Matthew 11: 1-15

For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John

And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.  He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 11: 1-15)

John the Baptist had expectations of Jesus. e baptized with water, but Jesus said he would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, and that he could not even lift Jesus' shoes.
He said that Jesus raised the key in his hand, gathered the grains into the grains, and burned the shells in a "fire that never goes out." ohn the Baptist had great expectations for Jesus. He would have expected it as the Messiah who would revolutionize the world with the power of heaven.

However, Jesus did not satisfy John's expectations. In the Gospel of John, John heard what Jesus had done, and he began to question. Jesus is told to be "a man who is coveted to eat and enjoys wine, and a friend of tax collectors and sinners." But Jesus left Jerusalem when John the Baptist was arrested. John the Baptist tried to send disciples to Jesus to confirm. John the Baptist, through his disciples, asked Jesus, "Do we have to wait for someone else? Is someone else the Messiah?"

However, Jesus quoted Isaiah's words. John the Baptist would have wanted "Jesus to condemn and judge the wicked as Messiah." However, Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom of God as the Messiah. Jesus was a powerful man. He was the one who could defeat Herod and bring John out of prison. He can overthrow and judge the Pharisees and Sadducees and destroy Rome. But Jesus is saying that he will not.

It was because Jesus was not going to do this on earth. What Jesus is doing is "the sick are healed, the sinners are forgiven, the dead are raised, and the gospel of life is preached to the poor."

『The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force』 means that a strong person plunders. Even now, the powerful people of the world are blocking heaven. It prevents the innocent from enjoying the joy of heaven. “Even though Jesus brought Heaven and was practicing what Heaven is,” John the Baptist was a man who could not see and enjoy Heaven. Rather, Heaven comes to those who mourn, those who are meek, those who are pure in heart, those who have no power, and those who are persecuted.

"If ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come" means that "the messenger of God is John the Baptist" mentioned in Malachi 3: 1. God foretold in chapters 3 and 4 that Malachi would not send John the Baptist to the earth. In Malachi 3: 1, practically John the Baptist is said to be the messenger of God.

『 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 』 Here Jesus bears witness in Matthew 11:10 of this man who said, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me." 『For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Jesus testified of John the Baptist. Elijah ascended to heaven without seeing death. However, in order to prepare the way before Jesus' ministry, Elijah was reborn in the world in the flesh.

John the Baptist is the representative of mankind, the largest of the "women born," so John the Baptist is greater than all the prophets of the Old Testament. John the Baptist came to the earth to serve as the prophet and as the representative of mankind, the last high priest in the Old Testament. All of the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled at once through the work of John the Baptist and Jesus. Jesus Christ came to the earth to fulfill the “Gospel of Water and Spirit”ministry. John the Baptist supplemented the gospel work of Jesus' water and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies.

 

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