Jesus Assures John That He, Jesus, Is The Expected Coming One For Whom John Was Preparing The Way (11:2-6).
John, languishing in a dungeon in the Fortress of Machaerus, east of Jordan, (compare Matthew 4:12; Matthew 14:3-5), was clearly puzzled. He had come to prepare the way for the Coming One Who was promised, the One Who was to succeed him. And he had expected to hear of wonderful things happening. He had expected to hear of an even greater response of people than he himself had seen, with a powerful work of the Spirit of God taking place on them (Matthew 3:11-12), which would also result in fiery judgment being carried out on the ungodly (Matthew 3:7; Matthew 3:12), and this would include the king who had thrust him into this dungeon, and the introducing of God's Kingly Rule (Matthew 3:11-12). But from the information that had reached him nothing highly unusual was happening at all. There did not seem to be any ominous stirrings. There was no sign of a righteous uprising like that spoken of at Qumran and by the Essenes. Everything just seemed to be going on almost as normal. He did not lose his faith in God's promises. He was just perplexed, and wondered whether he had misinterpreted things. Perhaps he had been wrong in thinking that Jesus was the Coming One. Perhaps He was not the Coming One after all, and he must wait patiently for someone else? So he sent his disciples to Jesus to make enquiries.
In those days access to prisoners by close friends and relatives was allowed so that they could supply them with food and necessities (compare Matthew 25:36), and John appears to have been no exception. In his case his closest disciples had the courage to visit him and seek to sustain him, and it was these brave men who came to Jesus with John's questions.
Analysis.
a Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by his disciples, and said to him, “Are you he who is coming, or should we look for another?” (Matthew 11:2-3).
b And Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear” (Matthew 11:4 a)
c “And see” (Matthew 11:4).
c “The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up (Matthew 11:5 a).
b And the poor have good tidings preached to them” (Matthew 11:5 b).
a “And blessed is he, whoever shall find no occasion of stumbling in me” (Matthew 11:6).
Note that in ‘a' comes John's question and in the parallel is Jesus' assurance. In ‘b' is reference to what John's disciples hear, and in the parallel it is the proclamation of the Good News. In ‘c' is reference to what they see, and in the parallel is a description of what they see.