STRAIGHTWAY CHURCH OF CHRIST
37 MARKET STREET, NEW HAVEN, CT 06513
WWW.STRAIGHTWAYCHURCHOFCHRIST.COM
The Late Bishop E. Samuel Green, Establismentarian
Bishop M. Ruel McCoy, Sr.,
Servant / Shepherd
“JESUS CORRECTS AND COMMENDS JOHN”
Matthew 11:1-15
LESSON 11 AUGUST 15, 2021
“JESUS CORRECTS AND COMMENDS JOHN”
Lesson Text: Matthew 11:1-15
Related Scriptures: Isaiah 40:1-8; Matthew 3:1-12; 17:9-13; Luke 1:76-79; Malachi 3:1-5
TIME: A.D. 28
PLACE: Galilee
GOLDEN TEXT: “For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee” (Matthew 11:10).
SCRIPTURE LESSON TEXT
Matthew 11:1-15
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.
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.
LESSON OUTLINE
1. CORRECTING JOHN’S EXPECTATIONS
(Matthew 11:1-6)
2. CORRECTING THE CROWD’S EXPECTATIONS (Matthew 11:7-15)
CORRECTING JOHN’S EXPECTATIONS—Matthew 11:1-6
A time to minister alone (Matthew 11:1).
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.
The previous chapter, Matthew 10, records Jesus’ lengthy instructions to His disciples before their first preaching mission throughout the region. After cautioning them on how to react to various situations, Jesus sent them out in pairs on their own.
Alone for the first time in months, Jesus used the time to continue His ministry on His own.
A message from John (Matthew 11:2-3).
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?
Matthew says without embellishment that John heard about Jesus’ ministry “in the prison.” He was, in fact, locked up in Herod’s dungeon.
Having heard the reports of what Jesus had been doing, John sent two of his disciples to make a special inquiry. He wanted to know, Was Jesus really the One who was to come?
How do we explain this unexpected crisis of confidence? He had preached in dramatic terms.
The uncompromising language in Matthew 3:7-12 shows that John associated the Messiah’s coming with a deep spiritual cleansing, in which judgment played a key role. Jesus’ priorities appeared to be elsewhere, and John was confused at best.
An engaging reply (Matthew 11:4-6).
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.
Jesus simply instructed John’s disciples to go back and report to him what they were seeing and hearing: people’s lives were being changed.
Jesus enumerated several specifics.
Blind people were seeing again; lame ones were walking; lepers were being cleansed; deaf individuals were hearing; and dead people were being raised to life again.
The real power of Jesus’ answer, however, lay in His confidence
that John would recognize the messianic prophecies Jesus was alluding to. They were also to tell him, “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me” (Matthew 11:6). Jesus was offering a bracing exhortation to persevere, to keep the faith.
CORRECTING THE CROWD’S EXPECTATIONS—Matthew 11:7-15
Probing questions (Matthew 11:7-9).
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.
Jesus turned to the crowd with some questions of His own.
John the Baptist had been raised up by God to prepare the hearts
of the people for the coming of the Messiah. But Jesus knew that large numbers of those who went to see and hear John did so merely out of curiosity.
So, Jesus began probing this curiosity (vs. 7). Did they think John would sway in every
direction according to popular opinion?
Did they go out to the wilderness thinking they would find a man draped in fine clothing? John had been dressed in the roughest of attire (3:4).
Jesus brought them around to the heart of the issue: “What went ye out for to see? A prophet?” (11:9). He then immediately confirmed that this was the right reason to go see John. With His questions, Jesus was pointing out that the only
legitimate reason for making the trip to the wilderness was to hear a prophet.
An astounding truth (Matthew 11:10-11).
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.
Jesus now declared truth that few had grasped. John was more than a prophet; he was the special messenger of the One who was to come.
John stood at the culmination of the line of all the prophets.
Despite all this, even the most insignificant person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John! What was Jesus saying? It was a paradox the crowd could scarcely guess at then.
Everything that God had done with and for His people up to this time was preparatory. The kingdom era was at hand, and those in it would enjoy greater spiritual privileges.
A deep warning (Matthew 11:12-15).
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.
Since John’s time, the kingdom of heaven “suffereth violence.”
The kingdom of heaven had been under attack by the forces of evil. And Jesus gave His disciples no false hope that such conflict would soon dissipate.
Jesus then noted that all the Prophets, and even the Law itself, pointed to this present time. Everything pointed directly to Jesus.
The Lord then made one final comment about John, declaring that he was Elijah who was prophesied to come.
Jesus was not saying that John was literally the Prophet Elijah come back to earth but that he came in the spirit and power of Elijah.
Behind the identification stood the greater truth that Elijah was prophesied as a messenger of the coming of the Lord.
The people had to make up their minds about Jesus—and soon.
QUESTIONS
1. Why was Jesus alone at the start of this passage?
He had sent the disciples away
2. What doubts was John undergoing in prison?
3. Why was John questioning his own proclamations about Jesus?
John associated the Messiah’s coming with a deep spiritual cleansing, in which judgment played a key role. Jesus’ priorities appeared to be elsewhere, and John was confused at best
4. What answer did Jesus have John’s disciples take back to him?
Go back and report to him what they were seeing and hearing: people’s lives were being changed
5. What point did Jesus expect John to grasp?
Jesus was offering a bracing exhortation to persevere, to keep the faith
6. What was Jesus trying to point out with His questions about John?
7. In what way was John the Baptist more than a prophet?
He was the special messenger of the one who was to come. John stood at the culmination of the line of all the prophets
8. What truth was contained in Jesus’ paradoxical statement about John’s greatness?
9. How should we understand the statement in verse 13?
Everything pointed directly to Jesus
10. In what way was John the prophesied Elijah?
John came in the spirit and power of Elijah
PRACTICAL POINTS
1. Jesus not only instructs us to serve God but also models what that service should look like (Matthew 11:1).
2. In times of trial and doubt, we should turn to Christ, not away from Him (vss. 2-3).
3. What Christ did is key to understanding who Christ is (vss. 4-6).
4. We need to look beyond our limited expectations to hear the voice of our unlimited God (vss. 7-9).
5. God’s people achieve greatness by faithfully fulfilling their God-given purpose (vss. 10-11).
6. When God’s message is proclaimed in faith and obedience, opposition and persecution are sure to follow (vss. 12-15).
STRAIGHTWAY CHURCH OF CHRIST
37 MARKET STREET, NEW HAVEN, CT 06513
WWW.STRAIGHTWAYCHURCHOFCHRIST.COM
The Late Bishop E. Samuel Green, Establismentarian
Bishop M. Ruel McCoy, Sr.,
Servant / Shepherd
“JESUS CORRECTS AND COMMENDS JOHN”
Matthew 11:1-15