When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 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. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” 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? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written. “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you. 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. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance, we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 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.”
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” - "To encourage John the Baptist, the Lord sent a reminder of the miracles He was doing. The OT predicted that Messiah would give sigh to the blind (Isa 29:18), and there are more recorded miracles of our Lord's doing this than any other kind. This alone would have assured John and Jesus was indeed the Messiah." (Ryrie)
the poor have good news preached to them - "This was a quotation from the great prophecy of Isaiah, and from that portion of it which He had already read in the Synagogue as He entered upon this very work that was causing John perplexity (Isaiah 61:1-2). When Jesus read that in the Synagogue at His induction, He did not read the whole statement, but stopped before the last clause, 'the day of vengeance of our God,' ending with the words, 'to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.'" (Morgan)
blessed is the one who is not offended by me - "I.e., he who can in full faith acknowledge and accept My 'mighty work' (Matt 11:20) as evidence of My messiahship." (Ryrie)
vss 7-8 - "These are rhetorical questions expecting negative answers." (Ryrie)
This is he of whom it is written. - "See Isa 40:3 and Mal 3:1." (Ryrie)
is greater than he - "The greatness of John the Baptist in the old dispensation of the law before the Cross fades in comparison to the high position every believer has had since Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection and the descent of the Spirit." (Ryrie)
"The only way to understand it is to take it in close connection with all the rest of the defense of Jesus. Our Lord meant to say, You have seen this man, who naturally is greatest among men; asking a question in perplexity. Yes, there are things he cannot know, there are methods that he cannot understand, and presently the least soul brought into the Kingdom will have greater light that this man, with all his natural endowments, has had in the past. Presently the little child who comes into My Kingdom by the mystery of My mercy, might, and passion, will have more light than John, until he also comes to understand the sweetness and mercy and majesty by coming into this Kingdom of power. John was the light that preceded the Kingdom, and the weakest inside knows more than John." (Morgan)
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. - "Since the time John began preaching, the response had been violent, whether by vicious opponents or enthusiastic supporters." (Ryrie)
"The Pharisees and scribes who stand here before our Lord are the violent who take the Kingdom of the Heavens (never the Gospel) by force and seize on it. Our Lord says: 'From the days of John until now.' The forerunner, John, was violently rejected by the Pharisees. This foreshadowed the rejection of the King, the rejection of the preaching of the Kingdom and the Kingdom itself. In this seizing upon the Kingdom, rejecting it, the Kingdom of the Heavens suffered violence. It was rejected by force and now is postponed till He comes again. If they had received John the Baptist he would have been Elias. But he was rejected, they would not have it so. They did violence to what the King had come to bring. Another Elias will come once more, and then no violence can keep back the coming of the Kingdom of the Heavens." (Gaebelein)
he is Elijah who is to come - "Jesus is saying that if the Jews had received Him, they would also have understood that John fulfilled the OT prediction of the coming Elijah before the Day of the Lord (Mal 4:5) ... (1) Elijah is coming as the restorer (Mal 4:5); (2) he came, unrecognized, in the person of John the Baptist, and was killed; (3) the Son of Man faces a like fate." (Ryrie)
Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds. - "The people were rejecting both John's and Jesus' ministries even though their styles were exactly opposite. Eventually the wisdom of both would be justified." (Ryrie)
"'We piped unto you, and ye did not dance.' John came, and you all piped to John, you went out after him, you made him popular, you crowded to him, but he did not dance to you, he thundered at you. 'We wailed, and ye did not mourn.' The Son of Man is come, and you wail in His presence, but He has not lamented; He has been your friend, comforting, cheering, eating and drinking with you; and you say He is gluttonous. Oh, the unreasonableness of the age! And what was the King's answer? 'Wisdom is justified by her works.' Some ancient manuscripts have the word 'works,' for this harmonizes with the words of Jesus throughout this section. In every case He appealed to His works. Of these John in prison was to be told; and these were the evidences of His right, refusing to obey which, the cities were condemned. The works of John and Jesus were wise. They were both the methods of God. To the restless and unreasonable age the King declared that wisdom would yet be vindicated in John's ascetic strength, and in His own comradeship of tenderness." (Morgan)
"John appeared among them and they were dissatisfied with him. He was too strict, too severe; they cared not for him, and because he would not sit down and eat and drink with them they said, he was a demon. Then the Lord came. Truth and mercy were revealed through Him. He sat down with the tax-gatherers and sinners and mingled with them, eating and drinking. Divine mercy towards the fallen and outcast was most blessedly shown—the spotless One in touch with the defiled and lost, calling sinners to repentance. But they had no understanding for this, no heart for that wonderful grace. He was in their eyes but a man, for they said: 'Behold a man—eating and drinking.' They put Him on the same level with the wine drinking company. Neither mourning nor rejoicing suited them." (Gaebelein)
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