragile (Isaiah 42:3; *3 Maccabees 2:22), so a "reed shaken by the wind" was notoriously weak (1 Kings 14:15) and undependable (2 Kings 18:21; Ezekiel 29:6).

11:8. Prophets were rarely well-to-do, and in times of national wickedness they were forced to operate outside societal boundaries. (In David's time, Nathan and Gad could be court prophets; but by Ahab's time the court prophets were corrupt, and Elijah and others had to hide out in the wilderness or, in better days, at least remain outside the king's palace.) Royal luxury is not a standard of holiness in the *kingdom.

MATTHEW CHAPTER 11

11:9-10. Many Jews in the first century believed that full-fledged prophets had died out long ago, but they would have been open to the restoration of prophets in the end time. By fulfilling Malachi 3:1, John is more than just any herald of God; he is the direct announcer of the Lord, fulfilling the prophecy of Elijah's return (Malachi 4:5-6).

Note: To see more than this study on this subject, see www.lakesideministries.com Second Covenant – Life of Christ – Lesson 9 – John the Baptist’s delegation. Paul the Learner

Matthew 11:1-10

11:1 In the towns nearby, literally, “in their towns.” Whose towns? Some say, “the Jews' towns,” as if Mattityahu Matthew or his redactor were writing specifically for non-Jews or trying to distance himself from the Jews. I prefer to think what is meant is simply the towns of the people with whom Yeshua was then spending his time, the people of the Galilee, or possibly the home-towns of his talmidim. (Robertson's A Grammar of the Greek New Testament, p. 683, takes the Greek word “avtœn” (“their”) in this verse as being according to the sense of the surrounding words, with the narrative itself being compressed; this supports my understanding.) See 9:35&N.

11:3-6 Yochanan the Immerser, apparently discouraged by being put in prison after having announced Yeshua as the Messiah (3:11, 17; John 1:27, 29), asks, “Are you the one who is to come?”—the one who will put an end to political oppression and get me out of jail? The question is in code, for the phrase, “the one who is to come,” would be clear only to those acquainted with Yochanan's Johns teaching. Had they asked, “Are you the Messiah?” it would have been more difficult for Yeshua to send an answer to Yochanan without revealing his identity, which he was not yet wanting to do (see 8:4&N, 9:30).

Yeshua's answer is also in code. He refers to prophecies in the book of Isaiah of six signs which the Messiah will give when he comes:

1. He will make the blind see (Isaiah 29:18, 35:5),

2. Make the lame walk (Isaiah 35:6, 61:1),

3. Cleanse lepers (Isaiah 61:1),

4. Make the deaf hear (Isaiah 29:18, 35:5),

5. Raise the dead (implied in Isaiah 11:1-2 but not made specific),

6. And evangelize the poor (Isaiah 61:1-2 in the light of 4:23 N above).

Since he has done all these things (chapters 8-9), the message should be clear: Yeshua is the one; Yochanan need not look for another. See 8:1-4 N.

But his answer avoids mentioning the Messianic sign of “proclaiming liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1). Added to his remark, “How blessed is anyone not offended by me,” Yeshua seems to be saying delicately that even though he is the Messiah, Yochanan will not be set free—as proves to be the case (below, 14:1-12).

Another view of this passage: Yochanan had prophesied that the Coming One would be an instrument of judgment as well as compassion. But in prison he had heard nothing of judgment, only of compassionate miracles. His question thus arises from lacking insight into a first coming in mercy and a second coming for judgment.

MATTHEW CHAPTER 11

Matthew 11:1-10

11:9 Nu. A general-purpose Yiddish word meaning variously, “Well?” “So?” “Indeed!” “I challenge you,” or, as in this case, “If not that, then what?”—with many possible inflections and overtones. It translates the similarly flexible Greek particle “alla” (see Paragraph 3 of the entry on “alla” in Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament) and in one succinct word captures the dynamic flavor of the exchange between Yeshua and the crowd. See also Luke 12:42 N.

11:10 Malachi 3:1, quoted here, introduces a passage which explicitly states that Eliyahu (Elijah) the Prophet will precede the coming of the Day of the Lord, that is, the Day of Judgment (Malachi 3:23(4:5)). Judaism expects Elijah—who never died but was taken up to heaven by a whirlwind in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11)—to precede the Messiah. See 17:10 N.

11:7-30 TEACHING

A-1 11:7-9 Ministry of John.

B-1 11:10 Word of God. Fulfillment of “Messenger.”

A-2 11:11-13 Ministry of John.

B-2 11:14, 15 Word of God. Fulfillment of “Elijah.”

A-3 11:16-24 Ministry of Messiah.

B-3 11:25-30 Will of God. Rest in.

Homily 36

Matthew 11:1

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."

That is, after He had sent them, He proceeded to withdraw Himself, to give them room and opportunity to do what He had enjoined. For while He was present and healing, no one would be willing to approach them.

11:2 "Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Jesus, he sent two of his disciples, and asked Him, saying, Art thou He that should come? or do we look for another?"

But Luke saith, they also told John of the miracles, and then he sent them. However, this contains no matter of difficulty, but of consideration only; for this, among other things, indicates their jealousy towards Him. But what follows is completely among the. controverter points. Of what nature then is this? Their saying, "Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another?" That is:

1. He that knew Him before His miracles,

2. He that had learned it of the Spirit,

3. He that heard it of the Father,

4. He who had proclaimed Him before all men;

Doth he now send to learn of Him, whether it be Himself or no? And if yet thou didst not know that it is surely He, how thinks thou thyself credible, affirming as thou dost concerning things, whereof thou art ignorant? For he that is to bear witness to others, must be first worthy of credit himself.

1. Did thou not say, "I am not meet to loose the latchet of His shoe? "

2. Did thou not say, "I knew Him not, but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and resting upon Him, the same is He which baptizes with the Holy Ghost?"

MATTHEW CHAPTER 11

Homily 36 – Matthew 11:2

3. Did thou not see the Spirit in form of a dove?

4. Did thou not hear the voice?

5. Did thou not utterly forbid Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized of Thee?"

6. Did thou not say even to thy disciples, "He must increase, I must decrease?"

7. Did thou not teach all the people, that "He should baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with fire?" and that He "is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world?"

8. Did thou not before His signs and miracles proclaim all these things?

How then now, when He hath been made manifest to all, and the fame of Him hath gone out everywhere, and dead men have been raised, and devils driven away, and a display made of so great miracles, dost thou after this send to learn of Him? What then is the fact? Were all these sayings a kind of fraud: a stage play and fables? Nay, who that hath any understanding would say so? I say not,

(a). John, who leaped in the womb,

(b). Who before his own birth proclaimed Him, the citizen of the wilderness,

(c). The exhibitor of the conversation of angels;

But even though he were one of the common sort, and of them that are utterly outcast, he would not have hesitated, after so many testimonies, both on his own part and on the part of others. Whence it is evident, that neither did he send as being himself in doubt, nor did he ask in ignorance. Since no one surely could say this, that though he knew it fully, yet on account of his prison he was become rather timid: for neither was he looking to be delivered there from, nor if he did look for it, would he have betrayed his duty to God, armed as he was against various kinds of death. For unless he had been prepared for this,

A. He would not have evinced so great courage towards a whole people, practiced in shedding blood of prophets;

B. Nor would he have rebuked that savage tyrant with so much boldness in the midst of the city and the forum, severely chiding him, as though he were a little child, in hearing of all men.

And even if he were grown more timid, how was he not ashamed before his own disciples, in whose presence he had so often borne witness unto Him, but asked his question by them, which he should have done by others? And yet surely he knew full well, that they too were jealous of Christ, and desired to find some handle against Him. And how could he but be abashed before the Jewish people, in whose presence he had proclaimed such high things? Or what advantage accrued to him thereby, towards deliverance from his bonds? For not for Christ's sake had he been cast into prison, nor for having proclaimed His power, but for his own rebuke touching the unlawful marriage. And what child so silly, what person so frantic, but that so he would have put on himself their character?

What then is it which he is bringing about? For that it belongs not to John to have doubt hereupon, no nor to any ordinary person, nor even to one extremely foolish and frenzied; so much is evident from what we have said. And now we have only to add the solution.

THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN WERE GOING ALONG WITH THE PHARISEES AGAINST JESUS.

For what intent then did he send to ask? John's disciples were starting aside from Jesus, and this surely any one may see, and they had always a jealous feeling towards Him. And it is plain, from what they said to their master:

MATTHEW CHAPTER 11

Homily 36 - Matthew 11:2, 3,4

1. "He that was with thee," it is said, "beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizes, and all men come unto Him."