Bible Study · Part 2 of 2 · Matthew 11
John the Baptist, Part 2: When God Surprises Us
From prison, John asks Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come?” Part two of a two-part study, in Matthew 11 — trusting God when He doesn’t meet our expectations.
Read: Matthew 11:1–19 (opens in a new tab) · Builds on Part 1 (Matthew 3)
Section 8 · Matthew 11:1–3
Something unexpected happens
John had preached that the axe was already at the root. Judgment sounded imminent. But Jesus isn’t immediately doing what John apparently expected. John is arrested, and from prison he sends his disciples with an astonishing question:
Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?
Matthew 11:3 (ESV)
This is the man who baptized Jesus, announced Him, and saw the Spirit descend — and now he is confused. John rightly expected the Messiah and rightly expected judgment, but seems to have expected that judgment much more immediately. Instead, Jesus is healing people, preaching good news, eating with sinners, and letting the kingdom grow gradually.
Section 9 · Matthew 11:4–5
Jesus answers John with Scripture
Jesus doesn’t simply say, “Yes, John, I’m the Messiah.” He says, “Go and tell John what you hear and see”: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news preached to them.
He is drawing together language from Isaiah 26, 29, 35, and 61. Look at what Scripture said the Messiah would do — and look at what I am doing.
Many of those Isaiah passages also contain judgment, yet Jesus emphasizes the restoration. The judgment John expected is real, but God’s timetable is larger than John expected.
Read: Matthew 11:4–5 (opens in a new tab) · Isaiah 35:5–6 (opens in a new tab) · Isaiah 61:1 (opens in a new tab)
Section 10 · Matthew 11:6
“Blessed is the one who is not offended by me”
And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.
Matthew 11:6 (ESV)
Or: blessed is the one who does not stumble because of Me — an echo of the Beatitudes. John knew Scripture, knew God, and correctly identified Jesus. Yet even John struggled when Jesus didn’t behave as he expected.
Key idea: Trust Me even when what I am doing does not fit your expectations.
Section 11 · Matthew 11:7–14
Jesus still defends John
Jesus does not ridicule John. He praises him: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?” John wasn’t weak or changing his message to please people.
Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.
Matthew 11:11 (ESV)
John’s confusion does not erase his faithfulness. Jesus again identifies him as the promised messenger — “Behold, I send my messenger before your face” — and as “Elijah who is to come.” Matthew 11 confirms what Matthew 3 was already showing us.
Section 12 · Matthew 11:16–19
The kingdom doesn’t always look the way people expect
Jesus pictures children in the marketplace: some want to play a wedding and others won’t dance; then a funeral, and others won’t mourn.
John came neither eating nor drinking, and people said, “He has a demon.” Jesus came eating with tax collectors and sinners, and they said, “Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard.”
The problem wasn’t John’s behavior or Jesus’ behavior. People wanted God’s messengers to conform to their expectations.
Key idea: Different messenger. Different approach. Same rejection.
Section 13
John had to learn the same lesson
In Matthew 3, John tells Israel: prepare yourself for what God is doing. By Matthew 11, John himself wrestles with that same challenge. God is doing exactly what He promised — but not exactly the way John expected.
John was correct that:
- the Messiah had come
- judgment would come
- the Spirit would be poured out
- the kingdom had arrived
- Jesus was the promised One
Key idea: We must distinguish between what God has actually promised and what we have assumed about how He will fulfill it.
Section 14
Bringing the two chapters together
Matthew 3 asks: will you recognize what God is doing because you know His Word?
Matthew 11 asks: will you keep trusting God when what He is doing doesn’t match your expectations?
First, know the Scriptures well enough to recognize God’s work. Then, trust God enough not to reject His work when it unfolds differently than you expected. John teaches us both.
Discussion
- What does John misunderstand in Matthew 11?
He seems to misunderstand the timing and manner of the Messiah’s judgment. He rightly expected it — but apparently expected it immediately. - How does Jesus respond to John’s doubt?
Not by condemning him. Jesus points John back to Scripture and observable evidence: look at what Isaiah said, and look at what I am doing. - What is the warning for us?
We can know true things about God and still build false expectations around them. When God doesn’t meet those expectations, the problem isn’t His faithfulness — it may be our idea of what His faithfulness should look like.
Final takeaway
John stood in the wilderness announcing, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” His clothing pointed to Elijah. His location recalled the wilderness and the Exodus. His message called Israel to repentance. His baptism prepared the people for cleansing. His promise of the Spirit pointed toward the New Covenant. His warnings announced coming judgment. And all of it pointed toward one person: Jesus.
But even the man who prepared the way struggled when Jesus did not act as he expected. Jesus’ answer still speaks:
And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.
Matthew 11:6 (ESV)
Know God’s Word well enough to recognize what He is doing — and trust Him enough to follow when it doesn’t look like what you expected.