Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What Does Matthew Chapter 11 Mean?

Matthew 11 comes immediately after Jesus has sent His twelve hand-picked apostles out on separate missionary journeys, in pairs (Matthew 10:1–4). Jesus Himself continues through Galilee, teaching and preaching (Matthew 11:1).

John the Baptist is in prison (Matthew 4:12). He has heard about what Jesus has been doing as He travels from place to place. John sends a message to Jesus through his own disciples, asking if Jesus is the “one who is to come.” John wants to know if Jesus is really the Messiah, apparently because Jesus has not yet brought judgment on those who have not repented. Most likely, John expected Jesus to immediately bring an earthly kingdom. His question might not be an expression of doubt, so much as wondering why Jesus hasn’t yet done what John expects Him to do (Matthew 11:2–3).

Jesus tells John’s disciples to go and tell what they have seen Jesus do. He references Isaiah’s prophecies about the Messiah: that He will heal the blind, the lame, lepers, and the deaf, as well as raise the dead and preach good news to the poor. Jesus means for John to be reassured by this. Even when God does not meet our exact expectations, we can be confident that He’s fulfilling His promises (Matthew 11:4–6).

As John’s disciples leave, Jesus turns to the crowd and reminds them of how strong and unmovable John was during his ministry to Israel. Jesus declares that not only was John a prophet, but he was the very one that Isaiah prophesied would come to prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1). Among all human beings born up to that point, John is the greatest. Still, the lowest person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. The meaning here seems to be that John the Baptist more clearly understood God’s plan than any prophet who came before. Jesus adds that, if His listeners can accept it, John is the spiritual fulfillment of the prophecy that Elijah would return (Matthew 11:7–11).

Jesus makes clear, though, that Israel mostly rejected the preaching of John the Baptist; Israel has also mostly rejected Jesus’ message. Christ compares the Israelites of this generation to children complaining that their playmates won’t participate in their games. No matter what they see, and no matter what God provides, they simply demand the opposite. Their real motive is to resist, not to submit. Instead of hearing John the Baptist and truly repenting, the people decided he had a demon because of his strange and restrictive lifestyle. Instead of hearing Jesus and repenting, this generation decided that Jesus was a glutton and a drunk because He did not lead a restrictive lifestyle. Jesus uses a proverb to show that both He and John will be proven right in the end (Matthew 11:12–19).

Next, Jesus pronounces judgment on the cities where the people did not repent, despite seeing Him perform great and powerful miracles. If the same miracles had been performed in the wicked Gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon, those idol-worshippers would have repented in great humility. The Jewish cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida will find God’s judgment less bearable than those pagan cities. The same is true of Jesus’ own adopted hometown of Capernaum. Even wicked Sodom, which God utterly destroyed (Genesis 19:24–25), will have a more tolerable judgment than Capernaum. This suggests the people of Sodom are still subject to judgment, despite the end of their earthly lives. It also hints that somehow, there are levels of punishment or judgment for our earthly sins (Matthew 11:20–24).

Jesus thanks His Father, God, for hiding the truth from those who are wise and understanding, according to the world. His implication is that those who arrogantly assume their own wisdom will miss the truth—because they aren’t really looking for it. Instead, God will reveal truth to those the world dismissed as “children.” Jesus declares that He and God the Father know each other completely and that He can reveal the Father to anyone He chooses. He invites those listening who are weary and weighed down—in the sense of the Pharisees’ extra rules and requirements—to take on His yoke and find rest for their souls (Matthew 11:25–30).

Chapter Context
Matthew 11 follows Jesus’ instructions to the apostles about taking His message and miracles to the towns of Israel with His own continued ministry of teaching (Matthew 10). Jesus answers a question from John the Baptist’s followers, and upholds John’s ministry. Jesus condemns several cities in Galilee for rejecting His teaching, despite obvious signs. He thanks His Father for hiding the truth from those who arrogantly think they are wise. He offers rest for those who will take His yoke. This leads to further confrontations with critics, recorded in chapter 12.

Verse By Verse

Verse 1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

This immediately follows Jesus’ instructions to His apostles before sending them into Galilee (Matthew 10:5–8). There, they were to preach His message and perform His miracles under the authority He had given to them. They were sent in pairs, separately from the others and without Jesus. Christ’s intent was not to give Himself time off. Rather, He sent them out to multiply the number of workers in the harvest (Matthew 9:37–38). As the Twelve (Matthew 10:1–4) set out on their journey, Jesus heads into Galilee, as well, to continue His own ministry of preaching and healing. In the following verses, He will respond to a question from John the Baptist, who is in prison (Matthew 4:12).

Verse 2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples

John the Baptist is a central figure in Matthew’s telling of the story of Jesus. Before Jesus’ public ministry began, John lived in the wild and preached that the people of Israel should repent because the kingdom of heaven was near. He baptized many Israelites in the Jordan River as a sign of their repentance before God (Matthew 3:1–6).

John’s mission was to prepare the way for the Messiah, and He recognized Jesus as the One: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel” (John 1:29–31). John’s understanding was that the Messiah was coming to bring judgment on those in Israel who did not repent (Matthew 3:7–12).

Jesus insisted that John baptize Him, as well. That’s the moment when Jesus saw the Holy Spirit descend onto Him like a dove, and God the Father’s voice was heard saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Not long after that, John the Baptist was arrested and imprisoned by Herod Antipas, also known as Herod the tetrarch: ruler over parts of Israel under the authority of the Romans. Matthew 14 explains why John was arrested: He had spoken out against Herod’s sin in marrying his brother’s wife (Matthew 14:3–4).

Now Jesus receives a message from John, still in prison, through John’s disciples. Scholars tell us John was imprisoned at Herod’s fortress east of the Dead Sea, a place called Machaerus. He has been there for as long as a year at this point, but he has heard reports about what Jesus has been doing.

Many teachers had disciples. John’s disciples were still loyal to him and serving him despite his imprisonment. They delivered John’s question to Jesus.

Verse 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

John the Baptist has been in prison for as long as a year. Chapter 14 will reveal additional details as to why he was imprisoned. He had declared that Herod’s choice to divorce his own wife and marry his brother’s wife was not lawful. In retaliation, Herod had him arrested and imprisoned at a fortress called Machaerus, east of the Dead Sea.

The gospels make it clear that John was more than just a teacher. He was the fulfilment of God’s prophecy in Isaiah 40:3 about a man who would come to “prepare the way of the Lord.” John did this by calling Israel to repent because the kingdom of heaven was near. He introduced Israel to Jesus as the Messiah.

The question being posed here suggests John was grappling with doubt. He has heard about what Jesus has been doing, and he has sent his disciples to Jesus with a question: Are you the one who was to come, or should we look for someone else? In short, John the Baptist was asking if Jesus was really the Messiah. It’s also possible that John is asking this question rhetorically—that his deeper meaning is something like saying, “Jesus, what are you waiting for?”

John preached that those who failed to “produce good fruit” would be “cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). He said the Messiah was coming to gather the wheat into His barn and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Scholars suggest John’s expectations for the Messiah didn’t match up with Jesus’ early ministry. This was a common response of people who had been raised to expect a David-like figure who would immediately conquer. Scripture shows that almost nobody understood that Jesus had come to demonstrate power before dying for the sins of the world, and then to be resurrected from the dead. Judgment would come for all who rejected the Messiah, but it would come later.

John had heard about Jesus’ preaching and His miracles of healing and casting out demons. He had not heard anything about Jesus bringing judgment on Israel so far. Perhaps John was waiting even for Herod to be judged by the Messiah so they he could be released from prison.

Verse 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:

John the Baptist’s disciples have come to Jesus with a question. John has heard about everything Jesus has been doing, and he wants to know if Jesus is the “one who is to come” or if they should be looking for someone else?

At first glance, this seems like a strange question from John the Baptist. He was the one who declared Jesus to be “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29–31). He was the one who said he was not worthy even to tie Jesus’ sandals (John 1:27). He also was present when God’s voice spoke from heaven and declared that Jesus was His beloved Son.

It’s even stranger, in a way, because John is responding to what he has heard about Jesus’ ministry. Christ was going about Galilee, miraculously healing every kind of disease and affliction. He effortlessly cast out demons. He powerfully preached about the coming kingdom. Looking back, with the advantage of hindsight, we might think of these as obvious signs.

It’s likely John was expecting Jesus to bring immediate judgment on those in Israel who had not repented of their sins. Perhaps John expected that judgment to reach his own captor, Herod Antipas, the Jewish ruler over parts of Israel under the rule of the Romans. From John’s perspective, it might have seemed strange that Jesus had not yet brought earthly judgment. For many people of that era, who had lived under constant oppression, this was a common misunderstanding (John 6:15; Matthew 16:21–23). It would not be until after Christ’s death and resurrection that the details prophesied in the Old Testament would become clear (John 2:22).

Another possibility is that John’s question is not so much an expression of doubt as impatience—the equivalent of asking, “Jesus, are you going to do these things, or not?”

Jesus now instructs the messengers to go and tell John what they have witnessed. Jesus spells that out in the following verses, and John would have understood Him to be referencing passages in Isaiah about the coming Messiah. This is Jesus’ evidence to John that He truly is the One who was to come.

Verse 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

Disciples of John the Baptist have been sent back to their master, currently in prison (Matthew 4:12) with an eyewitness report about what they have seen Jesus do. This is the answer to John’s question about whether Jesus is the Messiah or if they should expect someone else (Matthew 11:1–4). This might have been an expression of John’s impatience or confusion. Or, John’s faith in Jesus may have been wavering because he expected the Messiah to bring immediate judgment on the unrepentant in Israel. This was a common misunderstanding prior to Christ’s death and resurrection (John 2:22; Matthew 16:21–23).

What has Jesus done? He tells John’s disciples to report the miracles and preaching message He has been proclaiming. All of these describe powerful works Jesus has done—but Christ is doing more than suggesting John should believe because of His power to heal. Jesus is referencing several prophesies made by Isaiah, and applying them to Himself:

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy” (Isaiah 35:5–6).

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD‘s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn” (Isaiah 61:1–2).

John the Baptist would recognize those comments as Scripture quotations. He would realize Jesus is claiming to be the fulfillment to Isaiah’s prophecies. The verses around those passages also speak of God’s judgment and vengeance. Jesus may be assuring John that the time of God’s judgment will come, even if it has not yet happened. For now, John should trust that Jesus is the one who was to come.

Verse 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

Jesus has answered John the Baptist’s tough question very specifically. John had sent a message to Jesus from prison (Matthew 4:12) through his disciples. He seems to wonder if Jesus is truly the Messiah (Matthew 11:1–3). Jesus responded by connecting His healing miracles and preaching to prophecies from Isaiah (Matthew 11:4–5).

John probably expected the Messiah to quickly bring God’s judgment on those in Israel who had not repented of their sin, as well as Israel’s oppressors. His question might have been an expression of doubt. Or, it might have been a way to express confusion—as if saying, “Jesus, are you going to do these things, or not?”

This was a common misunderstanding of Jesus’ followers prior to His crucifixion and resurrection (Matthew 16:21–23; John 2:22). Jesus has shown that the Messiah will come with healing and hope, as well as the promise of God’s judgment.

Jesus concludes His answer to John’s disciples by declaring “blessed” the one who “does not fall away.” This phrase in Greek is hos ean mē skandalisthē en emoi. This can also be translated as “the one who does not take offense at Me,” as in the NASB. There is a connection here to the English term “scandalize:” Jesus is subtly warning not to give up belief because He doesn’t immediately meet a person’s expectations. Assumptions are part of our fallible nature, and can be wrong.

Jesus is the only way to God the Father (John 14:6), but He is also the stumbling block that people will trip over in their attempts to reach God because they do not believe that He is the Christ (Isaiah 8:14; Romans 9:33). Many people, both in Jesus’ era and today, reject God specifically because He does not fit their preferences or their demands.

Verse 7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

Disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus with a question from their master in prison: Are you the Messiah or should we look for someone else (Matthew 11:1–3)? Jesus apparently was not doing the things John expected the Messiah to do right away. Jesus told John’s disciples to go back to him as eyewitnesses of Jesus’ activities and with a specific answer. That included quotations from Isaiah showing that Christ’s work was exactly what God had predicted (Matthew 11:4–6).

As John’s disciples are leaving, Jesus turns to the crowds to talk about John. Instead of dismissing John for his question, Jesus defends John the Baptist for his strength and for fulfilling his mission. Many, many Israelites had gone to see John the Baptist in the wilderness during his preaching and baptizing ministry (Matthew 3:5–6). That number undoubtedly included many who now followed Jesus, since John pointed to Him as the Messiah.

Jesus asks those gathered if they went into the wilderness to see “a reed shaken by the wind.” This would bring to mind images of the cane grass that grows along the Jordan River, where John baptized so many Israelites. Those plant stems are thin and weak—but they are also extremely common. Watching reeds blow in the wind would be akin to asking, in modern English, about watching paint dry.

The assumed answer to Jesus’ question is “no.” The people didn’t go into the wilderness to see something weak, or common, or mundane. John the Baptist was known for his strength and even ferocity.

Verse 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings ‘ houses.

Jesus is defending and praising John the Baptist. Some in the crowd may have questioned John’s faith in Jesus as the Messiah. John’s disciples brought a message asking if Jesus really was the Messiah, or if they should expect someone else (Matthew 11:1–3). After answering John’s disciples and sending them away (Mathew 11:4–6), Jesus began to tell the crowd about John the Baptist (Matthew 11:7). This began by pointing out that people were not attracted to John’s message because he was ordinary or weak (Matthew 11:7).

Now Jesus continues this theme by referring John the Baptist’s clothing. John was famous for—among other things—his rough clothes made of camel hair secured with a leather belt. This was a reason he was so closely associated with the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). Jesus adds that those who live in kings’ houses wear soft clothes, not prophets in the wilderness. The reference to kings’ houses might be a dig at Herod, the ruler who had imprisoned John the Baptist for calling out his unlawful marriage to his brother’s wife.

Through His questions, Jesus is reminding the people that John the Baptist was strong and wild in the way prophets can be. Despite John’s question for Jesus, John’s faith was not soft or weak. Like so many others, he simply had the wrong expectations for God’s timing in connection to the events surrounding the arrival of the Messiah (Matthew 16:21–23; John 2:22).

Verse 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

Jesus has been asking the crowds around Him a series of questions about John the Baptist. Some of John’s disciples had asked, on behalf of John, if Jesus was really the Messiah. Jesus gave them an answer and sent them back to John. Then He turned to the crowd to defend John from any thought that the Baptizer’s faith was weak (Matthew 11:1–8).

The questions Jesus has asked are rhetorical—they are really statements. The man so many of these people went to see in the wilderness was strong, not soft. He was unique, not common. Now Jesus asks if they went out to see a prophet, and immediately gives the answer. Not only was John a prophet; he was “more than a prophet.”

Prophets were people called by God to deliver specific messages. Every Israelite would have grown up learning about Israel’s most famous prophets: Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Isaiah, etc. They would have also grown up knowing that Israel had not received a true prophet from God in hundreds of years. That’s why so many of them went out to see the prophet John the Baptist preach and to be baptized by him as a sign of their repentance (Matthew 3:5–6).

The fact that John was a prophet in the same way as those famous men is remarkable enough. Jesus, though, insists that John was even more than that. He quotes Scripture to show why that is true (Matthew 11:10).

Verse 10 This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,who will prepare your way before you.’

The crowds following Jesus are now hearing about John the Baptist. Christ is reminding them that when the people went to see John in the wilderness, preaching about the kingdom and baptizing, he was strong and wore rough clothes (Matthew 11:7–9). Jesus has described John the Baptist as a prophet and more than a prophet. Now He quotes from Malachi 3:1 to show what He means.

John the Baptist was the fulfilment of Malachi’s prophecy: “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me” (Malachi 3:1) These words are spoken by the Lord of the one who will come before Him when He comes. This is a prophecy about the Messiah.

It’s extremely important to note that Jesus confirms His own identity as the Messiah by making this reference. His insistence that John is the one Scriptures predicted to herald the Messiah means Jesus Himself is the Messiah. Jesus is upholding both John as God’s messenger and Himself as the “one who is to come” (Matthew 11:3).

Verse 11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

“A prophet…and more than a prophet” is how Jesus has just described John the Baptist (Matthew 11:9). He has referred to Malachi’s prophecy as a way of affirming John’s status (Matthew 11:10). That comment also serves as Jesus’ claim to being the “one who is to come” (Matthew 11:3).

Christ now adds that not only is John the greatest of the prophets, he is the greatest of every person ever born on earth. This statement, as with all Scripture, should be considered carefully in context. John served as the one man chosen by God to prepare the way for the Messiah. There is no more privileged position on earth than to point others to Jesus as the Messiah, and God gave John that mission first and above all. Also, John had a better understanding of who Messiah was than any of the prophets who came before.

Jesus is quick to add, however, that even the least person in the kingdom of heaven is “greater” than John the Baptist. Heaven’s kingdom will be filled with those declared righteous before God by His grace and because of their faith in Jesus. In Christ, their sins will be forgiven and God will give them credit for the righteous life that Jesus lived. Anyone forgiven for all sin and is declared righteous before God through faith in Christ will be better—”greater”—than John the Baptist standing only in his own righteousness.

John was the last of the prophets to point forward to the kingdom of heaven. This gave him greater status and knowledge than any who came before. Yet he is not greater in either status or knowledge, than those who will stand in the kingdom itself.

Verse 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.

Not all phrases are easy to translate into other languages. This verse represents a difficult concept to understand, and commentators offer several possible explanations of what Jesus meant. He has just said that John is the greatest person ever born, but that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is (Matthew 11:11).

The key phrase here, in the original Greek, is hē basileia tōn ouranōn biazetai, kai biastai harpazousin autēn. Most English translations follow the pattern of the ESV: “the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.” Other translations, such as the NLT, render this as “the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.” The NASB adds some subtlety by noting, in footnotes, that these phrases can also be translated “is forcibly entered,” and “seize it for themselves,” respectively.

Jesus’ reference to the days of John the Baptist likely means the time of John’s ministry before he was imprisoned (Matthew 4:12). “Now,” in this context, would then mean that moment in Jesus’ ministry of introducing the kingdom of heaven.

The most direct meaning of these words seems to be that when Jesus began His public ministry, the kingdom of heaven was beginning on earth in the form of Jesus and His followers. But great opposition has risen up against heaven’s kingdom in the form of men like Herod—who imprisoned John the Baptist—and the Jewish religious leaders.

Another possible meaning is that Jesus is speaking about the perversion of truth committed by His critics and opponents. In other words, a right understanding of the kingdom had been attacked. People had the wrong idea about what the kingdom of heaven really was. That’s why John the Baptist asked if Jesus was really the Messiah. In that sense, then, Jesus would be saying that violent men are insisting the kingdom must be a political kingdom that begins by overthrowing the Romans. Jesus did not come to earth to do that.

Verse 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,

“The Prophets and the Law” are what we now call the Old Testament Scriptures. The law is God’s specific instructions for the nation of Israel; these are mostly found in the Law of Moses: the first five books of the Bible. “The Prophets” includes the writings of all of God’s hand-picked messengers: men like Isaiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel, who delivered His words to His people and others.

Jesus states now that all those writings pointed forward to the last prophet of that era: John the Baptist, who prepared the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1). Once John introduced Jesus to the world as the “one who is to come” (Matthew 11:3), those prophecies were fulfilled. Predictions about the coming of the Messiah were active “until John;” he ushered in the age of the Messiah and the nearness of the kingdom.

Verse 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

Malachi is the final book of what we now call the Old Testament. Malachi, like all the prophets, delivered the message God gave him to say. These included statements about what would happen in the distant future. Malachi lived hundreds of years before the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, but he wrote what God said about them both:

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:1).

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes” (Malachi 4:5).

Luke’s gospel quotes the angel of the Lord describing the work John the Baptist will do to his father. This uses the same phrasing found in Malachi: “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:16–17).

John the Baptist himself denied that he was literally Elijah (John 1:21); he refuted any suggestion that he was that prophet reborn or returned to earth in some way. Jesus, though, insists that John was the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy that Elijah would be sent to prepare the way for Christ. John certainly came “in the spirit and power of Elijah,” as the angel said.

Jesus adds “if you are willing to accept it,” implying that He knew not everyone would grasp that this was true or what it meant. If John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the promise of the return of Elijah to usher in the day of the Lord, it means Jesus was claiming to be the Lord.

Verse 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

This statement sounds like a platitude or a figure of speech that would be tacked on to a wise saying: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” When Jesus says it, though, it is a clue to go back and look at what He has just said. Those with ears should review Jesus’ words, because He has just given them a clue that His prior statements are important.

Those listening only on a surface level may have only heard Jesus praise John the Baptist and hold him up as the fulfillment of the prophecy that Elijah would return (Malachi 4:5). Yet, in saying this, Jesus has really claimed to be the Messiah Himself. He’s saying that John the Baptist prepared the way for Him. After all, Malachi’s prophecy was God saying that “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.” That means that Jesus is claiming the title of Lord and announcing that He has arrived to bring about the day of the Lord.

Verse 16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,

Jesus begins to build a negative analogy about the generation of Israelites in His day. He uses a common Jewish phrase: “to what shall I compare” something? In this case, He compares His generation to children playing in the marketplace.

In all His analogies and metaphors, Jesus reflects a deep awareness of what is happening in the world around Him, including being tuned in to the games of children. He is aware that kids play “wedding” and “funeral” and sometimes complain when their peers don’t join in. The point of the comparison will be to show that the people of Israel in His generation also complain that John the Baptist and Jesus are unwilling to play their “games” or meet their expectations about how the two of them should behave and speak.

This analogy will also speak to how fickle and inconsistent people can be when they resist the truth. The following verse will present two completely opposite complaints. This, however, is how many who reject God respond to Him. No matter what He shows them, or what they see, they simply demand the opposite.

Verse 17 “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

Jesus has compared the generation of Israelites in His day to children sitting in the marketplace wanting to play games with each other. He describes them as calling to their playmates and complaining that the others did not dance when they played the flute or mourn when they sang a dirge. Those specific games might seem odd to modern readers. Apparently, though, it was common in this era for children to play “wedding” and “funeral,” acting out the activities of those events.

While playing “wedding,” a child might pretend to play the flute while others danced as if at a feast. If they were creating a “funeral,” someone would perform a sad song while the others “mourned.” Mourning then went far beyond silent grieving to loud wailing and “beating the breast,” which is what the word for “mourn” means.

How is this like the generation of that day? Jesus shows in the following verses that the people of the time, maybe especially those in power, complained about both John the Baptist and Jesus for not “playing” as a prophet and a Messiah should, according to popular expectations. Those expectations, of course, are wildly inconsistent. The point is that no matter what they see, some people will demand the opposite, simply out of hard-headed resistance to God.

Verse 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’

Demanding, immature children playing in the marketplace are the image Jesus has just applied to the Israelites of His generation. Children complain because the other children won’t “play the game” they want to play, or when the game is not being played exactly as they prefer. Here, Christ begins to show how the people of Israel, in this moment, are like those children. They have expectations for how a prophet should act. No matter what they see or hear, they’ll demand something different.

For example, instead of hearing John the Baptist’s words and truly taking them to heart, they accuse him of being oppressed by demons. Some demon-possessed people would isolate themselves from the community, dress strangely—if at all (Mark 5:14–15)—and even hurt themselves. John lived in the wilderness, dressed in uncomfortable camel hair clothes, and ate only locusts and wild honey, refusing to touch alcohol (Luke 1:15). By society’s standards, he was a bizarre character.

John the Baptist was not actually demon-possessed, of course. The problem was that he didn’t meet the expectations of many Israelites for the one preparing the way for the Lord. They used this as an excuse to ignore John’s harsh warnings about God’s coming judgment. Instead of repenting, they accused him of being possessed by evil spirits.

Jesus will point to a different accusation in the next verse, one exactly opposite this criticism of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:19). Matthew will report in the following chapter that Jesus was also accused of being associated with Satan.

Verse 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

Jesus is showing how the current generation of Israelites is like children who are disappointed because their friends won’t participate in their games. The Israelites, as a whole, complained that neither John nor Jesus met their expectations for how a prophet or the Messiah should act. The two complaints presented are mirror images of each other. The point, overall, is that the people are simply looking for excuses not to believe.

In the previous verse, Jesus pointed out that many accused John of being demon-possessed (Matthew 11:18). In part, this was because of his strange and restrictive lifestyle. He didn’t drink alcohol or go to dinner parties. Instead, he lived in a strange place, wearing strange clothes, eating strange food, and calling people to repent of sin. It was easier to declare a man like that demonized than to reckon with his warnings about God’s judgment.

On the other hand, Jesus did attend dinner parties and drink wine. That’s what He means when He says that He came eating and drinking. The people who did not want to hear Jesus’ message made false accusations—exactly the opposite of those they might have applied to John the Baptist—that because Jesus did not fast as other religious people did and because He did not abstain from wine, He must be a glutton and drunkard. Neither of those things was true.

Another problem for Jesus’ critics, especially religious leaders, was the people with whom He associated. Jesus ate dinner with tax collectors and other known “sinners:” those who didn’t strictly follow the law. This is Matthew’s gospel, and Matthew once again points out what it cost Jesus’ reputation to call him, a former tax collector (Matthew 9:9), as one of the twelve disciples.

Jewish religious leaders staunchly refused to have any association with tax collectors or others of low reputation. They wrongly believed this increased their religious worth above those like Jesus, who spent time with such people. In one instance, Jesus condemned them for failing to show mercy to the spiritually “sick,” the ones who most needed a doctor (Matthew 9:12–13).

Jesus’ point was that the Israelites of this generation, as a whole, rejected John the Baptist and Jesus. But they did so for contradictory reasons. The truth was they refused to accept the teachings of either. Neither John nor Jesus met the people’s own, skewed ideas for what a prophet or religious teacher should be like.

Christ concludes by stating a simple proverb: Wisdom is justified by her deeds. Some ancient manuscripts, including Luke’s version of this statement, put it slightly differently: “Wisdom is justified by all her children” (Luke 7:35). Both make the same case. The wisdom of Jesus and John the Baptist is demonstrated by the results which come from those actions. It’s not their eating and drinking and dinner companions that matter, it’s the content of their message and what comes from their actions that will prove them to be genuine or not. Both would be fully vindicated by the fulfillment of Jesus’ mission.

Context Summary
Matthew 11:1–19 deals with John the Baptist, who is in prison at this point (Matthew 4:12). John sends his own disciples to ask if Jesus is really the Messiah. Jesus gives them an answer and then upholds John to the crowds. He reminds them of John’s strength and affirms that John was the prophet who fulfilled the prophecy about the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah. This generation, though, rejected John’s message of repentance, saying that John had a demon and that Jesus was a glutton and a drunkard. Jesus insists He and John will be proved right in the end.

Verse 20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.

In the previous verses, Jesus compared the Israelites of His generation with complaining children (Matthew 11:16–19). Instead of hearing and repenting, the people of Israel have mostly accused John the Baptist of having a demon and Jesus Himself of being a glutton and a drunkard.

Jesus will be very specific about who has rejected His central message to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17 NIV). He will call out specific cities in Galilee by name. The people in these cities witnessed Jesus’ powerful miracles but still refused to repent.

The word “repent” means to change one’s mind. In the Bible, it typically means feeling sorry for sin and choosing to stop and instead, go in a new direction. When Jesus uses the word “repent,” He is calling people to stop sinning but likely also to recognize Him as the Messiah, the one who will reign over the kingdom of heaven.

Verse 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Jesus is calling out cities in the region of Galilee by name. These are towns where the people saw His powerful miracles of healing and casting out demons with their own eyes. However, they refused to repent by turning from sin and accepting Him as the Messiah (Matthew 11:20).

Jesus uses the Greek word ouai, which is translated into English as “woe,” or more archaically as “alas!” The word is used in the New Testament to combine ideas of “doom” and “pity.” Jesus proclaims “woe” upon Chorazin and Bethsaida.

Chorazin—spelled Korazin in some translations—is only mentioned in the New Testament in this statement by Jesus. Scholars suggest its ruins may be found northwest of the city of Capernaum, Jesus’ adopted hometown on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Bethsaida is likely the place mentioned as the hometown of Andrew, Peter, and Philip (John 1:44). It was on the west side of the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus condemns both towns for not turning from sin and to faith in Him after seeing His mighty works. Repentance in the Old Testament was often marked by acts of great humility and mourning, including wearing the coarsest of materials and covering one’s head and body in ash. Christ says if the people in the towns of Tyre and Sidon had seen Him do the same miracles, they would have long ago repented from their sin in sackcloth and ashes.

Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast. They were often condemned by prophets in the Old Testament because of the pagan worship of the false god Baal. The pair became famous as living symbols of God’s wrath in the judgment (Joel 3:4), as well as places where unlikely-seeming repentance and recognition of God might occur (1 Kings 17:9, 24).

How worthy of judgment are these two Jewish towns if they refuse to repent in response to the same evidence that would have brought the most wicked Gentile cities to their knees?

Verse 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

These words from Jesus likely infuriated the Jewish religious leaders. Tyre and Sidon were pagan cities, famously used in the Old Testament as symbols of those who would suffer the wrath of God (Joel 3:4; Ezekiel 27:1–9; 28:21–23). However, Jesus has just declared that on the day of judgment, the Gentile idol-worshippers of Tyre and Sidon will be judged less harshly than the religious Israelites of Chorazin and Bathsaida.

The difference between these two pairs of cities is that one group saw Jesus perform mighty and powerful acts of healing and casting out demons. The other did not. God not only knows all that is, and all that will be, He also know all possible outcomes for all possible situations. As God, Jesus knew that if the pagans in the Gentile cities had seen Him do those things, they would have fallen to their knees in genuine repentance. By contrast, the two Jewish cities where the miracles took place refused to repent or acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.

Many Israelites believed that simply being one of God’s chosen people would be enough to secure their place in the kingdom of heaven forever (Matthew 3:9). Jesus directly contradicts that idea in this passage. Only those Israelites who repent and acknowledge Him as the Messiah, the Son of God, will avoid judgment (John 3:36).

Jesus also introduces the difficult idea that there will be levels of judgment on judgment day: the moment when Christ returns to fully establish His earthly kingdom. Some judgment for those who did not repent will be more bearable than other judgment. One reason for that difference will be the opportunity to see convincing evidence that Jesus is the Son of God.

Verse 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

Jesus is speaking of judgment to come on some of the cities of Israel, specifically in the region of Galilee where He has performed many powerful miracles of healing and casting out demons. These people should have responded to Jesus in repentance; instead, they’ve chosen rejection. To this, Christ declared that if the same evidence had been given to idol-worshippers like those in the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon (Joel 3:4; Ezekiel 27:1–9; 28:21–23), the pagans would have repented (Matthew 11:22). This demonstrates that God’s omniscience includes all possible outcomes from all possible situations.

Now Jesus condemns Capernaum, His own adopted hometown on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:12–13). He immediately answers His own rhetorical question, saying that the city will be brought down to Hades. Many of Jesus’ Jewish audience would have been reminded of Isaiah’s condemnation of Babylon in Isaiah 14:15: “But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.” Babylon may have been the definition of an evil city, and here Jesus is describing Capernaum as sharing the same fate.

If the comparison to Baal worshippers was offensive, what Jesus says next would have been outright shocking. Sodom was a city destroyed by God for the arrogance and sinfulness of the people (Genesis 19). Every Jewish person listening to Christ in this moment would have known the story of God raining down fire to annihilate that debauched city from the land. Sodom is used throughout the Old Testament as a symbol of depravity, evil, and corruption (Genesis 13:13).

What is it that could possibly make Capernaum so evil in the eyes of God? Jesus says that if the same powerful miracles performed by Jesus in Capernaum had been done for the people of Sodom, God never would have destroyed it. The people would have repented from their sin. For a people often raised—incorrectly—to believe they were uniquely moral (Matthew 3:9), this would have been a cutting remark.

Capernaum was given the unimaginable privilege of being known as the adopted hometown of the Son of God on earth. Jesus chose to settle there and performed mighty miracles: healing and casting out demons and even raising the dead. Still most of the people there did not repent from sin and believe that He was the Messiah.

Verse 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

This echoes what Christ said about Chorazin and Bethsaida in verse 22. God’s judgment against the utterly wicked town of Sodom will be more bearable than His judgment against the people of the Jewish town of Capernaum, where Jesus was based during much of His ministry on earth.

This declaration implies several important things. First, the people of the land of Sodom—meaning the city and the area around it—will experience the day of God’s judgment, despite already having been completely wiped off the face of the earth (Genesis 19:23–25). Scripture implies a clear distinction between the end of one’s earthly life and the ultimate judgment of God.

Second, as in verse 22, Jesus is declaring judgment for Israelites, members of God’s chosen nation Israel. This contradicts what many Jewish people of the time seem to have believed. The prevailing thought may have been that merely being an Israelite who followed the Law would spare them from judgment (Matthew 3:9). In contrast, Jesus points to repentance from sin and belief in Him as the Messiah as the difference between salvation and damnation (John 3:36).

Third, also as in verse 22, this verse lends weight to the idea that God’s judgment carries differing levels of “bearability.” Scripture give no details about this—and any eternal judgment is a horrible thing—yet there does seem to be a sense in which greater sins merit greater punishment.

Context Summary
Matthew 11:20–24 contains Jesus’ pronouncement of judgment on the Jewish cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. The people of those cities saw the powerful miracles of Jesus with their own eyes, but they did not repent. Demonstrating godly knowledge of both what is, as well as what could have been, Jesus notes that wicked, pagan Gentile cities such as Tyre and Sidon would have repented in the same circumstances. He quips that these Gentiles will find God’s judgment more bearable than Chorazin and Bethsaida will. Sodom would not have been wiped out if they had seen Jesus do what Capernaum saw. Sodom’s judgment will be more tolerable than that of Capernaum.

Verse 25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;

Jesus has just finished condemning three towns in Galilee where He has performed miraculous works and powerful preaching. Despite seeing the power of God on display with their own eyes, the people of these towns failed to repent of their sin and to believe that Jesus was the Messiah (Matthew 11:20–24).

Why did these people fail to believe in Jesus? A possible clue comes in what Christ thanks God the Father for in this verse. In the middle of talking to the crowds, Jesus turns to His Father, “the Lord of heaven and earth,” and thanks Him for having hidden “these things” from the wise and understanding. In other words, Jesus thanks the Father for actively participating in keeping the truth from those who are thought to be smart according to the world’s standards, or at least according to themselves. Instead, the Father reveals the hidden truth to “little children.”

What are “these things”? In the case of what Jesus has just been talking about in this chapter, they are things that seemingly should be obvious. If Jesus displays power that can only come from God—power to raise the dead and heal impossible illnesses and cast out demons with a word—then He must be the Messiah. Why would anyone not believe that?

Jesus identifies two things. First, those who are thought to be wise and understanding in this world tend to overestimate the value of their own minds. Intelligence comes with the temptation to excuse away anything a person does not like or prefer. This is not fundamentally different than the way a person with great wealth can fool themselves into thinking they need nothing and no one else—not even God. Since Jesus was not what many self-labelled wise men expected from the Messiah, they decided Jesus cannot be the Messiah.

Second, this statement implies that God hides what should be obvious from those who are arrogant. In a sense, He helps them to not understand what they choose not to understand. This is similar to how Pharaoh, during the Exodus, was allowed to resist God’s will (Exodus 7:22; 8:15, 32), before God made an example of him by hardening his heart (Exodus 9:12; 10:20; 14:8).

Distinct from that, God the Father reveals what is obviously true to “little children.” This is often true of actual children, but Jesus will have more to say about adults becoming like little children in Matthew 18:1–5. He says something similar about coming to God with the confident trust of a child in Mark 10:14–15: “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Verse 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

While talking to the crowds around Him, Jesus turns to speak with God the Father in heaven. It is a prayer of thanks. He thanks God for hiding the truth about His role as Messiah and the coming kingdom from those who are wise and understanding according to the world’s standards. He thanks the Father for revealing those truths to little children—in this context, meaning those who are either dismissed by the world, or those who trustingly accept Him without ulterior motives (Matthew 18:1–5).

This raises a natural, very human question: is that fair? Our natural reaction to the idea is negative. Why would God hide something essential from anyone?

First, note that this Scripture doesn’t specify whether God is taking extra steps—making things excessively difficult—or whether He’s “hiding” things in the sense that He simply chooses not to overcome a person’s own arrogant, willful ignorance. Earlier, Jesus criticized the attitude some people had, where no matter what they saw, they would simply demand the opposite (Matthew 11:16–19).

Second, Scripture gives examples of God allowing people to make free choices, and then—based on those choices—magnifying their stubbornness in order to make an example. The Pharaoh who initially refused to allow Israel to leave Egypt (Exodus 7:22; 8:15, 32) was later punished by God actively hardening his heart (Exodus 9:12; 10:20; 14:8).

In either case, “fairness” is not the issue. A major factor is humility. Those who reject the evidence God gives are not being sincere (Romans 1:18–20). Children express candid trust based on what they see and are told. Adults have a greater habit of manipulating their own thoughts in order to protect their preferences.

It’s also important to note that God’s will is “gracious,” according to Jesus. Since all people are sinners (Romans 3:10), nobody deserves good from God. That He reveals Himself to anyone, at all, is an act of grace on His part. The fact that anyone would see His power on display—as did many in Israel—and still refuse to believe is an act of foolish arrogance.

Verse 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and 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.

Christ paused His talk to the crowds with a prayer of thanks to His Father. He thanked God for hiding the truth of “these things” from those who are wise and understanding and revealing the truth instead to little children (Matthew 11:25–26). His meaning is that those who arrogantly think they are wise—and reject God as a result—are blinded to the truth. Those the world dismissed as simpletons and children are willing to accept what is real.

Now Jesus adds another comment about the information God chooses to reveal. He claims to know what God the Father knows, and to know God the Father Himself. God knows everything, and God the Father has given to Jesus “all things.” Nobody truly knows the Son, Jesus, except for God the Father. In the same way, nobody truly knows the Father except for Jesus, the Son, and those to whom Jesus chooses to reveal the Father.

This describes a profoundly interconnected relationship between Jesus Christ and God the Father. They know each other completely. The Father has revealed all truth, all things, to Jesus, the Son. They are both united as God together in the Trinity, along with the Holy Spirit. Yet, they are somehow distinct from each other. This is a great mystery, but it is also a great declaration. Jesus is not hiding who He truly is from those who are listening. He is fully claiming to be the Son of God.

Jesus is also declaring that He has the power and authority to reveal the Father to people on earth, according to His own choice. In fact, Jesus is the only way in the universe for human being to come to know God the Father by beginning a relationship with Him (John 14:6).

Verse 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Jesus has made an extraordinary claim and now He makes an extraordinary offer to all who hear Him. He claimed in the previous verse to be the only one who knows God the Father and to be able to reveal the Father to anyone He chooses (Matthew 11:25–27). Now He makes an invitation: if you’re struggling and tired, I can give you relief.

Here is the implication. Jesus’ Jewish listeners were engaged in a mighty struggle to know God the Father. Their religious leaders had placed enormous burdens on them (Matthew 23:4), and they were laboring to carry those burdens in hopes of being approved by God. Jesus has just said that He can reveal His Father to anyone, and He immediately offers rest to everyone who is weighed down.

Jesus is not talking about physical rest, necessarily. The following verse will describe it as rest for the soul. The path to the Father through Jesus is not one of weary labor and heavy work. Jesus’ earlier analogy about the path to life being narrow and “difficult” (Matthew 7:14) is entirely separate, and speaking from a different perspective. From the view of the world, following Christ means taking on difficult circumstances and giving up worldly pleasures. From the view of eternity—of salvation—following Christ means giving up the impossible task of carrying our own sin.

Christ does not say it here, but the gospel will reveal that Jesus is offering to carry the burden and do the work in order to lead those who come to Him—those who are “yoked” to Him—to the Father (Matthew 11:30; John 6:29).

Verse 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

A yoke is a wooden device used to harness the working power of an animal, especially oxen. These could be made for a single animal, or to combine the power of several. Jewish people described living under obedience to the Law as having a yoke upon them. In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees made that load even heavier by adding manmade requirements and regulations on top of the law of Moses (Matthew 23:4).

Jesus has declared that He knows God the Father and that He can reveal God to whomever He chooses. Then He invited His listeners to come to Him and take His yoke, to commit to Him and put themselves under His authority. He has promised rest to those who do this (Matthew 11:28). Now He elaborates, inviting these listeners to put His yoke on them.

The implication is to allow Jesus to put His own yoke on us, the way a farmer would put one on his livestock. It means giving Jesus control and letting Him direct our efforts. The work He has will not be difficult, Jesus says. He wants them to learn from Him. Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus insists that He is gentle. He is lowly in heart (Philippians 2:6–7). He has not come to add to their burden but to give them rest for their souls.

This statement is from an entirely different perspective than Christ’s earlier comments on the wide and narrow gates. There, Jesus had said that the path to life was narrow and difficult (Matthew 7:14). In that context, Jesus was speaking of the world’s view: that following Christ meant taking on difficult circumstances. This is certainly true, since being a follower of Christ often means being persecuted (John 16:33). What Jesus refers to here, however, is the perspective of eternity. Compared to the impossible task of earning one’s own salvation (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16), Jesus offers something infinitely “easier” (Matthew 11:30).

By making this comment, Jesus is not offering freedom from commitment. His yoke is still a yoke: it still comes with demands from a holy God. But the apostle John will later write that obedience to the God we love is not burdensome (1 John 5:3). This is true in part, the gospels will reveal, because Jesus will carry the ultimate burden of our sin for us and will provide power in the Holy Spirit to carry out His will.

Verse 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus has made an invitation to those who will hear Him. He has said that He has the power to reveal the Father to whomever He chooses. Then He offered to all who are weighed down and weary the opportunity to be yoked to Him. They will find rest for their souls since His burden is light and His yoke is easy to carry. What Jesus asks of those who would do this is simply that they would make the commitment to Him (Matthew 11:28–29).

When Jesus said, earlier, that the path to life was narrow and difficult (Matthew 7:14), He was speaking of how the unbelieving world sees the Christian life. To them, it means giving up earthly pleasures and taking on things like persecution (John 16:33). In terms of salvation, however, what Christ offers is much “easier” than the impossible task of earning one’s own salvation (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16).

Based on the following verses in chapter 12, Jesus seems to be contrasting the requirements He will place on the Jewish people with the burdensome requirements placed on them by the Jewish religious leaders, especially the Pharisees (Matthew 23:4). The Pharisees will once again challenge Jesus for not obeying the extra requirements they have added to the law of Moses. Jesus will show them what they have missed.

Context Summary
Matthew 11:25–30 begins with Jesus’ prayer of thanks to His Father for hiding the truth from those thought to be wise by the world’s standards. Instead, the gospel has been revealed to those the unbelieving world dismisses as virtual children. Jesus declares that He and the Father know each other completely and that He can reveal the Father to anyone He chooses. He offers rest for the souls of all who are weighed down and weary if they will take on His yoke, saying that His burden is easy and light.

Chapter Summary
John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask if Jesus is really the Messiah. Jesus gives them a specific answer to use to reassure John and then upholds John to the crowds. John fulfills the prophecy about the one who would prepare the people for the Messiah. This generation, though, refused to hear John or Jesus, deciding John had a demon and Jesus was a glutton and drunkard. Jesus condemns the cities that refuse to repent and thanks the Father for revealing the truth to little children. He offers rest for those who are weary and burdened.