EXPLANATIONS ABOUT JOHN THE BAPTIST

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Matthew 11:1-30
Lesson #28

EXPLANATIONS ABOUT JOHN THE BAPTIST

• Memory verse: Mat 11:6
• Read Mat 11:1-15
  • Background:
    • John the Baptist was in prison because he publicly criticized the Roman leader, Herod Antipas. Herod had seduced his brother’s wife, dismissed his own wife, and then married his sister-in-law.
    • John’s problem of John the Baptist.
      • He had preached that the Messiah, Jesus, would come and bring the fan of judgment, the axe of retribution, and the fire to consume evil.
      • Now John is in prison suffering and wondering why Jesus doesn’t bring judgment.
      • He had heard of the acts of loving mercy Jesus was doing and began to have doubts. (verse 5 which is a prophecy about the Messiah from Isa 61:1-3).
        • The Jews were actually looking for 2 Messiah’s:

Ben-Joseph = a suffering servant

Ben-David = a King bringing judgment

• • • • • John asks, “are you the messiah to come or should we look for another one?” (3)

He does not doubt that Jesus is the Messiah, but he wonders which Messiah He is.

John didn’t understand that there would be one Messiah who would fulfill both.

That’s why he asks if they are to look for a second.

John didn’t understand the separation of time between the first coming of Jesus and the second coming.

The first coming of Jesus fulfilled the suffering servant part while the judgment and fire will be fulfilled with the second coming of Jesus.

Wisely, John took his doubts to Jesus.

That’s the proper procedure to do.

If you have any problems, doubts, or questions about procedure, take them to the one in charge.

• • • • • What does Jesus use to prove to John that he was the Messiah? In verse 5, He uses the miracles which were prophesied by Isaiah 61:1-3 that the Messiah would do when He came.
  • The Parable of the Reed and the Soft Clothing (Mat 11:7-8)
    • To whom was the parable spoken? The multitudes
    • What is the central truth of the parable? A prophet must not be weak or self-indulgent.
    • What are the characteristics of “reeds“?
      • Reeds are thin and bend with each wind that comes along.
      • What did Jesus mean when He used the word “reeds“?
        • Jesus is saying that John is not a reed that bends to compromise the word of God. He stands strong when persecution comes.
        • The saying “a reed shaken by the wind” (7) was well known at that time and meant = the most common of things.

The people who went out to the desert to see John did not take the trouble to go out there to see something that was common.

John was not the ordinary man.

• • • What did Jesus mean when He used the term “soft clothing” (raiment)?
      • The word for “soft clothing” was a symbol of one lacking the strength of character; effeminate.
      • They were those who coddled government officials in order to stay in a leader’s good graces. We would say someone who butters up a leader for favor.
        • John is not such a person. Jesus uses this figure of speech that is especially picturesque because of the way john dressed. He wore rough clothing.
        • The people did not go out to the desert to see a politician who speaks lies to impress people.
        • John spoke the truth whether it was popular or not.
    • There is also an interesting play on words in the Greek.The word for “reeds” and the word for “soft clothing” have the same letters in Greek only rearranged differently.
      • Reeds = kalamos
      • Soft clothing = malakos
    • Jesus says to the people, “What did you go out to see, a prophet?” (9)
      • John was a prophet of God.
      • He spoke truth and had the courage to deliver the message no matter what the consequences.
        • But Jesus says John was more than a prophet. (9)
        • What did He mean?

In Mal 4:5 the Jews believed that Elijah would return before the Messiah came.

They, therefore, had trouble accepting Jesus as the Messiah because they had not seen Elijah come yet.

However, Jesus is explaining that John the Baptist is the Elijah that was to come fulfilling the prophecy in Mal 4:5.

• • • • • Jesus gives John a great compliment. However, he also says that He who is least in the kingdom is greater than John. What did He mean?

John was the last of the Old Testament prophets. He was beheaded before Jesus was crucified.

Therefore he never saw God accomplish the forgiveness of sins and the purchase of our salvation. John was never born again, nor did he ever have the Holy Spirit living inside of him.

• • • • • Therefore, you and I who look back to the cross have the greater privilege and the greater power of God in our lives than John. We can know more of God than John.
    • Violence and the kingdom of God (12)
      • What did Jesus mean when He said, “The kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force”? (12)
      • From the days of John the Baptist until today, the children of the kingdom of God suffer persecution from non-believers.
        • However, those who suffer persecution by returning love for evil use the power of love to win non-believers to the kingdom.
        • Those who are passionate (violent) in their love take the kingdom by force away from Satan when they preach the kingdom of God.
• Application:
  • There are 2 characteristics that disqualify a man from being a strong witness for Jesus Christ:
    • =1= Weakness that yields to believing every passing wind of doctrine.
    • =2= Self-indulgence and compromise with the flesh nature.
  • When people heard that John was in prison suffering persecution, they were to understand that suffering and persecution does not necessarily mean a lack of faith or that God does not protect his children.
• Read Mat 11:16-30
  • Parable of a Generation and of Children (Mat 11:16,17)
  • From the defense of the character of John, Jesus moves to describe the character of the age. (see vs. 12)
    • “from the days of John Baptist” (12)
      • Who are the “we” in verse 17? (see vs. 18,19). This refers to Jesus and John the Baptist.
      • Read the last part of Mat 11:19. Then read Proverbs 4:1-9
    • What is the central truth of the parable in Mat 11:16,17?
      • People generally are so caught up in their own activity that they fail to pay attention to truth and wisdom when it’s presented to them by Jesus and John. People make excuses for not listening to the truth of God.
    • What is the “piping” in verse 17?
      • Jesus’ message that the kingdom has come to them.
      • I immediately get a mental picture of a sweet catchy melody that you suddenly stop what you’re doing in order to listen. It has a supernatural quality that draws you. (Of course that’s the Holy Spirit).
    • What is the “mourning” in verse 17? John’s message to repent.
    • What is the market place? (15) The world.
    • Who are the children in the market place that do not dance or lament (verse 17)?
      • All those unbelievers who choose not to hear the truth, who refuse to repent (lament) of their sins, and who refuse to accept Jesus as Messiah and rejoice (dance).
      • They are depicted as surly children who will not play at any game and then blame another for being bored.
    • What did Jesus mean in the last part of verse 19, “wisdom is justified by her children“?
      • The children in this verse refer to works or deeds. It’s the same as, you can tell a tree by its fruit.
      • Did you ever do something that you thought was really wise at the time, then have it turn out to be something really stupid?
        • A look at Proverbs:
        • Pro 1:5-7

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge

If you want knowledge, you start with what God thinks about things.

• • • • • Pro 1:22-25

A good picture of the “children playing in the field who refuse to dance”

• • • • • Pro 2:1-5

This tells us what happens when we listen to sweet drawing sound of the Holy Spirit that draws us to the Lord.

• • • • • Pro 4:7

We have seen that the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord. This verse tells us that if you have a desire for wisdom, get understanding or knowledge.

The Four Step Progressive Cycle to Wisdom

Pro 6:23

=1= Commandment from God	Knowledge (power to know truth) and the facts of the truth given to the believer by the Holy Spirit.	Pro 8:12
=2= Teaching	Understanding (discernment of good from evil) and its implications on the truth	Pro 14:6
=3= Reproofs	Instruction (moral discipline for discernment), personalized applications of the truth applied to your personal life.	Pro 19:25
=4= Way of Life	Wisdom and success result from the previous three steps.	Pro 21:11
	These steps lead you back to the beginning step to start the cycle again.	Pro 4:11
	If you forsake step #3 you will go astray. Pro 12:1 Pro 15:32 Pro 19:27	Pro 10:17
	The pursuit of wisdom (skillful living) requires active commitment.	Pro 2
	The pursuit of wisdom (skillful living) requires two basic character qualities: Humility and Faith	Pro 15:33 Jam 1:5-6

• • • • The example of a lack of wisdom: (20)
        • The cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum
        • Jesus evidently did marvelous miracles and teaching in this area, but the people refused to believe.

We do not know exactly what kinds of miracles and teaching he did there, because none of it is written in any of the four gospels.

Jesus sorrowfully says they will be judged for their apathetic lack of attention because their sin of apathy is greater than the wickedness of Tyre and Sidon and greater than the immorality of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The sin of apathetic inaction is worse than the sin of action!

• • • The eternal truth
      • Jesus says that if you want to know what God is like, if you want to see the mind and heart of God, if you want to see God’s attitude toward men, look at me.
      • The greatest sin is the failure to learn everything we can about Jesus so that we will know God. (Joh 14:9)
    • The eternal appeal:
      • Jesus invites people to come to Him. The result is rest.
      • Jesus invites people to take up His yoke.
        • The yoke was a wood piece custom made in Joseph’s carpenter shop to fit exactly each and every ox. Two oxen were yoked together early in life and lived their lives yoked to each other. They learned everything about the one to whom they were yoked. When they worked the field, they worked in unison. There was no rebellion because then his neck would become sore and raw. He grew up learning how to work with the other ox.
        • We are like the ox yoked together with Jesus. The yoke fits well because Jesus custom makes the plan for our lives so that it fits us perfectly. As we learn everything we can about Jesus and how to work smoothly with Him, the burden is light.
• Summary:
  • There is a story about a man who saw a small boy carrying on his back a smaller child who was lame. The man said to the boy, “That’s a heavy burden you are carrying!” The boy answered, “It’s not a burden, it’s my brother!”
  • The burden carried in love is always light.

Homework

Matthew 12:1-13

• Application of Mat 11
  • • Consider your level of apathy to the things of God.
      • How excited are you to receive God’s truth through studying the word of God?
      • How do you demonstrate your excitement for the word of God?
        • How excited are you to receive God’s truth through attending church services?
        • How do you demonstrate your excitement for church?
    • What changes does God want to make in your life to teach you more about God the Father?
• Preparation for Mat 12
  • Read Mat 12:1-13
    • What is the Sabbath?
    • What should be the New Testament believer’s relationship to the Sabbath?
    • Parable of sheep and a pit (11-12)
      • What is the central truth of the parable?
• Memory verse: Rom 13:10