1 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.
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Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist. 11:11
Trivia: What did Jesus tell the rich young man that he must do to have eternal life?
1 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.
2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Are you the one that is supposed to come, or should we look for another? [1]
4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
Go and show John the things that you hear and see.
5 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.
The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are clean, the deaf hear, the dead live, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
And blessed is whoever is not offended by me.
7 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?
8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
What did you go into the wilderness to see?A reed shaking in the wind?
A man clothed in soft garments?
9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
A prophet?Yeah, John the Baptist is a prophet, and more than a prophet.
10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
He is the one of whom it is written, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you." [2]
11 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.
John the Baptist is the greatest person to ever live. [3]But the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
From the time of John the Baptist until now, there was violence in the kingdom of heaven, and the violent take it by force. [4]
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come.
15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
John the Baptist is Elijah. [5]
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
19The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
John the Baptists didn't eat or drink, and they said, "He has a devil."The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, "He is a gluttonous drunk, a friend of publicans and sinners." [6]
But wisdom is justified by her children.
20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
21Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Woe to you, Chorazin and Bethsaida! [7]If the mighty works that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
It'll be better for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
23And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
And Capernaum will be brought down to hell!If the mighty works that were done there had been done in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
It will be better for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, [8]for hiding these things from the wise revealing them to babies.
26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
That seemed like a good idea to you.
27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
The Father has given me everything.No one knows the Son but the Father; and no one knows the Father but the Son.
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Come to me if you are tired of working, and I'll give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Put on my yoke, and you'll find rest for your souls.Because my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
John the Baptist is still not sure about Jesus. This is rather odd, since he was the one to "prepare the way of the Lord." (Mt 3:3). Heck, he even baptized Jesus and heard the voice of God say, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased" (Mt 3:17).
But still, while in prison and about to die, he sends his disciples to ask, "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" Well, if he isn't sure after seeing and hearing the events at Jesus's baptism, then how can anyone else be?
Jesus is claiming here that John the Baptist is the person referred to in Malachi 3:1.
John the Baptist was the greatest man ever to live (even greater than Jesus, who was also born of a woman), but "he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
Until when? (John the Baptist was still alive when Jesus supposedly said these words.)
This verse was used by the January 6th insurrectionists to justify their attack on the capital.
Jesus condemns entire cities (including his hometown of Capernaum) to dreadful deaths and the eternal torment of hell because they didn't care for his preaching.