Matthew 11:2-3

Matthew 11:2-3

[2] Now  when John  had heard  in  the prison  the works  of Christ,  he sent  of his  disciples,  [3] And said  unto him,  thou  he that should come,  or  do we look  for another? 

What does Matthew 11:2-3 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Herod Antipas had imprisoned John in the fortress of Machaerus east of the Dead Sea (cf. Matthew 4:12; Matthew 14:3-5). [1] There John heard about Jesus" ministry. Matthew wrote that John heard about the works of "the Christ." This is the only place in Matthew where the name "Christ" standing alone refers to Jesus. [2] Matthew evidently referred to Jesus this way here to underscore the fact that Jesus was the Christ, the Greek term for Messiah. John had doubts about that, but Matthew presented Jesus as the Messiah in unequivocal terms. The "works" of Jesus would include His teachings and all of His activities, not just His miracles.
John sent Jesus a question through some of John"s disciples. This use of "disciples" is another proof that this word does not necessarily mean believers in Jesus. These disciples were still following John. They had not begun to follow Jesus. John questioned whether Jesus was "the coming One" after all ( Psalm 40:7; Psalm 118:26; Isaiah 59:20). "The coming One" was a messianic title. [3] John had previously announced Jesus as the coming One ( Matthew 3:11), but Jesus did not quite fit John"s ideas of what Messiah would do. He was bringing blessing to many but judgment to none (cf. Matthew 3:10-12). [4]
"The same questions of the ultimate triumph of God undoubtedly face everyone in suffering for Christ"s sake. If our God is omnipotent, why does He permit the righteous to suffer? The answer, of course, is that the time of God"s judgment has not yet come but that the final triumph is certain." [5]
An old interpretation of John"s question is that he asked it for his disciples" sake, but he never doubted Jesus" identity himself. There is nothing in the text to support this view. Rather John , like Elijah, seems to have become discouraged (cf. Matthew 11:14). Probably this happened because Jesus did not begin to judge sinners immediately.