What Jesus Did

Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn't repented of their sins and turned to God. "What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse."

—Matthew 11:20-21 NLT

Key Thought​

Why is it so hard to change? Why is a...

 

[Talking to the crowds, Jesus concluded the things he said about John the Baptist:] "To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,

'We played wedding songs,
and you didn't dance,
so we played funeral songs,
and you didn't mourn.'

For John didn't spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, 'He's possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, 'He's a glutton...

 

[Talking to the crowds about John the Baptist, Jesus continued:] "For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time. And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!"

—Matthew 11:13-15 NLT

Key Thought​

John is Elijah who has come back. This is more than just a novelty; he is the signal of a new time, a new age. Jesus is accepting...

 

[Talking to the crowds about John the Baptist, Jesus continued:] "John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

'Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.'

"I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!


—Matthew 11:10-11 NLT

Key Thought​

John the Baptist was the key bridge for the gap from the...

 

[Talking to the crowds about John the Baptist, Jesus continued:] "And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it."

—Matthew 11:12 NLT

Key Thought​

The Kingdom of God is powerful. But it has been, and will continue to be, under the attack of violent people. Opposition to John is a great reminder of this truth. The power of his message, the power of God's truth, the power of...

 

[Talking to the crowds about John the Baptist, Jesus continued:] "Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet."

—Matthew 11:9 NLT

Key Thought​

As Amos had prophesied, there was a famine in the land of God's people. It was a horrible famine. It was a long famine! It was a famine of hearing the word of the LORD. God's voice was not heard through his prophets. The passionate fire that once had spoken to Israel was a silent dying ember. God's chosen people...

 

As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. "What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces."

—Matthew 11:7-8 NLT

Key Thought​

Jesus' response to John's disciples did not imply that Jesus thought poorly of John, his ministry, or his faith. The things John cared most...

 

[Jesus continued his respond to John's question about whether he was the Messiah:] "God blesses those who do not fall away because of me."

—Matthew 11:6 NLT

Key Thought​

The answer to John's question to Jesus about his Messiahship helps prepare us for the road that lies ahead in Matthew's account about Jesus. Jesus will be repeatedly rejected and criticized for healing activities that follow. Hostility intensifies between Jesus and the religious powerbrokers of his day. They...

 

[In answer to the question from John's disciples about whether he was the Messiah,] Jesus told them, "Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen — the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor."

—Matthew 11:4-5 NLT

Key Thought​

John the Baptizer had preached about a fiery judgment on the enemies of God's people and a mighty Messiah who would bring deliverance...

 

John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?"

—Matthew 11:2-3 NLT

Key Thought​

As John faced the struggle of his life, he maintained his integrity and faithfulness. His motivation was simply to know for sure that Jesus was who John believed him to be. He was not afraid to face death or doubt as he sought God's...