Matthew 11:2–15 (ESV)

² Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples ³ and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
⁴ And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 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. ⁶ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
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? 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. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
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. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, ¹⁴ and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

First Impressions

What main ideas remain in your mind after hearing the text out loud?

I’m struck by John being called the greatest ever born. It’s partly the immensity of the claim: John is the greatest ever born?? It makes me ask how I would even answer that question myself. It also highlights what Jesus thinks is great, not what the world thinks is great. And then there’s a bit of a paradox in that (a) John is great, but he's in prison right now, and (b) the least in the kingdom that Jesus reigns over is better than he is.

Jesus’ sarcasm or confrontational tone is interesting too. It’s the way he’s almost a little confrontational with the people: “What did you go out to see?” He’s exposing their motives and expectations.

I’m most astounded by the way Jesus defends and proves His messiahship. It’s all powerful displays of mercy. It’s not making a show or overthrowing the Romans or ruling in worldly ways. Instead, it’s restoring the least to the way God would have them be.

And the kingdom suffering violence is a main idea that sticks with me. It’s something that needs to be handled carefully.

What are the main images?

I notice a persistent use of perception language. John’s disciples ask Jesus if they should “look for another.” Jesus tells them to report what they’ve “seen and heard.” Jesus asks the people what they went out into the wilderness to see. And He ends with “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” There's something significant here.

The “reed shaken by the wind” image is sticking with me. Maybe it's standing out because it’s harder to interpret. It seems to me like Jesus is saying, “Did you go out to see something of no significance? Were you just looking for something wild, like a wilderness prophet?” But I could be wrong with that gut interpretation.

I also notice John in prison. His disciples coming and going raises lingering questions. The image of him sitting in prison while being called the GOAT is striking.

The imagery of Jesus’ restoration miracles is powerful, but (probably because these images of mercy are SO prevalent in the Scriptures) the images themselves don’t remain in my mind as much as I feel like they should.

The narrative image is also interesting. People very often approach Jesus with questions in the Gospels, but John’s disciples coming with a question is different from Pharisees trying to entrap Jesus or crowds asking for miracles.

What life experiences does the text evoke for you?

I’m made to think about people I’ve traveled to see: concerts, comedians, political rallies, even traveling for church. Why do I travel for these people? What do I hope to get out of it? Do I always inspect my own reasoning?

I’m also made to think of times when people come to me with questions that sound desperate or asked with a tinge of disappointment: “Pastor, why is this happening to me?” “I thought life would be different.”

And I'm made to think of my times traveling to the wilderness. I haven’t gone to look for a prophet, but I have gone to look for "a reed shaken by the wind"—and mountains, waterfalls, the Pictured Rocks cliffs.

What other scriptural passages come to mind?

Matthew 4:1–11 — “And Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil…”

• Wilderness setting and the testing of identity connect with John’s question from prison. In a sense, Jesus could've pointed to his overcoming of temptation as proof of being the messiah! But he didn't.

Luke 1:41–44 — “…the baby leaped in her womb…”

• John recognizing Jesus before birth, contrasting with his question now.

Matthew 3:13–17 — “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him…”

• John’s earlier certainty and humility (“not worthy”) contrast with this moment of question.

John 6:60–69 — “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?... Lord, to whom shall we go?”

• The crowds and disciples expressed disappointment, unmet expectations, and the cost of following. But where else can we go? The Incarnate Son of God is the one who works mercy for all people and for us.

Isaiah 40:3 — “A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD…”

• This is John’s identity and mission, foretold in the Old Testament.

Malachi 3:1 — “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me…”

• Quoted by Jesus here and applied to John directly.

Luke 3:10–14 — “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none…”

• John’s concrete instruction about what life in the coming kingdom looks like. How did John prepare the way for Jesus? He alerted the world to this new reality where the poor, sick, injured, needy, and broken are made great! The world working backwards to the way we typically think of it.

What in this text connects directly to the people God has entrusted to your care?

The question “Is Jesus the one?” is a question all who live in any time since Jesus' birth need to ask and answer. It’s the question of faith. Christians ask it again during times of doubt or searching for meaning and identity.

I think they relate to the task of reporting what they’ve seen and heard. This text brings John’s disciples to focus on the incarnational reality of Jesus, and we today should be directed to witness that too. Being led from a theoretical or cognitive faith toward an embodied faith in the God incarnate.

I think they’ll also relate to the idea of the kingdom being taken by force. They feel it in non-specific ways. This text shines a helpful light on how the battle actually plays out. The kingdom is attacked but cannot be stopped. The kingdom also doesn’t fight by attacking back but by uplifting the downtrodden. It’s a totally different paradigm than we normally think of with “the church militant,” and it’s a necessary corrective.

Questions About the Text

What ideas or images are hard to understand?

The attack on the kingdom is something that needs to be handled carefully. How do we understand this well? What does it not mean? We don’t want a victim complex, but the church has historically had a triumphalist, power-hungry side too.

The reason John’s disciples came is confusing. Was John doubting? I’ve heard pastors interpret it that way. It’s an image that sticks with me because we’re not told why.

“Be offended” is also hard to understand. This word gets thrown around a lot in 21st century American politics, often with little thought and sensitivity. I need to study what Jesus means here.

What ideas are hard to put into practice?

It’s sometimes difficult to see the kingdom at work, partly because it often happens on the margins and you have to be there to see it. But God’s kingdom continues to change lives and bring mercy to the last and least.

We don’t see Jesus in person now. In some ways, it’s a harder task for us to report what we’ve seen and heard. We also struggle to separate what is “God” vs what is “human,” although I really don’t think God makes this distinction—He uses people.

What cultural beliefs, habits, and values does the text contradict or challenge?

Views of greatness - What Jesus defines as great is not what our culture does.

Christianity as something you do on Sunday or something you know - The text contradicts the idea that Christianity is a mere activity or a body of knowledge. It’s something God has done and continues to do. It’s the world working the way it actually works: God uplifting the poor and righting wrongs while the world thinks our struggles are over power and authority.

Christianity as unfalsifiable - There’s a cultural belief that Christianity is entirely opposed to science, which focuses on observations and verifiability. But Jesus frames following him around “what you have seen and heard.” The world saw and heard him. Scripture bears witness. It's certainly different from the way the scientific method uses observation, but it's also not completely opposite.

We don’t handle doubt well - Doubt is often framed as leading to deconstruction. We rarely hear how doubts coexist with faith, or about doubts inside faith (lament). John shows you can question and still call on God.

Offense and sensitivity - It’s difficult for me to understand how Jesus is meaning “offended” here. This needs more study.

What do you want to know about the text, its author, its setting? Why?

I want to better understand what “offended” means.

I want to understand this placement in Matthew’s Gospel. I believe Dr. Jeff Gibbs considers 11:1 a significant break.

I want to understand the way faith worked in Jewish thought, because it’s easy for me to insert my Lutheran way of thinking about faith or the American evangelical or secular ways that I hear others talk about faith.

Questions I Have for the Reader (you!)

Answer in Leaflet comments or replies, or in the comment section on my social media post(s).

• What is sticking out or sticking with you from this text?

• What are the indications or giveaways that someone (including you) is using a definition of power other than the one Jesus gives?

• Where have you struggled to recognize the Kingdom at work because it appeared on the margins rather than in the center?

• How do you deal with doubt? Do you tend to hide it, fear it, or bring it honestly to Jesus as John did?

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