And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3)
And when John had heard in prison...
Herod Antipas of Galilee had paid a visit to his brother in Rome. During that visit, he seduced his brother’s wife. He came home again, dismissed his own wife, and married his sister-in-law whom he had lured away from her husband. Publicly and sternly John rebuked Herod.
But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison. (Luke 3:19-20)
It was never safe to rebuke a person in political power and Herod took his revenge; John was thrown into the dungeons of the fortress of Machaerus in the mountains near the Dead Sea.
According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the fortress of Machaerus was the place in which John the Baptist was beheaded (Bellum VII.6.1-2).
...he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3)
John is not in prison. The crowds who had followed John fervently were gone. The “voice of one crying in the wilderness” had been silenced.
John sends two of his disciples to check out if Jesus was indeed the Messiah. This is strange because twice John had actually endorsed Him as the coming Messiah.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ (John 1:29-30)
Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” (John 1:35-36)
27John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30He must increase, but I must decrease. 31He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. 34For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. 35The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:27-36)
John has also told his listeners concerning the coming Messiah that, “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:12)
Also, at that time in Israel, a belief prevailed about the coming Messiah that He would set them free from the oppressive Roman occupation and establish His Kingdom. The way that Jesus was going about His ministry certainly did not meet John’s expectations. Hence, in spite of earlier endorsing Jesus as the coming Messiah, it was causing John to doubt if indeed Jesus was the coming Messiah. Clearly, he was offended.
Symbolically speaking, Baptist was also in a spiritual prison because he harbored offense in his heart. Jesus sent a message to John, “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11:6)
Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: (Matthew 11:4)
Go and tell John – why?
Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17)
When faith comes you will come out of your prison
”But wisdom is justified by her children.” (Matthew 11:19)
In other words, wisdom is proven by the right actions of those who practice it.
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. (Matthew 11:21)
Through mighty works of the Holy Spirit, even a wicked city like Sodom can be saved (Matthew 11:23)
“But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying:
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
We mourned to you, and you did not lament.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children. (Matthew 11:16-19)
Sometimes there is no need to even think about what you are being accused of. Nothing you do will change anything. The problem is not what you are doing. The problem is with the accuser. satan's main intention is to stop you from doing the good works.
At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. (Matthew 11:25)
Notice the Father has revealed secret and hidden things to babes. Babes are tender-hearted, unlike the adults. So this means to receive revelation, our spirits need to be tender-hearted.
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Stress and weariness – we all have experienced it in different ways and for different reasons.
The solution that Jesus offers is so simple – come to Me.
Notice, it’s not “go to so and so”, its, “come to me”
What does coming to Jesus mean?
“Cast your anxieties on me for I care for you” (1 Peter 5:7). “Trust in me with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5), he says, “and you will find rest for your souls.”
Take My Yoke and Learn from Me
A yoke is placed on a beast of burden in order to do some work. Is Jesus offering us rest or work?
What work must we do for him that will give us rest?
Jesus answered this question in John 6:29: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” And he answered it in John 15:4: “Abide in me” (like a branch in a vine). Believe and abide: that really is all the work God requires of us. Faith (believing and abiding) is resting on the hopeful promises of God. That is the yoke Jesus calls us to put on.
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