Matthew 11:1-6

Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. ² And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples ³ and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” ⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ⁵ The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

Commentary

Vs. 1 “Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.”

The Lord Jesus having commanded the disciples to go to the lost sheep of Israel now Himself departs, so that He can go and teach and preach in the cities of Galilee where He just taught them.

Vs. 2-6 ¹ Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. ² And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples ³ and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” ⁴ Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ⁵ The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

Previously John the Baptist as Christs’ prophesied forerunner had announced that the Lord Jesus Christ is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”, ^{John 1:29} and thus having given way to Him as he must (see John 3:28-36), soon afterwards John will find himself imprisoned by Herod because John rebuked Herod for marrying his own brother’s wife Herodias (Matt. 4:12-17; 14:3-5). Therefore, though Jesus’ Words and Works were rapidly becoming known to one and to all, John himself had not seen, nor heard Jesus since the day that John in accordance with God’s Will baptized the Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan river (Matt. 3:13-17). John then languishing in Herod’s prison and having very limited revelation beyond that which was given him by God to declare the Lord Jesus Christ as the Coming One, and yet he himself not seeing the Kingdom of God appear and be established as he likely thought it would be, now upon hearing of Christ’s Works while in prison sends two of his disciples to the Lord Jesus to confirm to him that Jesus Christ is the Coming One. And so, they come to the Lord Jesus and ask Him on behalf of John, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” John then was looking for a reaffirmation that his life and purposes had not been in vain but were still bound up in Christ’s. Therefore, when the Lord Jesus responds to John’s disciples He will not say Yes, I am, to John’s question, rather Jesus will say to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: ⁵ The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. ⁶ And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” ^{Vs. 4-6}

Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ by His Words and His Works fully assures them that everything He was doing and saying is a total confirmation to John and to all that He is the Christ, the Coming One that Israel the nation was founded to both bring forth and to receive as God’s One and Only Lord, Savior, High Priest. Prophet and King. John the Baptist then upon hearing the Lord’s confirmation of Himself to him will then be able to continue and endure whatever still lies ahead of him. Because truly as the Lord Jesus Christ’s says, “blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” ^Vs.6
For only the proud and the unbelieving are offended at the Words and Works of Christ.

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.