“Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities,’ For His half of the 69th week of Daniel’s prophesy was not yet complete. “‘And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ Shut up in prison, John the Baptist received only irregular and possibly inaccurate reports of Jesus' ministry. These reports must have caused him to wonder whether Jesus really was the Messiah he foretold. Jesus sent back the message that he was carrying out a ministry of relief to the oppressed, which was the sort of ministry foretold of the Messiah in the Old Testament (Matt. 11:1-5; cf. Isa. 35:5-6; 61:1). Many were disappointed that Jesus did not bring the political victories they expected of the Messiah, but Jesus promised a special blessing to those who understood his ministry.” (Bridgeway Commentary)
Click link to the next study in my sequential chapter study through the Gospel of Matthew. https://www.mymorningmanna.com/post/matthew-12
“Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ‘The blind see 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.’ (Isaiah 35:5-6) “Christ would have men to judge only of him and of others by their works.” (Adam Clarke) “The miracles Jesus mentioned to John's messengers were precisely those which Isaiah identified with the advent of the Messiah (cp. Isa. 61:1).” (Burton Coffman) They are His works. “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” “There is something severe in the whole of our Lord’s demeanour and language, as if reproving this shaking of John’s higher faith in God. Just so at a time when the firmness of Elijah’s faith was shaken, (1 Kings 19,) the Lord rebukes him, and instructs him with signs and miracles.” (Daniel Whedon)
“As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?” The meaning is not, simply, you did not go without a motive, but he whom you went to see was not a fickle, wavering character. Probably an allusion to John’s doubt...
‘But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments?’ An allusion to the coarseness of John’s clothing (chap. Matthew 4:3).” (Schaff's Popular Commentary) Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.” “For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' (Malachi 3:1a) That is the end of the Malachi quote but there is more—>
“And Yahweh, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. ‘Behold, He is coming,’ Says the LORD of hosts. (3:1b)— “‘But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the LORD, as in the days of old, as in former years. And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien— because they do not fear Me,’ Says the LORD of hosts.” (Mal 3:2-6)
“‘Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.’ Those born of the Spirit are greater than the greatest born of women.” (Schaff's Popular Commentary) “John could only declare me to be come. They shall preach me, as having died for my people’s sins, and risen again for their justification, Romans 4:25. The death and the resurrection of Christ were indeed great points of the gospel, which John could only prophesy of, not preach of, and declare us things in his time accomplished.” (Matthew Poole) “’And from the days of John the Baptist until now’— eighteen months—‘the kingdom of heaven suffers violence,’ “The hearts of men and women have been inflamed with a desire after the knowledge and obtaining of heaven, and heavenly things.” Matthew (Poole)— “‘and the violent take it by force.’ Make a prey or a prize of it.” (John Trapp) “Men are resolved to have it, whatever pains or peril they pass through. As God’s Israel violently invaded and overran the promised land, so do His elect lay hold on the promised inheritance.” (Matthew Poole)— “’For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.’ Not the Tishbite, but yet the same that Malachi foretold should come in the ‘spirit and power of Elias.’ And surely, if we observe it (as here, Christ saith to the Jews, ,If ye will receive it’), there is a wonderful agreement between the times of Elias and John Baptist, between Ahab and Herod, between Jezebel and Herodias, etc. The Jews also have a saying among them at this day, when they are puzzled in any point, When Elijah comes, he will explain everything.” (John Trapp) “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (15)
“‘But to what shall I liken this generation?’— That is, the men of this age? ‘It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.' They are like those froward children, of whom their fellows complain that they will be pleased no way. —‘For John came neither eating nor drinking,’— In a rigorous, austere way, like Elijah. —and they say, 'He has a demon.'— He is melancholy from the influence of an evil spirit...‘The Son of Man came eating and drinking,’— Conversing in a free, familiar way. — and they say, 'Look, a glutton,’ etc. Jesus did not practise those mortifications which rendered the Baptist remarkable. He fared like other men, and went into mixed companies, not avoiding the society even of publicans and sinners, but neither would they hear him; for, notwithstanding he maintained the strictest temperance himself, and never encouraged the vices of others, either by dissimulation or example, they attributed that free way of living to a certain laxness of principle, or unholiness of disposition. ‘But wisdom is justified of her children,’ (16-19)— that is, my wisdom herein is acknowledged by all those who are truly wise, and all such will justify all God’s dispensations toward them in order to their salvation, and will entirely acquiesce therein.” (Joseph Benson)
“Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.’ (20-23a) “We must recognize, however, that some verses do not refer to Gehenna, even though the word hell may be in the English text. Most of the confusion is with Hades, which occurs 11 times in the New Testament (Matt. 11:23, 16:18; Luke 10:15, 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; 1 Cor. 15:55; Rev. 1:18, 6:8, 20:13-14). Hades and Gehenna are distinct Greek words and distinct realities. Hades is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament Sheol [39— Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament, p45.].” (Rescue from Death by Robert Taylor)—
“‘for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.' It was destroyed by fire and brimstone. (Luke 17:29; Gen. 19). "The symbol of fire and burning sulfur (brimstone) derives its biblical meaning from the annihilation of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24, 28), and it signifies a destruction resulting in unmitigated devastation. It signifies a 'burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it' (Deut 29:23). Throughout all of Scripture, the imagery of fire and brimstone signifies a complete destruction that leaves total desolation in its wake." (Edward Fudge) "'But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.’ (23-24) The Galilean towns... where Jesus did much of his work, were not as immoral as certain Gentile cities of the Old Testament era such as Tyre, Sidon and Sodom. However, because the Galilean towns had witnessed the ministry of Jesus then deliberately rejected Him, they would suffer a more severe judgment than the Gentile towns that had never heard of Him. Their greater privilege placed upon them a greater responsibility, and this meant that their failure would bring a greater judgment.” (Bridgeway Bible Commentary)
“Jesus answered and said, ‘I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." But others “have no rest day or night, forever.” (Rev. 14:11b) “This is in contrast to the statement of Revelation 14:13 in which the followers of Christ are promised rest from their labor (cf. 6:11). The worshipers of the beast and his image, however; will never taste that rest. The threat echoes the declaration made to rebellious Israel regarding its rest in the promised land: ‘Therefore I swore in My anger, truly they shall not enter into My rest ’(Ps. 85:22). The idea of the promised rest continues in the NT as rest in the grace of God: ‘There therefore remains a rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered into His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience’ (Heb. 4:9–11). The rest into which God’s people enter is eternal; so the unrest of the impending judgment for the unbelievers is eternal.. ’From this last judgment there is no reprieve; the sentence of death is irreversible; the destruction permits no recovery.’” (Ranko Stefanovic)
“‘Take My yoke upon you’— the yoke of liberty, of obedience [to the covenant of the Commandments of God] springing from love [of God], and you shall find rest, even the peace of God which passeth all understanding. ‘and learn from Me,’— the lessons of piety, of diligence, of overcoming evil with good, of perseverance, of prayer, of resignation to the will of our heavenly Father. Come and repose under the wings of Jehovah, under all his covenant grace and care, and then you shall find a peace which the world can neither give nor take away. ‘for I am gentle and lowly in heart,’ — in opposition to the haughty scribes and doctors of the law who taught for hire, and repelled the simple and the ignorant. I am not merely a teacher of meekness and humility, but a meek and humble teacher. I will receive you with kindness. I will stoop to your ignorance, your weakness, your prejudices.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) “and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”(29- 30)
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