This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare the way before thee.Christ's selection of this prophecy from Malachi 3:1 and application of it to John proves two things: (1) that John the Baptist is that first messenger mentioned in that passage, and (2) that Jesus Christ is the Lord, "the messenger of the covenant" who even then had suddenly come to his temple. read more
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.This is but a continuation of the Saviour's logic in the preceding verse. Just as John was the greatest of the prophets because of his proximity to Christ, the apostles, and indeed all Christians, are greater than John because they are even closer, being "in him" as a result of the new birth. Since Christ is Lord,... read more
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.Admitted to be one of the difficult passages of the New Testament, this verse in all probability was accurately understood and expounded by McGarvey who wrote:Jesus here pictures the kingdom of heaven as a besieged city. The city is shut up, but the enemies which surround it storm its walls and try to force an entrance ... The gates of Christ's kingdom were not opened... read more
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.This signifies the end of all previous dispensations in John the Baptist, the notable person upon whom the hinges of God's economy began to open into the New Covenant. His proximity to Christ made him greater than Abraham, Moses, David, or any other of the great Old Testament worthies, revealing that the true test of greatness is proximity to Jesus. read more
And if ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, that is to come.Basing their confident expectation of the return of Elijah before the advent of the Messiah upon Malachi 4:5,6, the Jews of Christ's day expected a literal return of the natural Elijah and had even tried to shake the faith of the apostles in Jesus' Messiahship because, in their view, Elijah had not yet come. Elijah did actually return and met with Christ on the mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3); but in this passage,... read more
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.This means that those who desire to know the truth may find sufficient knowledge in the words of Christ, that spiritual things are discerned by those who are spiritual. The Pharisees did possess ears, but not such ears as were disposed to hear any of the noble truths pertaining to the kingdom of heaven. read more
Matthew 11:7-8. What went ye out, &c.— These, and the following questions, are in the style of the Hebrews; and according to the idiom of their language, imply a strong negation. The reader by recurring to the book of Job will meet many passages to confirm this observation; so that, according to this interpretation, the meaning is, "When ye went into the wilderness to John, with what design did you go?—Not to see the reeds waving on the banks of Jordan;—nor because he made a magnificent... read more
Matthew 11:10. This is he, of whom it is written— See the note on Malachi 3:1. Dr. Hammond observes, that what is here before thy face, is in Malachi before my face, or before me. Hence it appears, that Christ, here referred to by the word thy, is there the same with God; or, yet farther, that the face of God, signifying often his coming or presence; and the sending before his face, the sending a harbinger or fore-runner in a journey (Luke 9:52.). This coming of Christ into the world, is the... read more
Matthew 11:11. Among them that are born of women— "As he is, with regard to his moral and religious character, one of the best men, so he has some peculiar honours superior to any prophet of former generations: Nevertheless, there is a sense in which he that is least in the kingdom of heaven, not only in its final glories, but even here on earth, is greater than he. For my ministers, and people in general, shall receive superior supplies of the spirit, and know many important truths relating to... read more
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Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 11:9
But wherefore went ye out? to see a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.John was the last and greatest of the prophets, foretelling: (1) the near approach of the kingdom of God, (2) that Jesus would take away the sin of the world, and (3) that the Jewish nation would be destroyed for rejecting him (see under Matthew 3:10). He was more than a prophet in that he did not merely foretell the Messiah but presented him to the people and identified him. He was greatest also in... read more