John's Questions
¹ When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and to preach in their [Galilean] cities.
² Now when John [the Baptist] in prison heard about the activities of Christ, he sent word by his disciples ³ and asked Him, "Are You the Expected One (the Messiah), or should we look for someone else [who will be the promised One]?"
Though crowds were following Jesus and the disciples had been sent out as missionaries, not everything was going well. John had been put in prison by Herod. Herod had married his own sister-in-law, and John publicly rebuked Herod's flagrant sin (14:3-5).
⁴ Jesus answered, "Go and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ the BLIND RECEIVE [their] SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed [by healing] and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. ⁶ And blessed [joyful, favored by God] is he who does not take offense at Me [accepting Me as the Messiah and trusting confidently in My message of salvation]."
As John sat in prison, he began to wonder if Jesus really was the Messiah he was expecting. If John's purpose was to prepare people for the coming Messiah (3:3), and if Jesus really was that victorious Messiah, then why was Jesus not taking charge? And why was John in prison when he could have been out preaching to the crowds, preparing their hearts?
Jesus answered John's doubts by quoting prophecies that John would have known and that were being fulfilled by Jesus, who was healing those who were blind, lame, deaf, or had leprosy, raising the dead, and preaching the Good News to the poor. With so much evidence, Jesus' identity was obvious. If you sometimes doubt your salvation, the forgiveness of your sins, or the progress of God's work in your life or in the world, look in Scripture at what Jesus did and reflect on the changes in your life. When you doubt, don't turn away from Christ; turn to him.
Jesus' Tribute to John
⁷ As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out in the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind [which is commonplace]? ⁸ What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing [entirely unsuited for the harsh desert]? Those who wear soft clothing are in the palaces of kings! ⁹ But what did you [really] go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one [more eminent, more remarkable, and] far more than a prophet [who foretells the future]. ¹⁰ This is the one of whom it is written [by the prophet Malachi],
'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.'
¹¹ I assure you and most solemnly say to you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater [in privilege] than he.
Of all the past prophets, no one fulfilled their God-given purpose better than John. Yet in God's coming Kingdom all members will have a greater spiritual position than John because they will have seen and known Christ and benefited in this life from his finished work on the cross.
¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize].
There are three common views about the meaning of this verse: (1) Jesus may have been referring to a vast movement toward God, the momentum of which began with John's preaching. (2) He may have been reflecting the Jewish activists' expectation that God's Kingdom would come through a violent overthrow of Rome. (3) Or, most likely, he may have meant that entering God's Kingdom takes courage, unwavering faith, determination, and endurance because of the growing opposition leveled at his followers. In any case, Jesus knew that John would be violently beheaded (14:1-12) and was pointing out that opposition was building.
¹³ For all the prophets and the Law prophesied up until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is [the fulfillment of] Elijah [as the messenger] who was to come [before the kingdom].
John was not a resurrected Elijah, but he had taken on Elijah's prophetic role—boldly confronting sin at the highest levels of political and religious power and pointing people to God (Malachi 3:1).
¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words.
¹⁶ "But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like little children sitting in the market places, who call to the others, ¹⁷ and say 'We piped the flute for you [playing wedding], and you did not dance; we wailed sad dirges [playing funeral], and you did not mourn and cry aloud.' ¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking [with others], and they say, 'He has a demon!' ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking [with others], and they say, 'Look! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews]!' Yet wisdom is justified and vindicated by her deeds [in the lives of those who respond to Me]."
Jesus condemned the indifferent attitude of his generation. No matter what he or John said, many rejected them and took the opposite view. They were cynical and skeptical because he challenged their comfortable, secure, and self-centered lives. Too often we close our ears to God to justify the way we are living because listening to him may require us to change our actions or our choices.
The Unrepenting Cities
²⁰ Then He began to denounce [the people in] the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent [and change their hearts and lives]. ²¹ "Woe (judgment is coming) to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon [cities of the Gentiles], they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes [their hearts would have been changed and they would have expressed sorrow for their sin and rebellion against God]. ²² Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for [the pagan cities of] Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, are you to be exalted to heaven [for your apathy and unresponsiveness]? You will descend to Hades (the realm of the dead); for if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ²⁴ But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment, than for you."
Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom were ancient cities with long-standing reputations for wickedness (Genesis 18–19; Ezekiel 27–28). Each was destroyed by God for its evil. The people of Bethsaida, Korazin, and Capernaum had seen Jesus firsthand, yet they stubbornly refused to repent of their sins and believe in him. Jesus said that if some of the wickedest cities in the world had seen him, they would have repented. Because Bethsaida, Korazin, and Capernaum saw Jesus and didn't believe in him, they would suffer even greater punishment than the wicked cities who hadn't seen Jesus. Similarly, nations and cities with churches on every corner and Bibles in every home will have no excuse on Judgment Day if the people do not repent of their sin and believe in Jesus.
Come to Me
²⁵ At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [I openly and joyfully acknowledge Your great wisdom], that You have hidden these things [these spiritual truths] from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants [to new believers, to those seeking God's will and purpose].
Jesus mentioned two kinds of people in his prayer: the "wise and clever"—arrogant in their own knowledge—and the "childlike"—humbly open to receive the truth of God's Word. The "wise" ones were the religious leaders who had rejected him. The "childlike" were those who followed him with trusting faith. Are you wise in your own eyes, or do you seek the truth in childlike faith, being willing to listen to what Jesus has to say?
²⁶ Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. ²⁷ All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Son except the Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son [deliberately] wills to reveal Him.
Jesus stated the basis for his authority three ways: (1) The Father had entrusted everything to him. From eternity past, at no time did Jesus not know the Father's heart and mind. This communion between them shows the core and essence of their relationship—unity. (2) The Father knows the Son. In the Old Testament, to know someone meant more than to have head knowledge about them; this word implied an intimate relationship. The communion between God the Father and God the Son is the core of their relationship and provides the basis for Jesus' claim to be God. The Pharisees grasped this implication and hated Jesus for it. (3) For anyone to know Jesus, Jesus chose to reveal himself to that person (see John 10:14-15; 14:6-7). How fortunate we are that Jesus has clearly revealed God to us, as well as his truth and how we can know him.
²⁸ "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST (renewal, blessed quiet) FOR YOUR SOULS. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light."
In contrast to the judgment he predicted for the people in the cities that rejected him (11:20-24), Jesus offers rest to those who come to him in childlike faith. Jesus invites all people, not just the wise and clever (11:25). The rest Jesus offers in his Kingdom means freedom from the extra burdens the Pharisees and teachers of religious law implemented in their day and the additional rules we try to add onto our faith today. Humble people can be free from a "try harder, do more" religion. To find rest, people must throw off the yoke of burdens and legalism.
A yoke was a heavy wooden harness that would be put on oxen and attached to equipment the oxen pulled. Jesus was likely referring to the hundreds of extra rules and requirements the religious leaders were putting on the people (see 12:1-2). Jesus' teachings make sense to humble learners, not proud legalists. If you have been devastated by sin, drained of joy by rule keeping, or crushed by persecution or oppression, this rest is for you. Jesus gives love, peace, and healing now, and one day eternal life and joyful unity with him. (For more on rest, see Hebrews 4:8-11.)
Jesus' "yoke" refers to the challenges, work, and difficulties of following him as a disciple. Responsibilities—even the effort of staying true to God—still weigh us down as we work. So in what sense is this yoke easy? Jesus' yoke remains easy compared to the crushing alternative of dead-end legalism and self-powered effort. And although Jesus doesn't offer a life of luxurious ease—the yoke still implies hard work—he shares the yoke with us. His bigger shoulders carry the greater weight. He has more pulling power to help us. Suddenly we are participating in life's responsibilities with a great partner—and now our grimaces can turn into smiles, and our laments into songs of joy.