11:2–6 John came preaching repentance, the coming of the kingdom, and the coming of one greater than himself, and he ministered a baptism that signified repentance and preparation for God’s coming action (3:1–12). But in chapter 11, John languishes in prison for condemning the immoral acts of Herod the tetrarch, who ruled Galilee for Rome. Herod feared John, listened to him, and kept him imprisoned indefinitely. From that location, John sent disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is to come?” (vv. 2–3). John had identified Jesus as the Lamb of God, the coming one, and the Son of God (John 1:29–34), but prison had incited doubts.

Theologians occasionally claim that John has no real doubts, that his questions are heuristic, a ploy, but his questions sound genuine, and Jesus treats them as real questions. He gives John’s disciples a message for him: “Go and tell John . . .” (Matt. 11:4). In Scripture, Elijah’s narrative shows that even faithful prophets can have doubts (1 Kings 18–19). Prison crushes the body and the spirit, and humans, in their weakness and finitude, are prone to doubt when they suffer.

Jesus’ later comments about John are kind (Matt. 11:7–19), but Jesus’ first comment has a prophetic tone. Jesus essentially notes, “I am doing what the prophets said the Messiah will do. The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor hear the good news” (vv. 4–5).

The list has interesting features. First, the list of miracles will seem common to readers immersed in the Gospels, but in the broader context they are not. In the OT, no blind man receives sight, and the dead are raised but twice. Further, the verbs in verses 4b–5 are all in the present tense. This implies John’s disciples stay with Jesus long enough to see and hear the miracles (v. 4b).

Second, verse 5 joins quotations from Isaiah 29; 35; and 42, which all mention miracles. All three also foretell divine judgment, yet Jesus bypasses the note of judgment. John had predicted imminent judgment: “The axe is laid to the root of the trees” (Matt. 3:10). Perhaps Jesus’ neglect of judgment has troubled John. But judgment is delayed, not forgotten.

Third, as in chapters 8–9, Jesus joins word and work. The miracles lead to words: “The poor have good news,” the gospel, “preached to them” (11:5).

Jesus concludes, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (v. 6). Jesus regularly offends people, but, as Calvin rightly notes, people ought to wage war with their offenses, questioning and assessing them.176 If someone takes offense at Jesus, self-appraisal is in order. The rhetorical effect of verse 6 is a mild rebuke for John and either correction or blessing for subsequent generations. It is indeed a blessing to take pleasure, not offense, at Jesus.