Celledoor Bible: Matthew 11

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Gospel of Matthew
11

Mt 11:3: Are you he who is to come? (Greek, who cometh?) i.e. the Messiah. John the Baptist had already, on several occasions, declared that Jesus was the Messiah. (Jn 1:15). He could not then doubt it himself, but sent his disciples to take away their doubt. (Witham)

St. John the Baptist sent his disciples not to satisfy his own doubts, but for the sake of his disciples, who, blinded by the love they bore their Master, and by some envious rivalry, would not acknowledge Christ to be the Messiah. (St. Chrysostom in Baradius)

This expression of St. John is taken much notice of, as conveying with it a very particular question. "Tell me, says St. John, now that I am departing out of this world, if you are coming to redeem the patriarchs and holy fathers; or will you send another?" (St. Thomas Aquinas)

And St. Chrysostom also explains it this way, Are you he that is to come to limbo? but the Baptist omitting this last word, sufficiently indicated to our Savior what was implied of this question. St. Jerome and St. Gregory say, that by his death, he was going to preach to the holy fathers that Christ, the Messiah, has arrived. John does not here propose this question as ignorant of the real case, but in the same manner as Christ asked where Lazarus was laid. So John sends his disciples to Jesus, that seeing the signs and miracles he performed, that they might believe in him. Therefore, as long as John remained with his disciples, he constantly exhorted them to follow Jesus; but now that he is going to leave them, he is more earnest for their belief in him. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Mt 11:4: Go, and report, etc. St. Luke here tells that Christ worked more miracles when the disciple of St. John came than usual, through which he proved in a much stronger manner than he could have done by words, that he was the Messiah. Because the prophets only worked miracles by invoking the name of God, where as he did it by his own authority. (St. Cyril)

The reason why our Savior did not return a plain answer in words to St. John's disciples is, because as the Jews expected the Messiah to be a great and powerful king, had he acknowledged himself to be the Messiah in the presence of the multitude, he might have given suspicion to the secular power, or providing a reason for the Scribes and Pharisees for maligning him, and putting him to death before the time preordained for his passion. (Baradius)
Mt 11:5: The blind see, etc. Christ shows them who he was by the miracles, which were foretold concerning the Messiah.

The poor evangelized. This is the sense held forth by the prophet Isaiah. (Isa 61:1). (Witham)

That is, they are declared to have the kingdom of heaven, and are depicted as blessed. Here also he fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, (Isa 61:1) which in the Septuagint version is rendered, He sent me to preach the gospel to the poor. (Nicholas of Lyra)
Mt 11:6: Offense in me. That is, who shall not take occasion of scandal or offence from my humility, and the disgraceful death of the cross which I will endure: (Challoner) or on my account, that is, at the doctrine of the cross; or when I will die on an infamous cross. (Witham)

Blessed is he, etc. That is, who will not be offended by my doctrine or manners; for Christ was a stumbling block to many, but this was entirely their own fault. He seems indeed directly to mark the disciples of St. John, and at the same time to show that he knew their hearts. (Menochius)
Mt 11:8: Clothed in soft, etc. That the Baptist was not like the reeds, changeable by nature, the respect that the whole Jewish people paid him was sufficiently evident. Therefore, our Redeemer proceeds to show that St. John was not changeable by his manner of life. Delicacies and effeminacy (the ordinary sources of fickleness of behavior,) being found in the houses of kings, and the great ones of this earth, were far from being desired by the precursor. This he sheoed to the world by his garments of camels' hair, his habitation in the wilderness, his slender and insipid food of wild honey and locusts, and the prisons to which his constancy brought him. (St. Chrysostom, hom. xxxviii)
Mt 11:9: More than a prophet. John was a prophet, because he foretold the coming of Christ; and he was more than a prophet, because he saw him, which was a privilege that none of the ancient prophets enjoyed; and not only did he see him, but pointed him out, before he was acknowledged in that character. Again, he was more than a prophet, in as much as he was the precursor of the Messiah, who even deigned to receive baptism at his hands. (Menochius)
Mt 11:11: The least, etc. Many understand this about Christ, who is less in as much as he is more humble, younger in age, and according to the erroneous opinion of men, of less sanctity than John. Maldonatus and Tolletus suppose the meaning to be, that he who is the least in sanctity in the Church of Christ is greater than John; not that John did not excel much in sanctity, nor even most of the children of the Church of Christ, but that those who belong to the Church, on account of this circumstance of their being under the new law, which is the law of children, are greater than those under the old law, which was the law of bondsmen, as the least among the children is greater than the greatest among the bondsmen. Now John in this respect did not belong to the Church of Christ, because he was slain before Christ's death, and before which time the Gospel was not fully established. (Menochius)

There has arisen no one greater, etc. This comparison, by what we find, Lk 7:28, is only between John and the ancient prophets, to signify that John was greater than any of the prophets, at least by his office of being the immediate precursor of the Messiah. The comparison cannot be extended to Christ himself, who was both God and man, nor to his blessed Virgin Mother; nor do we need to understand it of his Apostles.(Witham)
Mt 11:12: Endured violence, etc. It is not to be obtained by brute force, but by using violence upon ourselves, by mortification and penance, and resisting our perverse inclinations. (Challoner)

Certainly it is great violence for a man to look for a seat in heaven, and to obtain that by his virtue which was refused to him by his nature. (St. Jerome in St. Thomas Aquinas)

The kingdom of heaven, etc. That is, the kingdom of heaven is to be obtained by mortification, penance, poverty, and those practices of holiness which John, both by word and example, pointed out. According to this interpretation, the kingdom of heaven means eternal life. Or the meaning may be, the kingdom of heaven is taken by the violent, because it is not now confined, as in the old law, to one people, but open to all, that anyone may enter in and take possession of it. The kingdom of heaven, in this interpretation, is taken to be the Church of Christ, to be the Gospel, and also to be eternal life. (Menochius)
Mt 11:13: All the prophets and the law prophesied, even until John: as if he had said, all they who prophesied before and predicted the coming of the Messiah; but now John points him out that he is present with you, so that now all the types and figures of the ancient law will be fulfilled, and are at an end. (Witham)
Mt 11:14: He is the Elijah, etc. Not in person, but in spirit. (Lk 1:17). (Challoner)

John is here depicted as Elijah, not in the same manner as those who taught the transmigration of souls; but the meaning is, that the precursor came in the spirit and virtue of Elijah, and had the same fulness of the Holy Spirit. The Baptist is not undeservedly depicted as Elijah, both for the holiness of his life, and for his sufferings. Elijah upbraided Ahab and Jezabel for their impieties, and was obliged to flee. John blamed the unlawful marriage of Herod and Herodias, and died for his virtue. (St. Jerome in St. Thomas Aquinas)
Mt 11:16: Is like to children, etc. This comparison signifies that there was nothing necessary for their salvation, which God had not abundantly provided for; but they had pertinaciously continued in their incredulity. To explain this, he uses a comparison taken from morose children, whom nothing can please; he appears to refer to some custom of that time with which we are little acquainted about. (Menochius)
Mt 11:17: We playd music. Christ, says, St. Jerome on this place, was represented by the children that piped, or played on pipes, and St. John by those that mourned; because Christ infrequently refused to eat and converse with sinners. (Witham)

Jesus shows the Jews by this comparison, that he had endeavored to attract them, by the common life he led, to an imitation of his virtues; and they had not complied with his desire.

We have lamented. This part is to be understood to be St. John, who led a most ascetic life, and despite that was despised by the Jews. (St. Jerome in St. Thomas Aquinas)

Similar to this is the complaint of the Almighty, by the mouth of the prophet Isaiah: What more should I have done for my vineyard that I did not do for it? (Isa 5:4). Our Redeemer and the Baptist imitated skillful huntsmen, who made use of various and opposite strategy, so that if the nimble animal escapes one, he may fall into another. As men are commonly more engaged by fasting and asceticism, the Baptist therefore preyed upon them to the utmost, so that they might be persuaded to believe his words. Christ, appealing more to their weakness, did not embrace this rigid manner of life, although at the same time he sanctified and approved of it by his fast of forty days, and extreme poverty, not having anywhere to sleep. It was better that our Savior's doctrine should be approved of by one who practiced asceticism, rather than that he himself should fast and live rigidly. If the Jews admired fasting and penance, whose words should have led them to the Son of God? If fasting appeared sorrowful and forbidding, why did they not join Jesus, who came eating and drinking, and alleviating their infirmities? But whichever way they chose they might have arrived at salvation. (St. Chrysostom, hom. xxxviii.)
Mt 11:18: He has a demon. Those possessed by demons, were often accustomed to pass their time exposed to the elements, to eat unusual food, and sometimes to refrain a considerable time from meat and drink. (Menochius)
Mt 11:19: Came eating and drinking. While John came living in the wilderness on locusts, wild honey, etc. Yet for the most part, the Jews neither regarded highly Christ nor St. John: the Pharisees here (Mt 11:18) say of John, that he is possessed with a devil.

Wisdom is justified by her sons. That is, by those that are truly wise; and the sense seems to be, that the divine wisdom and Providence has been justified, i.e. approved, owned, and declared just and equitable by those that being truly wise, have made good use of the favors and graces offered them at this time of their redemption, when others have remained obstinate in their blindness, and refused to believe in Christ. (Witham)

That is, the multitude of believers by their faith justify the providence and justice of God, against the misrepresentation of the wicked; if they believed, what prevented others also from believing? It appears that Divine Providence omitted nothing of those things, which were necessary to procure and promote the salvation of men. (Menochius)
Mt 11:21: Woe to you, Chorazin, etc. These four verses shew us how dangerous it is to resist the divine graces, and not to make good use of those favorable opportunities which divine providence has placed us in, of working our salvation and of improving ourselves in virtue and sanctity. (Witham)

Haircloth and ashes, etc. It was the custom for those who were in mourning, to be clothed with haircloth, and sit in ashes. (Menochius)
Mt 11:22: Forgiven more, etc. The faults of those who never had the truth announced to them, is less than of those who rejected it when offered, so therefore their punishment would be less. (Menochius)
Mt 11:23: If we compare this with Lk 10:15, it will appear that Jesus Christ twice made this reproach to these two impenitent cities. (Bible de Vence)
Mt 11:25: Jesus responded, etc. lit. Jesus responded, said: where we may take notice, that responding, in the style of the Scripture, is often put when it is no answer to any thing that was said before. (Witham)

Because you have hidden, etc. Jesus gives thanks to his heavenly Father, because he had revealed the secret of his coming to his disciples, who, according to the false opinion of men, are called children and fools, and had hid it from the Scribes and Pharisees, whom he in ridicule calls the wise and prudent. By this prayer, he also begs that his heavenly Father would complete what he had begun in his Apostles. (St. Jerome)

Christ does not rejoice that it was not revealed to the wise and prudent, but because it was revealed to his little ones. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Mt 11:26: Yes, Father, etc. St. Chrysostom interprets this passage as if Christ would say, Go on, Father, as you have begun; or the sense may be, I give you thanks, O Father, that it has pleased you to act accordingly, that since the wise men of this world have rejected the gospel, you have deigned to manifest it to little ones. (Menochius)
Mt 11:28: All you who, etc. That is, you who are tired with the heavy load of your sins, and the grievous yoke of the old law. (Menochius)
Mt 11:29: Take my yoke, etc. Do not fear the yoke of Christ, because it is a yoke of the greatest sweetness. Do not be disheartened when he mentions a burden, because it is a burden exceeding light. If our Savior says, that the way of virtue is exceeding narrow, and full of difficulties and dangers, we must remember that it is only so to the slothful. Therefore, promptly perform what is required, and then all things will be easy; the burden will be light, and the yoke sweet. (St. Chrysostom, hom. xxxix.)
Mt 11:30: For my yoke is sweet, etc. Although, in regard of our weak nature, it is a very heavy yoke, yet the grace of God renders it easy and light, because our Lord himself helps us to bear it, according to that of the prophet Hosea, (Hos 11:4) I will be to them like one who raised the yoke over their jaws. St. Bernard says, that our Savior sweetens by the spiritual ointment of his grace, all the crosses, penances, and mortifications of religious souls. St. Augustine admits, that before he knew the power of grace, he could never comprehend what chastity was, nor believe that anyone was able to practice it; but the grace of God renders all things easy. (Rodriguez, On Mortification. Chap. xix.)

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