Mat 11:7-15, All Roads Lead to Christ.

Class Outline:

Wednesday January 22, 2025

 

Intro: The OT Scripture is an expertly crafted work pointing to a promised leader who never comes. It ends unfinished …

 

2CH 36:23

Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!

 

Chronicles is the last book of the Hebrew Bible (not Malachi in the modern order). It ends with Cyrus telling the Jews that they can go back to Judea and it ends. What is the rest of the story?

 

Jesus is going to get to this in our passage. He claimed to be the promised King who was going to complete the story.

 

MAT 11:7-15.

 

Background: John doubts and Jesus comforts and reminds him through Scripture that He is the promised one to come. After John’s disciples depart, Jesus reveals the greatness of John, and being so close to John’s death, it seems something like a funeral oration. 

 

MAT 11:7-8

As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?  8 "But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings' palaces! 

 

John did not bend (change his message to please his audience). He was a redwood.

 

John dressed like Elijah, camel hair and leather belt. Ironically, Herod who lived in a palace in soft clothing, was then imprisoning John.

 

MAT 11:9-11

"But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet.  10 "This is the one about whom it is written,

 

'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,

WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.'

 

11 "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!

 

John had already proclaimed the message of the forerunner and here Jesus confirms it. (MAL 3:1).

 

He is more than a prophet because he himself is prophesied.

 

John was the greatest man born into pre-Christian history.

 

In revealing John, Jesus reveals Himself and His kingdom as far above all. 

 

MAT 11:11

"Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

 

John is the greatest of a dying breed, however, subtly Jesus shows Himself as far higher.

 

The greatest man John was Jesus’ forerunner and Jesus claims deity by the quote (MAL 3:1). “ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” 3 times “Me” is replaced with “You.” Jesus is not only more than John, but He is God.

 

The littlest in Jesus’ kingdom towers over John = Jesus is Lord.

 

MAT 11:12

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”

 

Very controversial interpretation. It can mean one of two things. Either the members of the church aggressively go forward following Christ, or the kingdom of heaven suffers violence from violent people who want to destroy it.

 

The context supports the second interpretation. The greatest power suffers at the hands of those with worldly power and worldly lies (Mat 10 Missionaries suffer, John beheaded, Jesus “If My kingdom were of this world, martyrs, the continued attack of the world that we would not call violence, but is just as effective). 

 

Matt 11:11-15

“Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  12 "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.  13 "For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.  14 "And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.  15 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

 

All prophecy points to Christ (2CO 1:20; 1PE 1:10-11). The vision of Revelation and revelation seen, learned, and written in the epistles all point to Christ.

 

Christ fulfilled the Law (His blood was the sacrifice that all others pointed to: Levitical Sacrifices, MAT 5:17).

 

Elijah (prophecy) and Moses (Law) on Mt. Transfiguration. 

 

What’s the point of the Bible? It all points to Jesus.

 

The creation pointed to the Lord Jesus as He is Lord of the Sabbath.

 

The fall pointed to the Lord as the animal skins covered the nakedness and He is the blood sacrifice.

 

The flood pointed to Him as the one Ark who could deliver mankind.

 

Abraham and Israel were the special, chosen people from whom Christ would come and from whom would be the writers of the Law and prophets and writings that all pointed to the King to come.

 

MAT 11:13-15

"For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.  14 "And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.  15 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

 

John is Elijah if you are willing to accept it (somehow he is) - with Christ, all fulfillment from beginning to end (alpha and omega) is in Him (Peter’s use of Joel in Act 2; MAL 4:5-6). 

 

He who has ears, let him hear - this demands understanding.

 

Application of the supremacy of Christ now.

 

He is above all and the fulfillment of all things, but He is also using the members of His kingdom to save others in this age - not to conquer. Hence the kingdom suffers violence and violent men seek to destroy it.

 

What we can easily fail to see that this is the exhibition of God’s greatest power. He begins the post-Christ era with the greatest display of power.

 

Can you see what that power is; what it is made up of?

 

The kingdom of God, right now, is using its members (the only part of the kingdom that is presently here) to save souls. Its mission is not conquering the world but conquering life one soul at a time by means of the gospel. The kingdom is not currently here to create comfort, but to suffer resistance and persecution as it graciously gives life to the world. That is the ultimate in power - divine love.