Matthew 11:2-12

The Messiah Has Come, And One Who Is More Than the Messiah, Overcoming the Powers of Satan, And While Rejected By The Many He Is Revealing Himself And Being Accepted By Babes And By The Meek and Lowly And Those Who Do The Will Of His Father Who Form His New Household (11:2-12).

Central to this whole section is Matthew's declaration of Jesus as the One Who has come ‘fulfilling' the Isaianic prophecy concerning the Servant of YHWH (Matthew 12:17). For justification of this statement see the chiasmus below. As such He comes as the One Who is pleasing to God, and has God's Spirit upon Him, bringing hope to the Gentiles and a ministry of restoration to His own people, as He triumphantly establishes righteousness and truth. And it is around this, and men's response to it, that the whole section is constructed.

Indeed if we compare the passages before and after Matthew 12:17 we see a distinct difference in their emphases. Prior to the declaration concerning the coming Servant the emphasis is on Jesus as:

The Coming One Who is fulfilling the Scriptures concerning Himself (Matthew 11:3), and revealing His authority (Matthew 12:1), and His essential Oneness with the Father (Matthew 11:25).

The pressing forwards against all opposition of the Kingly Rule of Heaven which is now present among them, and for which John, the greatest of the prophets, had prepared the way (Matthew 11:7), which is manifested by the work of the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:28).

Thus while the people as a whole may have expressed their dissatisfaction with John and Himself (Matthew 11:16), and have ignored the signs which reveal Who He is (‘if the works which have been done in you'), something which can only result in their final judgment (Matthew 11:20), and while the Pharisees may have turned against Him (Matthew 12:2; Matthew 12:14), there are those who are religiously speaking babes, but who have been enlightened by His Father, and have come to see the truth about Him (Matthew 11:25). To them He has revealed the Father, so that they may walk in oneness with Himself as the One Who is meek and lowly (Matthew 11:28).

However, once the declaration of Him as the Spirit anointed and beloved Servant of YHWH has been made (Matthew 12:17), we are suddenly faced with what lies behind all this opposition, the activities of the powers of evil (Matthew 12:22; Matthew 12:43). These are seen to be what is responsible for the unresponsiveness of the Jews, although only because their hearts are evil (Matthew 12:33). And this is accompanied by an assurance that these evil powers will be defeated by the power of the Spirit Whose presence in Him reveals that the Kingly Rule of God has come upon them as God's prospective people (Matthew 12:28). Nevertheless many will sadly fail to respond and will therefore discover that their position becomes seven times worse than before (Matthew 12:43). The section then ends with Jesus introducing His new family (Matthew 12:46), His new household, the ones who have been delivered from the ‘despoiled' household of Satan (Matthew 12:29). These form a new ‘household' which again demonstrates that the Kingly Rule of Heaven is being established. Indeed we could see as lying behind this section the words spoken to Paul by God in Acts, ‘to turn them from darkness to light (Matthew 11:25), and from the power of Satan to God (Matthew 12:28)'.

But there are also a number of other themes in the section. The first is the theme of the misunderstanding of His ministry. The section opens with the puzzlement of John, the one who has announced Him (Matthew 11:2). It continues with the puzzlement of the people who can understand neither John nor Him (Matthew 11:16), nor His signs (Matthew 11:20). And that is followed by the puzzlement of the Pharisees (Matthew 12:1). But with that puzzlement comes Jesus' assurance that the ones whom His Father have blessed will see and understand. Thus John will be blessed in this way in Matthew 11:6, and all Jesus' disciples will be blessed in this way in Matthew 11:25. For they will come to see that He is the Servant of YHWH promised by Isaiah, Who coming as the chosen and beloved of YHWH. He will have His Spirit upon Him, and will accomplish His purpose in meekness and lowliness, finally restoring and bringing to a flame all God's true people, which will also include the nations as a whole (Matthew 12:17). Satan will be put to flight and the eyes of the blind will be opened and their tongues released (Matthew 12:21) so that they will do and say what is true (Matthew 12:33), thus being revealed as His Messianic family (Matthew 12:46).

Another theme is that of Who Jesus is (a constant theme in the Gospel). He is the Christ (Matthew 11:2), the One Who has been announced by the new Elijah (Matthew 11:9; Matthew 11:14); the Son of Man (Matthew 11:19; Matthew 12:8; Matthew 12:32; Matthew 12:40); the chosen and beloved Servant of YHWH (Matthew 12:18); the Son of David (Matthew 12:23); the Spirit anointed One (Matthew 12:18; Matthew 12:28; Matthew 12:32); the One Whose Messianic signs should bring forth repentance (Matthew 11:20); the One Who is greater than Jonah or Solomon (Matthew 12:41). And in direct contrast are those who fail to respond to Him, ‘this (evil) generation' (Matthew 11:16; Matthew 12:45); who behave like spoiled children (Matthew 11:16); who refuse to repent (Matthew 11:20); who criticise His actions (Matthew 12:2; Matthew 12:10); who include Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 12:2; Matthew 12:14; Matthew 12:24; Matthew 12:38), who are active against Him; and yet who think of themselves as ‘wise and understanding' (Matthew 11:25; compare Matthew 11:19).

A further theme is the presence of the Kingly Rule of Heaven. It has been manifested by signs (Matthew 11:5), prepared for by John the Baptiser (Matthew 11:10; Matthew 11:14), is coming in forcefully (Matthew 11:12), and is manifested by the Son of Man's Lordship over the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8), and by the Spirit's working (Matthew 12:28) which evidences the fact that ‘the Kingly Rule of God has come upon them'.

And finally there is the theme of judgment. For although He has come to save, His very being here is a guarantee of coming judgment (John 3:19; John 12:47). It will come on those who see His signs and refuse to repent (Matthew 11:20); on those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit at work through Him (Matthew 12:32); on those who refuse to respond to His preaching (Matthew 12:41); and on those whose repentance ha only been half-hearted (Matthew 12:45).

The Whole Section Can Be Analysed As Follows

a He is questioned as to whether He is the Coming one, and replies, ‘Tell John what you see', that is, the Messianic signs. He then stresses to the crowds the greatness of John the Baptist, but points out that the coming of the Kingly Rule of Heaven transcends John, and that it is now coming forcefully - the new age is here (Matthew 11:2).

b This generation, who have come to see John and Jesus, and have declared that they do not fit in with what they want - for on the one hand they criticise John for being an Ascetic, and on the other they criticise Jesus for being a Winebibber - are like children playing games. Wisdom is justified by her works (what she produces) (Matthew 11:16).

c Diatribe against Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, who are contrasted with Tyre, Sidon and Sodom (Gentile cities), for having rejected what they have seen. It will be worse for the cities of Israel in the Day of Judgment than for them (Matthew 11:20).

d On the other hand what is hidden from the wise is revealed to babes. Only the Father truly knows the Son, and only the Son truly knows and reveals the Father, and those to whom He has chosen to reveal Him - (what is in the heart of God is being revealed through His sent One, His Word) (Matthew 11:25).

e Jesus calls His disciples to “Come to Me - receive My yoke - I am meek and lowly in heart - My yoke is easy, My burden light” - and His people will be known by what they are (Matthew 11:28).

f Challenge in the cornfield - Jesus gives the example of what David did and of what the priests do in the Temple - but now One greater than the Temple is here, and One greater than David, for He is the Son of Man, Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1).

g He heals the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath, symptomatic of Israel's state - but the Pharisees being blind plan to destroy Him - Jesus withdraws and continues His healing signs, but urges the crowds to silence concerning them (Matthew 12:9).

h By all this Jesus is fulfilling the Isaianic prophecy of the Servant of YHWH. Behold My Servant - My Spirit is on Him - He will gently restore His people and in Him will the Gentiles hope (Matthew 12:17).

g He heals a demon possessed, blind and dumb man, symptomatic of Israel's state - “is not this the Son of David?” (Matthew 12:22).

f The Beelzeboul controversy - one greater than Satan is here to spoil Satan's goods and reveal by His casting out of evil spirits by the power of the Spirit that the Kingly Rule of God has come upon them (Matthew 12:22).

e The unforgivable sin is to reject the Spirit's testimony to Him manifested through the openly revealed power of God. If a tree is good its fruit is good - if it is not good its fruit will not be good - a tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 12:31).

d What is in the heart comes from the mouth revealing the truth about men - they are justified or condemned by their words (Matthew 12:34).

c Scribes and Pharisees seek a sign - but only the sign of the prophet Jonah will be given - it is the sign of the resurrection - Nineveh and Sheba (Gentiles) will rise in judgment against them because they have not repented, because a greater than Jonah, and a greater than Solomon is here (Matthew 12:38).

b An unclean spirit leaves and returns with seven worse than himself, so that the last state worse is than the first - so it will be with this generation (Matthew 12:43).

a His natural mother and brothers are replaced by the Messiah's new family, those who do the will of His Father in Heaven. The new community is founded, the new age is here (Matthew 12:46).

Note that in ‘a' the emphasis is on the fact that the new age is here and is revealed by a new attitude, and the same applies in the parallel. In ‘b' the present generation come out to seek John and Jesus and are dissatisfied with both, for opposing reasons, and receive neither to their hearts - wisdom is evidenced by what it produces, and in the parallel we see the other side of the picture, the evil spirit leaves them alone for a time, but when they remain empty (because they have not responded to either John or Jesus) returns and takes possession with seven other worse spirits. This is what is happening to this generation. In ‘c' comparison is made between the cities of Israel and their rejection of Jesus' revelation of Himself, which will reveal them to be in a worse state than the cities of the Gentiles, and in the parallel comparison is made between the response of Israel to Jesus, and the response of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba (representing Gentile cities) to Jonah and Solomon, which will count against Israel in the judgment. In ‘d' we have a vivid description of the truth of God dawning in men's hearts and being revealed through Jesus (through Whom God is speaking, revealing the heart of God) Who knows God and makes Him known, and in the parallel this is compared and contrasted with what comes from men's hearts and is revealed through their words. In ‘e' those who are His will reveal themselves by what they are as a result of coming to Him, and in the parallel a tree is known by its fruit, revealing what it is. In ‘f' Jesus as the Son of David is greater than David the King (Matthew 1:6) and is greater than the Temple, and as the Son of Man He is Lord of the Sabbath (demonstrating the presence of the Kingly Rule of God), and in the parallel He is greater than Beelzeboul the prince of devils, and in casting out devils by the Spirit of God is demonstrating that the Kingly Rule of God has come on them. In ‘g' Jesus heals the man with the withered hand (symptomatic of Israel) on the Sabbath but the Pharisees prove themselves blind (see Matthew 23:16; Matthew 23:19; Matthew 23:24; Matthew 23:26), while the crowd whom He heals are commanded to be dumb, and in the parallel He heals a man possessed by an evil spirit that makes a man blind and dumb, (symptomatic of Israel,) being thus recognised as the Son of David by the crowds while the Pharisees are blind. Centrally in ‘h' He is the fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecies as the Servant of YHWH, Who will bring justice and truth to the Gentiles, and Who will deal gently with His people, restoring the broken reed and bringing to flame the smoking flax (compare Matthew 11:25; Matthew 11:28), until He victoriously brings in justice and truth. In His Name will the Gentiles hope (compare Matthew 12:41).

The section opens with Jesus sending to John the Baptist in prison the evidence that He is the Coming One (Matthew 11:2), which He follows up by informing the crowds of the greatness of John, and of the even greater thing that has happened in the coming in Him of the Kingly Rule of Heaven which is forcing its way on men against all opposition (or is being forcefully entered by men) (Matthew 11:7). He then upbraids them for their inconsistency (Matthew 11:16), and warns the cities where He has preached the most, of the judgment that awaits them because of their failure to respond in repentance, which makes them worse that the Gentiles (Matthew 11:20). In contrast with this He commends to His Father those who have had revealed to them the truth about Him, and reveals his own relationship to the Father as the Son Who alone knows the Father, and Who as such will reveal the Father to the disciples (Matthew 11:25), something which He then connects with an appeal for His followers to become meek and lowly like Himself (Matthew 11:28). We have in this an echo of the beatitudes (Matthew 5:3) in which the blessing of God has resulted in His people being meek and lowly, and an echo of the remainder of the Sermon on the Mount in which He has given His revelation of the Father (Matthew 5:44 to Matthew 7:21). We should note the way in which this is presented. From Matthew 11:2 His words are spoken out to those who are outside the Kingly Rule of Heaven, but when He begins to deal with questions concerning those who are within the Kingly Rule of Heaven, His words go upwards. They are a colony of Heaven (Philippians 3:20). Two incidents are then described (Matthew 12:1) which reveal His Messianic right to determine what shall be done on the Sabbath. In these, as the Son of Man, He is revealed as Lord over the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8), and brings out the blindness and hard-heartedness of the Pharisees.

Up to this point then the emphasis has been on the rejection by the many of the revelation of God given in the light of His Messianic works, an indication that they walk the broad way to destruction (Matthew 11:16; Matthew 12:1), and on the comparatively few who have seen the truth about Him, and whom He calls to walk in His ways in the narrow way (Matthew 11:25). And it is at this point that Matthew introduces the quotation from Isaiah 42:1, which he sees as being ‘fulfilled' in Jesus. In this he emphasises that Jesus is among them as God's chosen and beloved Servant (compare Matthew 3:17), who is totally pleasing to Him in what He is doing (Matthew 11:26) and Who, empowered by the Spirit (Matthew 3:11; Matthew 3:16; Matthew 12:28), will bring righteous truth to the Gentiles (Matthew 11:21; Matthew 12:41), and by His patient working as the One Who is meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:28), among those who will respond, will send forth righteous truth until total success is achieved, and all in promises which include hope for the Gentiles (as indicated in Matthew 11:20; Matthew 12:41). So there is in Matthew no thought of doubt or fear in what might seem outward failure, for God's mighty spiritual warrior is at work bringing salvation and deliverance.

Following this Old Testament revelation concerning Jesus' ministry there then comes a change in emphasis. Previously all has been about declaration, response, scepticism and opposition. But now the atmosphere changes and it is as though Jesus lifts up the stone of the world in order to reveal what is happening in the darkness beneath it. The forces of evil are shown to be at work in Israel behind the scenes. They are first emphasised in that they are seen as causing blindness and dumbness, for Jesus now casts out a blind and deaf and dumb spirit (Matthew 12:22), just as a blind and deaf and dumb Spirit needs to be cast out of Israel. He then explains in more depth that He is present by the Spirit of God to cast out the powers of evil and ‘spoil' Satan's household revealing the presence of the Kingly Rule of God (Matthew 12:28 compare Matthew 12:18). Teaching is then given connected with this which looks below the surface to the heart of man, and reveals what is beneath, teaching concerning the fact that what men are in their hearts will inevitably be revealed by what they say, by which also they will be judged (Matthew 12:33); and He follows it with a warning that He will give no spectacular signs (other than those presented in His ministry as described to John the Baptist) apart from one already given by God, a fore-presentation of His coming resurrection as the Son of Man (Matthew 12:40), as illustrated by what happened to the prophet Jonah (Matthew 12:39).

This leads on to a comparison between the Gentiles who responded to Jonah and Solomon, and the present generation of Jews. The acceptance by the Gentiles of the messages of Jonah and Solomon are contrasted with the Jews' lack of response to a greater than Jonah and Solomon Who is now here (Matthew 12:41), an attitude which He then illustrates by the parable of the spirit who left a man, but who in the end, because the man's heart remained empty and unresponsive towards God, returned to the man with seven spirits worse than himself (Matthew 12:43). And this is specifically said to represent ‘this evil generation' (Matthew 12:45). So the point behind all this is that Jesus, having come by the power of the Spirit as God's chosen One, is putting the spirit world of evil to flight in Israel, but that a Judaism that fails to respond to His coming and to His words, can only expect to end up in a much worse condition than they were before He came, with their minds darkened by the powers of evil.

The coming of the new age is then finally illustrated by Jesus' own attitude towards His earthly family and His heavenly family (Matthew 12:46). The earthly has been replaced by the heavenly. Those are now His brother, sister and mother who do the will of His Father Who is in Heaven (Matthew 12:50).

Having surveyed the whole we must now examine the section verse by verse, commencing with chapter 11. It will be noted that chapter 11 also falls into a pattern:

a The Coming One and the Kingly Rule of Heaven are revealed to those who see the signs of the Messiah (Matthew 11:2).

b In contrast are those who refuse to see and respond either to John or to Jesus because they are like children playing games (Matthew 11:16).

b This is followed by His condemnation of those who fail to read the signs that have been given by Jesus and whose future is therefore bleak (Matthew 11:20).

a This is then followed by an indication of His special relationship with those who do read the signs, hear His words and follow Him (Matthew 11:25).