Matthew — Chapter 11
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1And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
2Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
4Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
5The blind receive their sight, 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.
6And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
7And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
9But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
11Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
15He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
16But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
17And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
19The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
20Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
21Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
23And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
25At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
26Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
27All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
1And it came to pass when Jesus had finished commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and preach in their cities.
2Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by his disciples
3and said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?
4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye hear and see:
5the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them.
6And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me.
7And as these went their way, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind?
8But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft [raiment]? Behold, they that wear soft [raiment] are in king`s houses.
9But wherefore went ye out? to see a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
10This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way before thee.
11Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.
13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14And if ye are willing to receive [it,] this is Elijah, that is to come.
15He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
16But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the marketplaces, who call unto their fellows
17and say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not mourn.
18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a demon.
19The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! And wisdom is justified by her works.
20Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not.
21Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
23And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt go down unto Hades: for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in thee, it would have remained until this day.
24But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
25At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes:
26yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight.
27All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal [him.]
28Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
1When Jesus had finished instructing his 12 disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their towns.
2Now when John heard in prison about the deeds Christ had done, he sent his disciples to ask a question:
3“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
4Jesus answered them, “Go tell John what you hear and see:
5The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them
6—and blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me!”
7While they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
8What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Look, those who wear soft clothing are in the palaces of kings!
9What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet!
10This is the one about whom it is written: “‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
11“I tell you the truth, among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is!
12From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it.
13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John appeared.
14And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come.
15The one who has ears had better listen!
16“To what should I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to one another,
17“‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; we wailed in mourning, yet you did not weep.’
18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’
19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
20Then Jesus began to criticize openly the cities in which he had done many of his miracles because they did not repent.
21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you!
23And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to Hades! For if the miracles done among you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued to this day.
24But I tell you, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you!”
25At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to little children.
26Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.
27All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides to reveal him.
28Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29Take my yoke on you and learn from me because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.”
1When Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.
2Now when John heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples
3and said to him, “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?”
4Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:
5the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
6Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.”
7As these went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
8But what did you go out to see? A man in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
9But why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet.
10For this is he, of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
11Most certainly I tell you, among those who are born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptizer; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.
12From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14If you are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, who is to come.
15He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
16“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call to their companions
17and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you didn’t dance. We mourned for you, and you didn’t lament.’
18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’
19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”
20Then he began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they didn’t repent.
21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
23You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will go down to Hades. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until today.
24But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, on the day of judgment, than for you.”
25At that time, Jesus answered, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants.
26Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.
27All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows the Son, except the Father; neither does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and he to whom the Son desires to reveal him.
28“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.
29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.
30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Summary
John the Baptist sends messengers asking if Jesus is truly the Messiah, Jesus pronounces woe on unrepentant cities, and offers His great invitation: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Capernaum and the cities of Galilee: John's disciples came to Jesus in Galilee. Jesus pronounced woes on Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum (vv.20-24) — cities around the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee where He performed most of His miracles.
- Tyre and Sidon (v.21-22): Ancient Phoenician coastal cities (modern Lebanon), used as a comparison — even pagan cities would have repented at Jesus' works.
- Sodom (v.24): The destroyed city of the Dead Sea plain, referenced as a benchmark of judgment.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines John's doubt, Jesus' praise of John, the meaning of "the kingdom suffers violence" (v.12), the condemnation of the cities, and the invitation of vv.28-30.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Come Unto Me" on v.28 (MTP Vol. 10, No. 583) "Come unto Me — not to a church, not to a creed, not to a ceremony — to Me. All ye that labour — not some, not the worthy, not the prepared — all. And I will give you rest — not sell it, not lend it, not suggest where you might find it — I will give it. Come. All. Rest. Three words that change everything." Sermon: "The Meek and Lowly One" on v.29 (MTP Vol. 14, No. 800) "Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. The greatest Being in the universe describes Himself as meek and lowly. That is not weakness — it is the character of God. And He invites us to learn it from Him."
Reflection
- 1. John the Baptist doubted from prison (v.3). Even the greatest men of faith have seasons of doubt — especially in suffering. If you're in a season of doubt or confusion, you're in good company. What would it look like to bring your honest questions to Jesus rather than hiding them?
- 2. "Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me" (v.6). Jesus doesn't always do what we expect. He doesn't always answer the way we want. Are you offended at Jesus for something He hasn't done or hasn't given you? Can you trust Him even when He doesn't meet your expectations?
- 3. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden" (v.28). What burden are you carrying right now — work pressure, family stress, guilt, anxiety, exhaustion? Jesus says come. Not "fix yourself first" — come as you are, heavy and tired.
- 4. "Take my yoke upon you" (v.29). Rest doesn't come from doing nothing — it comes from being yoked to Christ. His yoke fits. His burden is light. Are you carrying burdens Jesus never asked you to carry? What would it look like to exchange your heavy yoke for His?
- 5. Jesus answered John's doubt not with a theological argument but with evidence — "the blind see, the lame walk" (v.5). When you doubt, what evidence of God's work in your life can you point to? How does remembering what God has done strengthen your faith in what He will do?
- 6. The cities that saw the most miracles were judged most severely (vv.20-24). Greater privilege = greater accountability. You have access to the Bible, teaching, community, and the Spirit. What are you doing with that privilege?
- 7. Jesus said God hides truth from the "wise and prudent" and reveals it to "babes" (v.25). Intellectual pride can be a barrier to spiritual understanding. Are you approaching God with the humility of a child, or the self-sufficiency of an expert?
- 8. "Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart" (v.29). Jesus — the Lord of the universe — describes Himself as meek and lowly. What does it mean for a man to be meek? How is meekness different from weakness?
- 9. "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (v.30). If your Christian life feels crushing and exhausting, you may be carrying a yoke Jesus didn't give you — legalism, performance, others' expectations. What burdens do you need to lay down that aren't from Christ?