Matthew 11:4

11:2-6 Some think that John sent this inquiry for his own satisfaction. Where there is true faith, yet there may be a mixture of unbelief. The remaining unbelief of good men may sometimes, in an hour of temptation; call in question the most important truths. But we hope that John's faith did not fail in this matter, and that he only desired to have it strengthened and confirmed. Others think that John sent his disciples to Christ for their satisfaction. Christ points them to what they heard and saw. Christ's gracious condescensions and compassions to the poor, show that it was he that should bring to the world the tender mercies of our God. Those things which men see and hear, if compared with the Scriptures, direct in what way salvation is to be found. It is difficult to conquer prejudices, and dangerous not to conquer them; but those who believe in Christ, their faith will be found so much the more to praise, and honour, and glory.

Jesus answered and said unto them,.... Not by an express declaration, that he was the Messiah that was to come, and they were not to look for any other; but he bids them go, and show John again, those things which ye do hear and see. Christ would have them go back to John in prison, and relate to him the doctrines which they had heard preached by him to the poor; and the miracles which they had seen with their own eyes, then wrought by him; as well as many others, which were attested to them by credible witnesses; for there were at that time about Christ, that had infirmities, plagues, and evil spirits, and that were blind, and he instantly cured them in their presence; see Luke 7:21.

Matthew 11:4 . Ἃ ἀκούετε καὶ βλέπετε , those things which ye do hear and see ) The testimonies of facts of seven kinds, enumerated in Matthew 11:5-6 . The miracles which our Lord performed had been foretold; they were beneficent, many, and various.[511] [511] Sight in other cases is wont to precede hearing ; but the word of Christ [ heard by them] answered more closely, as it were, to the desires of faith than the works of Christ [ seen by them], John 14:11 . Even in this place, Jesus speaks humbly, as in ch. Matthew 12:17 ; Matthew 12:41-42 . He does not say, Those things which I speak and do .—V. g.

Go and show John again ... - Jesus referred them for an answer to these miracles. They were proof that he was the Messiah. Prophets had indeed performed miracles, but no prophet had performed so many, or any so important. Jesus, moreover, performed them "in his own name" and by his own power. Prophets had done it by the power of God. Jesus, therefore, performed the works which none but the Messiah could do, and John might easily infer that he was the Christ. The poor have the gospel preached to them - It was predicted of the Messiah that he would preach good tidings to the meek Isaiah 61:1; or, as it is rendered in the New Testament, "He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor," Luke 4:18. By this, therefore, also, John might infer that he was truly the Messiah. It adds to the force of this testimony that the "poor" have always been overlooked by Pharisees and philosophers. No sect of philosophers had condescended to notice them before Christ, and no system of religion had attempted to instruct them before the Christian religion. In all other schemes the poor have been passed by as unworthy of notice.

Verse 4. - Jesus ; and Jesus (Revised Version, with even the Received Text). Answered and said unto them . He makes no verbal self-defence, but appeals to the effects of his work. Observe that a similar appeal to effects of the same character as those mentioned here - restoration to normal powers and bringing spiritual truths home to the poorest - is still the great argument for the Messiahship of Jesus. Go ; go your way (Revised Version); πορευθέντες (cf. ver. 7). And show John again ; and tell John (Revised Version); for ἀπαγγέλλω does not in itself contain the idea of bringing word in answer to an inquiry, but merely emphasizes the source or place from which the message comes ( Matthew 8:33 ; cf. Bishop Westcott on 1 John 1:2, 5 ). Those ( the , Revised Version) things which ye do hear and see . Observe that in Luke (1) the order of the verbs is reversed; (2) the tense is not the present, as here, but the aorist, the miracles being regarded from the point of time when the disciples had returned to John. The present tense in Matthew brings out what St. Luke had already indicated by his preceding explanatory verse that the messengers arrived when the Lord was actually performing miracles. Matthew 11:4

Thought of his character, his preaching, and his success, and anxiously inquired whether he did not do the things which were expected of the Messiah. "in expectation" or "in suspense" "mused" or "reasoned" or "debated" ## THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE - Chapter 3 - Verse 16 ## Verse 16. See Barnes on "Matthew 11:11" ; See Barnes on " Matthew 11:12" ## THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE - Chapter 3 - Verse 17 ## Verse 17. See Barnes on "Matthew 11:11" ## See Barnes on "Matthew 11:12" {n} "fan" Jeremiah 15:7 {o} "will gather" Micah 4:12; Matthew 13:30 {p} "chaff" Psalms 1:4 {q} "burn with fire unquenchable" Psalms 21:9; Mr 9:44,48 ## THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE - Chapter 3 - Verse 18 ## Verse 18. See Barnes on "Matthew 11:11" ## See Barnes on "Matthew 11:12" ## THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE - Chapter 3 - Verse 19 ## Verse 19. See Barnes on "Matthew 14:1" ## See Barnes on "Matthew 14:2" ## See Barnes on "Matthew 14:3" ; See Barnes on " Matthew 14:4" ## See Barnes on "Matthew 14:5" ; See Barnes on " Matthew 14:6" ## See Barnes on "Matthew 14:7" ; See Barnes on " Matthew 14:8" ## See Barnes on "Matthew 14:9" ; See Barnes on " Matthew 14:10" ## See Barnes on "Matthew 14:11" ; See Barnes on " Matthew 14:12" ## See Barnes on "Matthew 14:13" Added this above all , To all his former crimes he added this; not implying that this was the worst of his acts, but that this was one of his deeds, of like character as the others. The event here mentioned did no

lained in the Notes on Matthew 11:16-19. See Barnes on "Matthew 11:16" ; ## See Barnes on " Matthew 11:17"; See Barnes on "Matthew 11:18" ; See Barnes on " Matthew 11:19". {x} "came neither eating bread" Matthew 3:4; Mr 1:6; Luke 1:15 ## THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE - Chapter 7 - Verse 34 ## Verse 34. See this passage explained in the Notes on Matthew 11:16-19. See Barnes on "Matthew 11:16" ; ## See Barnes on " Matthew 11:17"; See Barnes on "Matthew 11:18" ; See Barnes on " Matthew 11:19". {y} "Son of man" John 2:2; 12:2; Luke 7:36 ## THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE - Chapter 7 - Verse 35 Verse 35. And the Lord said. This clause is wanting in almost all the manuscripts, and is omitted by the best critics. {z} "Wisdom is justified" Proverbs 8:32-36; 17:16 ## THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE - Chapter 7 - Verse 36 ## Verse 36. One of the Pharisees . His name was Simon, Luke 7:10. Nothing more is known of him. It is not improbable, however, from what follows (Luke 7:40-47), that he had been healed by the Saviour of some afflictive disease, and made this feast to show his gratitude. Sat down to meat . The original word here means only that he placed himself or reclined at the table. The notion of sitting at meals is taken from modern customs, and was not practised by the Jews. See Barnes "Matthew 23:6" . Meat . Supper. Food of any kind. Sat down to eat. {a} "one of the Pharisees" Matthew 26:6; Mr 14:3; John 11:2 ## THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE - Chapter 7 - Verse 37 ## Verse 37. In the city .