December 1998 Issue

Many commentaries set the limits of this text from 11:2-15 and locate these verses within the larger context of 11:2-12:50. An even wider context is 11:2-16:20, a section of Matthew's gospel which Jack D. Kingsbury claims has the dominant theme of Israel's repudiation of Jesus. Chapters 11 and 12 have a negative cast to them, reflecting the unwillingness of all Israel to accept Jesus as Messiah. However, the disciples are portrayed as adhering to Jesus, and the opportunity is there for belief in Jesus as Messiah (11:13-15).

Chapter 11 contains three sections (vv.2-15, 16-24, 25-30), the first of which serves to link Jesus and John the Baptist (cf. Lk 7:18-35) and prepares the way for the condemnation of "this generation" and the woes to the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum (vv.16-24). At the beginning of our section it is reported that John is in prison (already announced in 4:12; the reason for John's imprisonment and the report of his death are found in 14:3ff.) and receiving reports of what the Messiah (Matthew's designation) was doing. John's question is significant in its emphasis on "you" and "another": "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" In other words, "Are we to await a different kind of Messiah?"

John's question seems odd in light of his reluctance to baptize Jesus (3:14) and his question of him, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Many different reasons have been put forth to explain John's question. Perhaps he simply did not know the answer. Perhaps he himself knew the truth but asked the question for his disciples' sake, as a teaching tool. Perhaps the stress of his imprisonment caused him to be frustrated at the delay of the coming kingdom and its accompanying deeds of power which could be expected to free him from prison. Perhaps John was beginning to doubt his initial evaluation of Jesus when he encountered him at the Jordan. Perhaps he was impatient because Jesus had not yet brought the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire as John had prophesied. Perhaps any or all of these reasons are simply speculation, since Matthew does not inform us of John's reaction to Jesus' reply to the question. For that reason it appears that John's question serves to set up Jesus' reply in which he describes what he has been doing and leaves it up to those who "hear and see" to decide about his Messiahship (here Matthew differs from Luke in the order of his words, reversing Luke's order of "see and hear").

Jesus' response is ambiguous from the point of view of someone who wants a straight "yes or no" answer. However, his answer is clearly related to the Old Testament prophecies concerning the work of the Messiah. Jesus' description of how the blind receive their sight and the deaf hear recalls Isaiah's words in 29:18-19 and 35:5-6. Neither of these citations mentions the cleansing of lepers or the raising of the dead (something even Elisha did), which indicates that Jesus' actions exceeded the expectations of what the Messiah would do. Perhaps the activity cited by Jesus that clinches his identity as Messiah is the preaching of the good news to the poor (cf. Is 61:1; see also Lk 4:17-21, where Jesus cites this same Old Testament text in the synagogue at Nazareth and tells his hometown neighbors, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."). In 11:2 Matthew has identified Jesus as Messiah. In the reader's mind, then, there is no doubt about who Jesus is. He may not have come with political power and might to bring about radical changes in the social or political scene. He may not yet have baptized people with the Holy Spirit and fire. But in alluding to his actions in light of the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, Jesus points to the works of mercy expected of God at the time of salvation and, in effect, says, "You decide." At first glance v.6 might appear to be a derogatory evaluation of John's wavering faith. However, the fact that Jesus' comment is in the form of a beatitude rather than condemnation suggests that the possibility for faith in him as Messiah exists among the people, despite Israel's general repudiation of Jesus.

Jesus counters John's question about his identity with a question to the crowds about John's identity (vv.7-9). Jesus' high estimation of John's place and role in salvation history belies any suggestion that John's status had suffered because of his question of Jesus in v.3. The implication of Jesus' questions is that the people were drawn to John in the wilderness precisely because he was not a "reed shaken by the wind" or "someone dressed in soft robes." Jesus af firms John's role as God's prophet and then acknowledges that John was more than a prophet because he not only foretold the coming of Messiah, he also prepared the way (v.10). Jesus and John are closely linked because of John's role as the final messenger before the coming Messiah. The quotation in v.10 is taken from Mal 3:1, although Matthew's form differs from both the Hebrew and the Septuagint. Commentators note that Matthew's citation is a conflation of Mal 3:1 and Ex 23:20, which effectively serves to expand the number of characters mentioned from two (in Mal 3:1, God and his messenger) to three (God, his messenger [John], and Jesus), with the substitution of "ahead of you/before you" in Mt 11:10 for "before me" in Mal 3:1.

In 11:11 Jesus continues his high estimation of John and yet, he acknowledges that "the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." This remark could mean that John stands outside the kingdom precisely because he was imprisoned and killed before it was ushered in completely. Another possible explanation for the statement is that in the coming kingdom, even the least of believers will be equal to the greatest of the prophets, even the messenger who prepares the way for Messiah himself.

Although the outer limit for our lectionary text is v.11, it is helpful to note the importance of vv.13-15 in the context of this entire section. Jesus' reference to John as Elijah is an allusion to Mal 4:5, where God promises to send the prophet Elijah before the day of the Lord comes (cf. Lk 1:17; Mk 9:11-13; Mt 17:10-13). The implication appears to be that if one understands John's activity as the forerunner of Messiah in light of the prophecy concerning Elijah's return, then one can understand who Jesus really is. The possibility of faith is present, but v.15 serves as a warning against neglecting the fulfillment of prophecy concerning Messiah.

John's question in 11:2 is relevant for those of us who wait in this Advent season. Jesus' answer calls us to consider what sort of Messiah we are expecting. His beatitude of v.6 might well be the good news we need to hear on this third Sunday in Advent.

Philip K. Gladden