Matthew 11 brings us back to the character of John the Baptist, whom we have not heard from since chapter 4. We do not know exactly what happened to John the Baptist, but we do know that he was thrown in prison around the time that Jesus was starting his ministry. John the Baptist had been a faithful forerunner of Jesus, preaching repentance and pointing the nation of Israel to Him as the Messiah-King.

Yet now John the Baptist is in prison. Suffering and imprisonment do happen to faithful followers of Jesus, as he warned his disciples. John is desperately curious to know how Jesus’ ministry is going, since he’s probably only heard rumors, so he sends his followers to Jesus to ask Him. “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” (11:3).

Jesus sends John’s disciples back with this summary of his ministry: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight in 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.” (11:4-5). That’s a pretty good resume – Jesus is certainly a miracle worker and a prophet empowered by God!

Sharp Old Testament scholars would have recognized the passages Jesus was quoting from Isaiah about the Messiah and the coming of the kingdom: “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… (Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus was saying to John the Baptist – the fulfillment of these prophetic words from Isaiah indicates that I am the Messiah-King. There is not another one coming, I am He. (It is interesting to note that Jesus did not quote the section about “opening the prison to those who are bound” when he was talking to John the Baptist. Many people believe that is because he knew John would not be released from prison but would instead die there as a martyr.)

As we think about John the Baptist stuck in prison, how do you think the assurance that Jesus was the Messiah King would have shaped his perspective? Do you think he would have been encouraged in difficult circumstances?

At the close of Matthew 11 Jesus reveals a bit about his heart, saying “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest… for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (11:28-29). Jesus is always encouraging, gentle, and humble – He longs to give his people hope and rest.