Matthew 11 records that John the Baptist was in prison. Verse 2 says that John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus to ask if he was the promised Messiah or should they expect someone else. This seems rather unusual that John would be wondering if Jesus is the Messiah. John the Baptist and Jesus were first cousins, so they would have been well acquainted with one another. It would be a safe assumption that they knew the stories of Elizabeth becoming pregnant with John only a few months before the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.

In Matthew 4, John was the one who referred to Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." At that point, there doesn't seem to be any doubt in John's mind that Jesus is the Messiah. When Jesus was baptized, a voice came from the clouds saying that this was God’s Son with whom He is well pleased. John was the one who baptized Jesus, so he heard the voice coming from the clouds. So what happened that there would be a need to ask Jesus if he is the Messiah? Was it for John's benefit or the benefit of John's disciples?

It is easy to understand that John may have been shaken by the fact that he was in prison, possibly facing execution. It could be that John was also trying to prod his disciples into following Jesus, since John had known all along that his role was to prepare the way for Jesus. John's disciples could also have been shaken by the fact that John was in prison, just as Jesus' disciples were later very frightened when Jesus was arrested three years later. At this point, no one had stated that they believed Jesus was the Messiah. Peter would later be the first one to do that.

Jesus didn't explicitly say in verse 4 that he was the Messiah, but rather left it to John's disciples to draw their own conclusion. Jesus pointed to the works that John's disciples had seen and about which they had heard: the blind received their sight, the lame walked, those who had leprosy were cured, the deaf heard, the dead were raised, and the good news was preached to the poor. Based on these works, Jesus invited them to decide for themselves whether he is the Messiah or not. Each of us also has to make the same decision. Based on Jesus' teachings, his miracles, and Jesus' ultimate death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, do we come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah or not? Jesus said those who do not fall away on account of him would be blessed. The term "blessed" carries the idea of receiving God's favor, rather than just meaning "happy," though that certainly would be the case, as well.

In verse 7, Jesus begins to talk about the role that John the Baptist played. The crowds went out into the desert to see John the Baptist. Jesus asked them what they went into the wilderness to see. A reed swayed by the wind? Someone in fine clothes? Jesus said those who are in fine clothes are in the king's palaces, not in the middle of the desert. Jesus said that John was a prophet, but he was more than that. He would prepare the way for the Messiah. He would prepare Israel for Jesus' ministry with the intent that the people would be receptive to Jesus, rather than take offense at him as the Pharisees did. John knew all along that this was his role.

Never before had the people seen miracles like those that Jesus performed. The miracles would have been amazing, which can also be a frightening experience, even if it's a wonderful thing. Since this was early in Jesus' ministry, it is possible that there were some who might not have been sure of Jesus' motives and didn't know for sure if Jesus would use this great power for good or for harm.

The beginning of Jesus' ministry marks a turning point in history. The Old Testament had pointed to him, and the people were seeing these prophecies fulfilled during Jesus' ministry. Jesus said that no one who had appeared up to that point was greater than John the Baptist, but the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist. What did Jesus mean by saying that the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist?

The Expositor's Bible Commentary points out that while other prophets had pointed to Jesus, they had not served as his immediate forerunner, which makes John greater than those prophets. *The least in the kingdom of heaven can point to Jesus even more explicitly than John the Baptist, who had been the most explicit person to point others to Jesus up to that time, because the least in the kingdom of heaven has the benefit of looking back in time rather than trying to look ahead like the prophets or even John the Baptist. We have the benefit of hindsight when pointing people to Jesus, unlike all those who came before Jesus' earthly ministry.

There are many advantages that come along with the benefit of hindsight. We have the entire Old and New Testaments, rather than just the Old Testament. Since the prophets wrote some of the books of the Old Testament, they wouldn't have even had the benefit of the entire Old Testament like the people of Jesus' time. We can point to different ways that history matches up with Biblical prophecy. We can point to archaeological evidence for the truth of the Bible. We can certainly point out ways that truths taught in the Bible have been shown to be true in our own lives. We can explain how the Old Testament sacrificial system was intended to be replaced by Jesus' death for us on the cross. So many things in the Old Testament were only meant to be a shadow of things that would appear in the New Testament.

Since we have the benefit of looking backward at Jesus ministry rather than trying to look forward in time to try to figure out what God is going to do, we need to use these advantages when we share our faith with others and let God work through us to bring them to faith in Christ. Is there someone that God has put on your heart that needs to hear the good news of Jesus death and resurrection for us? If so, I urge you to talk with them about it at the earliest opportunity. Pray that they would be receptive to the gospel. It may take time, maybe even a long time, but God also assures us that His word will not return to Him void. It will accomplish the purpose for which God intended it. Our part is to be faithful and obedient in the meantime.

*= Denotes taken from Expositor's Bible Commentary