Are You the One... or Should We Wait for Another? (Matthew 11:1-15)

📰 The Kingdom Newsletter – December 21st, 2024

Lesson Title: Are You the One… or Should We Wait for Another?

Passage: Matthew 11:1–15

Watch Recording: Click here to watch the full teaching

Introduction to Today’s Lesson

Hi everyone,

Thank you for taking a moment to sit with this sacred tension together. Today’s passage invites us into one of the most sobering and relatable questions in all of scripture:

“Are you the one… or should we wait for another?”

It’s John the Baptist’s question, but it could just as easily be ours.

In this lesson, we explore what happens when God doesn’t move how we expected. When the Messiah doesn’t rescue us the way we hoped. When prayers are answered — but not in the way we asked. And when our expectations of God… are met with a different kind of deliverance.

Recap of the Previous Lesson (Matthew 10:34–39)

Last week, we studied Jesus’ declaration that He came not to bring peace but a sword. We explored how:

• The gospel comforts the afflicted — but disrupts those in power.
  

• Peace is promised to those hungry for righteousness, not those invested in control.
  

• Jesus often causes division in order to bring ultimate healing.
  

• And following Him means laying down people’s approval, even when it costs us everything.
  

Scripture Reading – Matthew 11:1–15 (ESV)

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him,

“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:

the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John:

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.

What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.

Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

🧭 Context & Background

This moment in Matthew 11 is filled with emotional and spiritual tension — not just for John the Baptist, but for anyone who has ever waited on God and been disappointed by the timeline.

Let’s set the scene.

John is in prison.

He had been the fiery prophet in the wilderness — calling Israel to repentance, baptizing crowds in the Jordan, and preparing the way for the Messiah. He had pointed to Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He had seen the heavens open and heard the voice of God declare Jesus as His beloved Son.

But now… he’s locked away. Forgotten. Isolated. Uncertain.

This is not the story he expected.

The same man who once stood boldly now sends a question from a prison cell:

“Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for another?”

At the time, most Jews believed the Messiah would come with political might — overthrowing Rome, restoring Israel, and purifying the land with judgment. Even John had preached this vision. In Matthew 3:10–12, John warned that the axe was at the root of the trees… that the Messiah would come with a winnowing fork, clearing His threshing floor.

But Jesus hadn’t done that.

Instead of judgment, He was showing mercy.

Instead of overthrowing Rome, He was healing the sick.

Instead of confronting Caesar, He was reclining with sinners.

John had been preparing the way for the Judge — but now Jesus was showing up as the Healer. And that dissonance created a crisis of faith.

This passage isn’t just about John’s doubt. It’s about the pain of unmet expectations.

It also marks a shift in the Gospel narrative. Until now, Jesus’ ministry had been growing in momentum — healings, miracles, and crowds. But now He begins to confront people’s assumptions about what kind of Messiah He is.

And instead of rejecting John’s doubt, Jesus honors him:

“Among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist…”

Yet in the same breath, Jesus says something even more radical:

“But the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Because John, as great as he was, stood at the threshold of something new — something even he couldn’t yet see clearly:

A Kingdom not built on conquest, but on surrender.

A freedom not enforced by power, but embodied through presence.

This moment is Jesus’ gentle but firm way of saying:

“I am the One. But I’m not the kind of ‘One’ you expected.”

✨ Key Lessons & Takeaways

1. Even the Strong Get Weak — But Weakness Doesn’t Disqualify You

John wasn’t just anyone.

He was filled with the Spirit before birth.

He baptized Jesus.

He heard the audible voice of God.

And yet — sitting in prison, alone and confused — he asks:

“Are you the one… or should we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3)

Even the most faithful leaders — the strongest among us — have moments of doubt.

Moments when what we’re living through doesn’t match what we believed for.

But Jesus doesn’t scold him.

He affirms him:

“Among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John…” (v.11)

📍Takeaway:

Faith isn’t the absence of questions — it’s knowing where to bring them.

Even when you’re low, God still sees you as great.

2. The Kingdom Doesn’t Always Show Up How You Expected

John expected fire. Power. Rome overthrown.

Instead, Jesus sends back a list of quiet miracles:

“The blind see. The lame walk. Lepers are cleansed…” (v.5)

No thunder. No flash. Just freedom — one person at a time.

Jesus is saying:

“I’m doing everything the prophets said — just not the way you imagined.”

📍Takeaway:

Sometimes disappointment isn’t about what God failed to do — it’s about what we assumed He would.

Don’t miss the move of God just because it doesn’t match your idea of revival.

3. The Kingdom Isn’t Earned — It’s Received

Jesus says something radical:

“The one who is least in the Kingdom is greater than John.” (v.11)

Why?

Because greatness in the old covenant came through effort and calling.

But in the Kingdom — it comes by grace.

This wasn’t a rebuke of John — it was a revelation:

The Kingdom is not inherited through bloodline or achieved through performance.

It’s received — like a gift.

📍Takeaway:

Your spiritual resume doesn’t earn you status in the Kingdom.

Childlike trust does.

It’s not about what you’ve done — it’s about who you’re trusting.

Final Word

John was the one who baptized Jesus.

The one who saw the Spirit descend like a dove.

The one who heard heaven break open and declare, “This is my beloved Son…”

But now, John is in prison — and he’s doubting.

He sends word to Jesus and asks, “Are you the one? Or should we look for another?”

And Jesus doesn’t scold him.

He doesn’t shame him.

He tells the crowd, “Among those born of women there is no one greater than John.”

He honors him — even in his doubt.

He validates his ministry — even in his weakness.

And then He says something we weren’t expecting:

“Yet the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11)

It’s not a contradiction — it’s a transition.

Jesus is showing us that something new is happening.

John represents the best of the old order — the prophets, the wilderness, the preparation.

But now, Jesus is ushering in the Kingdom.

And in this Kingdom, greatness is no longer measured by public boldness or prophetic power — it’s measured by proximity to Jesus.

The Kingdom isn’t about status.

It’s not about strength.

It’s about surrender.

And that means if you feel like the least — if you’ve wrestled with doubt, discouragement, or silence — you’re not disqualified.

You’re actually closer to the Kingdom than you think.

Because in Jesus’ Kingdom,

The overlooked are seen.

The struggling are still called.

And even the doubters are not dismissed — they’re honored.

Let that encourage you this week:

Your faith doesn’t have to be loud to be real.

And your questions don’t cancel your calling.

Even the least can still be great — because the greatness isn’t in you.

It’s in the One you belong to.

Peace and grace to you this week,

— Michael