11:2-3 Why did John the Baptist who knew who Jesus was, send his disciples to ask Jesus if He really was the Messiah?
11:2-3 Why did John the Baptist who knew who Jesus was, send his disciples to ask Jesus if He really was the Messiah?
The general consensus among Bible scholars is that John could not understand that if Jesus could raise the dead and do so many other miracles, why he (John) had to languish in prison (cp Mt 4:12; 14:1-4). In the light of his circumstances, John’s faith that Jesus was the Messiah began to wane and he needed Jesus to reassure him that He was indeed the one sent from God. This happens to many Christians when they are being persecuted for their faith – their faith wanes too. But Jesus was able to reassure John by sending John’s disciples back to him with first-hand accounts of the miracles Jesus was performing, which proved who He was (cp Mt 11:4-6).
This is not about stature or importance in the kingdom, or devotion, or service. It has to do with the privileges of the gospel that has been given to the lowliest Christians under the New Covenant through the atoning death of Christ. John did not live under the New Covenant so the privileges of the gospel were not available to him. As the forerunner of Christ he lived under the Old Covenant. He foresaw and foretold the coming of Christ who would usher in the kingdom and its attendant gospel privileges, but he could not partake of them. John was in the same position as Moses and all the other faith-worthies of the Old Testament who did not receive the promise of the New Covenant themselves, but foresaw it in shadowy form (cp He 11:39-40). John only had a measure of the Spirit, whereas under the New Covenant every believer has the fullness (cp Mt 3:11-15 with Jn 7:37-39; 14:12-14 with Ac 1:4-5, 8). The least in the Kingdom of Heaven is the most insignificant person who enjoys the blessings of the new age of grace which Jesus was ushering in during John’s ministry.
(cp also Lk 16:16) This enables us to better understand Mt 11:12. In both these passages Jesus is referring to those who, in spite of violent opposition, press in with ardent zeal and intense exertion to secure their place in God’s eternal kingdom. It expresses the earnestness believers must have in getting rid of sin and walking in complete obedience to God’s word (cp Lk 13:23-24). Strive means to contend for; to compete for a prize; to labour fervently; to take pains; to wrestle as in an award contest, straining every nerve to the uttermost towards the goal. This typifies the force required to take hold of the kingdom, and is presented as the life-task of every Christian in the New Testament church (cp Mt 7:13-14; Jn 6:27; 12:25-26; Ro 8:1-13; 1Cor 9:24-27; Ga 2:20; Eph 4:17-32; Php 2:12; 3:8-16; Col 3:1-10; 1Ti 6:12; 2 Pe 1:10-11; 2Jn 8). It is the responsibility of everyone who professes to believe in Christ for their salvation to seek unceasingly in all its manifestations the Kingdom of Heaven; to strenuously contend for the things of God, and to reject the things that cause enmity with God. The violent are those who will allow nothing to hinder them from ensuring their place in the eternal kingdom of God.
This is called the parable of the children in the market place. It is also found in Lk 7 (cp Lk 7:30-35). Jesus confronts His and John the Baptist’s critics in this parable and exposes their inconsistency. The Pharisees criticized John, saying that he was demon-possessed because he did not socialize, while at the same time they criticized Jesus, calling Him a glutton and a wine-bibber, because He did socialize. Jesus compared them to a group of children in the market place who obstinately refused to take part in anything the other children did. Nothing the other children did could please them. The Pharisees were the same. They criticized John the Baptist for being austere, and they criticized Jesus for not being austere. Jesus’ closing statement in the parable, “...but wisdom is justified of her children”, was telling the Pharisees that notwithstanding that His and John’s lifestyle were different, they were both correct in their purpose, and would both be proved correct by the results - people being saved.
The yoke referred to here is metaphorical. It signifies entering into a personal relationship with Jesus, being submitted to His authority, and becoming His disciple. In contrast to the yoke of the Mosaic law which kept men under it in bondage, Christ’s yoke is easy – His precepts are easy to follow. The call to take Christ’s yoke goes out to every living soul – it is a universal call to salvation. No one is excluded from accepting the invitation, but sadly, most who hear the call will reject it (cp Mt 13:3-11,18-23). See also comments on Mt 13:10-11, 20:16; Jn 1:12-13, 3:14-15, 3:36, 6:37, 10:27-29, 15:16; Ac 2:37-38, 3:22-23, 13:48, 28:23-29; Ro 1:16-17, 3:9, 3:24-26, 8:28-30, 9:7, 9:10-13, 9:14-18, 11:2, 11:4, 11:7-10; Eph 1:3-6, 1:11-14, 2:8-10; 1Th 1:4; 2Ti 1:8-9; He 3:7-11, 4:11-12, 6:4-6, 10:26-31; 1Pe 1:2; 2Pe 2:20-22; 1Jn 1:10.