Gospel of Matthew Matthew 11:1-19

Transcription

1 The Role and Rejection of John the Baptist Gospel of Matthew Matthew 11:1-19 As we continue in our study of Matthew, it is helpful to consider the context and overview of chapter 11: The first ten chapters of Matthew are, in general, a series of testimonies that prove who Jesus is. He presents the testimony of history (1:1-17), of the miraculous birth (1:18-25), of fulfilled prophecy (2:1-23), of Christ s forerunner (3:1-12), of God the Father (3:13-17), of Jesus power (4:1-11), of His words (5:1-7:29), of His works (8:1-9:38), and of His disciples (10:1-42). Matthew marshals all of that evidence in the courtroom, as it were, to testify that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah and Son of God. In chapters Matthew focuses on the reactions of various individuals and groups to that evidence, organized into several general categories of response. In each chapter there is a series of negative responses followed by a positive appeal. Chapter 11 looks at the negative responses of doubt (vs. 1-15), criticism (vs ), and indifference (vs ), followed by a positive appeal to faith (vs ) (MacArthur, Matthew 8-15, ). John the Baptist was God s prophet. A prophet is a spokesman for God. Whenever there is a prophet, it is assumed that God has something to say to someone. The problem is that people don t always listen. In the first part of Matthew 11, we see John s doubt, Christ s defense of John, and the people s dislike for both Jesus and John. 1. John questioned the identity of Jesus (vs. 1-6) Jesus said that John the Baptist was more than a prophet and that no human being was greater, yet he was still a man with human concerns and needs (Jn. 1:6). A. The question of John (vs. 2-3) John was in prison and Jesus was aware of this. Matthew 4:12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee. Why was John imprisoned? Matthew 14:3-4 3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. 4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. The fact that John was in prison confirmed everything Jesus had been saying about persecution and danger for His followers. John knew his own role. God sent him to prepare the people for Jesus Christ, but now John must have thought, If I am the Messiah s forerunner and Jesus is the Messiah, why am I in prison? In prison John had plenty of time to think. He heard bits and pieces about Jesus ministry, and he wanted to know if Jesus was truly the Messiah. So he sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus a simple, but profound question: Are you the promised Messiah or should we expect someone else? This was the honest doubt of a believer rather than the unbelieving doubt of a skeptic. John simply needed Christ s reassurance and confirmation. B. The answer of Jesus (vs. 4-6) Jesus didn t answer with a simple yes or no, but said: Tell John what you see and hear. Tell him how I heal the sick and raise the dead and preach the gospel. And tell him not to be

2 offended because of Me. Remind John that he will be blessed by staying faithful to Me. The proof of Christ s ministry was irrefutable evidence that demanded a verdict. MacArthur notes: John s circumstances did not improve; in fact, he was soon beheaded at the cruel request of Herodias. But it is safe to assume that Jesus response was more than enough to encourage John and renew his faith and confidence (Matthew 8-15, 246). There is nothing more important in life than knowing for sure who Jesus is. Later in His ministry (Mt. 16:13-17), Jesus asked His disciples two powerful questions: Who do men say that I am? And who do you say that I am? What could be more important than understanding His true identity? When Saul (Paul) was on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-6), the Lord Jesus appeared to him and confronted him about persecuting Christians. Saul asked, Who are you, Lord? and then he asked, What do you want me to do? The entire Christian life is based on the answers to those two questions. 2. Jesus defended the ministry of John (vs. 7-15) In verse 7 Jesus turned to the crowd and began speaking to them about John. It was almost as if Jesus delivered a eulogy in honor of the prophet before he died. A. John was not an easily swayed person John was not like a weak, flimsy papyrus reed that would bend in the wind. B. John was not a self-indulgent person He was no soft man who desired only the finer things of life. C. John was the greatest of all prophets John was not only God s prophet, he was more than a prophet. He was the chosen messenger sent to prepare the way for the King. Jesus said that John was the greatest of all the prophets. Christ also said that John was inferior to those who were in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus compared John s standing with those who are part of Christ s kingdom. In verse 13 Jesus stated that John is the link between the promises and prophecies in the Old Testament and the ministry of Christ. Jesus pointed to John as the connecter, the forerunner. D. John was like the prophet Elijah John was not Elijah, but he was like Elijah in spirit and power. Like Elijah, John appeared suddenly, preached boldly, and lived simply. Malachi 4:5-6 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. This prophecy was partially fulfilled by John. Matthew 17: And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. 10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

3 Verse 12 is a mysterious statement. A modern translation is helpful: From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. The kingdom of heaven stands for the realm of God s redeemed people. Jesus described the kingdom of Christ making progress in spite of much rejection and outright opposition. The religious leaders were forcefully resisting God s kingdom beginning with John and continuing with Jesus and the Apostles. He also stated that the people who enter the kingdom overcome many obstacles and challenges. Those who enter the kingdom, do so purposefully, personally, and passionately. No one ever gets saved by accident. No one ever sleeps his way into the kingdom of heaven. No one is saved against his will. No one enters the kingdom unless he is willing to give up everything. A person is not saved until he is desperate. A person is not saved until he is serious and in earnest. God does business with people who mean business. Verse 15 is a warning Jesus issued many times. This is the first time we find these words recorded in Matthew. Jesus gave the same warning in Matthew 13, and to each of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, Jesus said: He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. Despite His repeated warnings, many people let His words go unheeded. Do you have ears to hear and a heart to receive? 3. Jesus rebuked the Jews for their rejection (vs ) A. The people rejected both John and Jesus The Lord used a simple illustration to describe how people rejected the ministry of John the Baptist and His own ministry. Nothing would please that generation. They were acting childish. There is a difference between childlike and being childish. They were like children who met to play. Some wanted to play wedding, but that didn t suit. Some wanted to play funeral, and that didn t suit either. Jesus rebuked the people for acting the same way toward Him and John. B. The people rejected them for different reasons Some said that John the Baptist was too strict, plain spoken, and not sociable. They didn t like the way he ministered. But some said that Jesus was too permissive because he ate with people and enjoyed fellowship, and they called him a glutton and drunkard. Some didn t like the way He ministered either. The bottom line was that people didn t like John s style and they didn t like Jesus style. Neither one could suit the people. Ironically, both of them preached the same message: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mt. 3:1-2; 4:17). Jesus last statement in verse 19 means that the wisdom of both John and Jesus would be proven true by the children or fruits of their ministry. Some believed and were saved. What would Jesus say about people in our generation? Basically He would say the same thing. People are fickle and they don t like to be told what to do. We don t have John in person and we don t have Jesus in person, but we have the words of both in Scripture. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

4 The Role and Rejection of John the Baptist Gospel of Matthew Matthew 11:1-19 As we continue in our study of Matthew, it is helpful to consider the context and overview of chapter 11: The first ten chapters of Matthew are, in general, a series of testimonies that prove who Jesus is. He presents the testimony of history (1:1-17), of the miraculous birth (1:18-25), of fulfilled prophecy (2:1-23), of Christ s forerunner (3:1-12), of God the Father (3:13-17), of Jesus power (4:1-11), of His words (5:1-7:29), of His works (8:1-9:38), and of His disciples (10:1-42). Matthew marshals all of that evidence in the courtroom, as it were, to testify that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah and Son of God. In chapters Matthew focuses on the reactions of various individuals and groups to that evidence, organized into several general categories of response. In each chapter there is a series of negative responses followed by a positive appeal. Chapter 11 looks at the negative responses of doubt (vs. 1-15), criticism (vs ), and indifference (vs ), followed by a positive appeal to faith (vs ) (MacArthur, Matthew 8-15, ). John the Baptist was God s prophet. A prophet is a spokesman for God. Whenever there is a prophet, it is assumed that God has something to say to someone. The problem is that people don t always listen. In the first part of Matthew 11, we see John s doubt, Christ s defense of John, and the people s dislike for both Jesus and John. 1. John (vs. 1-6) A. of John (vs. 2-3) John knew his own role. God sent him to prepare the people for Jesus Christ, but now John must have thought, If I am the Messiah s forerunner and Jesus is the Messiah, why am I in prison? In prison John had plenty of time to think. He heard bits and pieces about Jesus ministry, and he wanted to know if Jesus was truly the Messiah. So he sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus a simple, but profound question: Are you the promised Messiah or should we expect someone else? This was the honest doubt of a believer rather than the unbelieving doubt of a skeptic. John simply needed Christ s reassurance and confirmation. B. of Jesus (vs. 4-6) The proof of Christ s ministry was irrefutable evidence that demanded a verdict. MacArthur notes: John s circumstances did not improve; in fact, he was soon beheaded at the cruel request of Herodias. But it is safe to assume that Jesus response was more than enough to encourage John and renew his faith and confidence (Matthew 8-15, 246). There is nothing more important in life than knowing for sure who Jesus is. Later in His ministry (Mt. 16:13-17), Jesus asked His disciples two powerful questions: Who do men say that I am? And who do you say that I am? What could be more important than understanding His true identity? When Saul (Paul) was on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-6), the Lord Jesus appeared to him and confronted him about persecuting Christians. Saul asked, Who

5 are you, Lord? and then he asked, What do you want me to do? The entire Christian life is based on the answers to those two questions. 2. Jesus (vs. 7-15) A. John was not B. John was not C. John was John was not only God s prophet, he was more than a prophet. He was the chosen messenger sent to prepare the way for the King. Jesus said that John was the greatest of all the prophets. Christ also said that John was inferior to those who were in the kingdom of heaven. D. John was John was not Elijah, but he was like Elijah in spirit and power. Like Elijah, John appeared suddenly, preached boldly, and lived simply (Mal. 4:5-6). This prophecy was partially fulfilled by John (Mt. 17:9-13). Verse 12 is a mysterious statement. A modern translation is helpful: From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. The kingdom of heaven stands for the realm of God s redeemed people. Jesus described the kingdom of Christ making progress in spite of much rejection and outright opposition. He also stated that the people who enter the kingdom overcome many obstacles and challenges. Those who enter the kingdom, do so purposefully, personally, and passionately. No one ever gets saved by accident. God does business with people who mean business. Verse 15 is a warning Jesus issued many times. This is the first time we find these words recorded in Matthew. Jesus gave the same warning in Matthew 13, and to each of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, Jesus said: He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. 3. Jesus (vs ) A. The people The Lord used a simple illustration to describe how people rejected the ministry of John the Baptist and His own ministry. Nothing would please that generation. They were acting childish. Jesus rebuked the people for acting the same way toward Him and John. B. The people Some said that John the Baptist was too strict, plain spoken, and not sociable. But some said that Jesus was too permissive because he ate with people and enjoyed fellowship, and they called him a glutton and drunkard. Neither one could suit the people. Ironically, both of them preached the same message: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mt. 3:1-2; 4:17).