Matthew 11:5

5 . Comp. Isaiah 35:5 ; Isaiah 61:1 . The first passage describes the work of God, who “ will come and save you.” the poor have the gospel preached to them ] In earthly kingdoms envoys are sent to the rich and great. Compare the thought implied in the disciple’s words, “Who then can be saved?” If it is difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom, how much more for the poor?

Matthew 11:5 . ἀναβλέπουσιν : used also in classics to express recovery of sight.— κωφοὶ , here taken to mean deaf , though in Matthew 9:32-33 , it means dumb , showing that the prophecy, Isaiah 35:5 , is in the speaker’s thoughts.— πτωχοὶ : vague word, might mean literal poor (De W.) or spiritual poor, or the whole people in its national misery (Weiss, Matt. Evan.), best defined by such a text as Matthew 9:36 , and such facts as that reported in Matthew 9:10-13 .— εὐαγγελίζονται : might be middle = the poor preach, and so taken by Euthy. Zig. (also as an alternative by Theophy.), for “what can be poorer than fishing ( ἁλιευτικῆς )?” The poor in that case = the Twelve sent out to preach the kingdom. That, too, was character istic of the movement, though not the characteristic intended, which is that the poor, the socially insignificant and neglected, are evangelised (passive, as in Hebrews 4:2 ).

(5) The blind receive their sight. —Apparently no facts were stated which might not have already come to the ears of the Baptist. At least one instance of each class of miracle has already been recorded by St. Matthew, the blind ( Matthew 9:27 ), the lame ( Matthew 9:6 ), the leper ( Matthew 8:2 ), the dead ( Matthew 9:25 ). The raising of the widow’s son at Nain, which in St. Luke follows closely upon the healing of the centurion’s servant, must also have preceded what is here narrated. What the Baptist needed was, not the knowledge of fresh facts, but a different way of looking at those he already knew. Where these works were done, there were tokens that the coming One had indeed come. But above all signs and wonders, there was another spiritual note of the kingdom, which our Lord reserves as the last and greatest: Poor men have the good news proclaimed to them. They are invited to the kingdom, and told of peace and pardon. It is as though our Lord knew that the Baptist, whose heart was with the poor, would feel that One who thus united power and tenderness could be none other than the expected King.

Matthew 11:5 .[512] Εὐαγγελίζονται , are evangelized ) The word is passive; cf. Luke 16:16 . For the works of our Lord Himself, which the disciples of John then saw and heard, are meant; cf. Luke 4:18 , concerning the prediction of this work.[513] Nor did all poor men as yet preach the Gospel, but only the apostles. See Matthew 10:7 . [512] Τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέπουσι ) At that very moment (period of time) such miracles were being performed ( Luke 7:21 ), which were the very miracles reserved for the Christ. In ancient times, sinners used to be punished with blindness, leprosy, and death.— νεκροὶ ἐγείρονται ) A miracle which had been very recently performed in the case of the young man of Nain, Luke 7:14 .—V. g. [513] Which was peculiarly a work of the Christ, who was anointed for that very purpose, Isaiah 61:1 .—V. g. Comp. Luke 4:1 .—ED.

Matthew 11:5-6 . In words that seem an echo of Isaiah 35:5 f., 8, Isaiah 61:1 ff., though, in accordance with existing circumstances, embracing some additional matters, Jesus draws His answer clearly and decidedly from the well-known facts of His ministry , which prove Him to be the ἐρχόμενος foretold in prophecy. Comp. Luke 4:18 . The words of the answer form a resumé of cases such as those in Matthew 8:2 , Matthew 9:1 ; Matthew 9:23 ; Matthew 9:27 ; Matthew 9:32 ; therefore they cannot have been intended to be taken in the sense of spiritual redemption , which Jesus might lay claim to as regards His works (in answer to de Wette, Keim, Wittichen); comp. Schweizer in the Stud. u. Krit . 1836, p. 106 ff.; Weiss, bibl. Theol. , ed. 2, p. 48; Hofmann, Schriftbew . II. 1, p. 181. πτωχοὶ εὐαγγελ .] well-known passive construction, as in Hebrews 4:2 ; Hebrews 4:6 ; Galatians 2:7 ; Romans 3:2 ; Hebrews 11:2 ; Bernhardy, p. 341 f. πτωχοί ] are the poor , the miserable, the friendless, the oppressed and helpless multitude (comp. on Matthew 5:3 ), elsewhere compared to sheep without a shepherd ( Matthew 9:36 ), and likened a little further on to a bruised reed and smoking flax ( Matthew 12:20 ). Such people crowded about our Lord, who proclaimed to them the Messianic deliverance.

And this deliverance they actually obtained when, as πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι , Matthew 5:3 , they surrendered themselves to His word under a deep heartfelt consciousness of their need of help. σκανδαλ . ἐν ἐμοί ] will have been offended in me , so as to have come to entertain false views concerning me, so as to have ceased to believe in me, to have come to distrust me; Matthew 13:57 , Matthew 26:31 ; Matthew 26:33 ; comp. on Matthew 5:29 . REMARK. Judging from John’s question, Matthew 11:2 , and Jesus’ reply, Matthew 11:6 , it is neither unwarrantable nor, as far as can be seen, incompatible with the evangelic narrative, to assume that nothing else is meant than that John was really in doubt as to the personal Messiahship of Jesus and the nature of that Messiahship altogether ,—a doubt, however, which, after the honourable testimony of Jesus, Matthew 11:7 ff., cannot be regarded as showing a want of spirituality, nor as inconsistent with the standpoint and character of one whom God had sent as the forerunner, and who had been favoured with a divine revelation, but only as a temporary eclipse of his settled conviction, which, owing to human infirmity, had yielded to the influence of despondency.