Matt.11.1 - 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.
Matt.11.2 - Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
Matt.11.3 - And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Matt.11.4 - Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
Matt.11.5 - 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.
Matt.11.6 - And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Matt.11.7 - 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?
Matt.11.8 - But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
Matt.11.9 - But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
Matt.11.10 - For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Matt.11.11 - 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.
Matt.11.12 - And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matt.11.13 - For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
Matt.11.14 - And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
Matt.11.15 - He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Matt.11.16 - But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
Matt.11.17 - And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
Matt.11.18 - For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
Matt.11.19 - The 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.
Matt.11.20 - Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
Matt.11.21 - Woe 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.
Matt.11.22 - But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
Matt.11.23 - And 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.
Matt.11.24 - But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Matt.11.25 - 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.
Matt.11.26 - Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Matt.11.27 - 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.
Matt.11.28 - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matt.11.29 - 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.
Matt.11.30 - For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
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What does Matthew chapter 11 mean?
Matthew 11 comes immediately after Jesus has sent His twelve hand-picked apostles out on separate missionary journeys, in pairs (Matthew 10:1–4). Jesus Himself continues through Galilee, teaching and preaching (Matthew 11:1).

John the Baptist is in prison (Matthew 4:12). He has heard about what Jesus has been doing as He travels from place to place. John sends a message to Jesus through his own disciples, asking if Jesus is the "one who is to come." John wants to know if Jesus is really the Messiah, apparently because Jesus has not yet brought judgment on those who have not repented. Most likely, John expected Jesus to immediately bring an earthly kingdom. His question might not be an expression of doubt, so much as wondering why Jesus hasn't yet done what John expects Him to do (Matthew 11:2–3).

Jesus tells John's disciples to go and tell what they have seen Jesus do. He references Isaiah's prophecies about the Messiah: that He will heal the blind, the lame, lepers, and the deaf, as well as raise the dead and preach good news to the poor. Jesus means for John to be reassured by this. Even when God does not meet our exact expectations, we can be confident that He's fulfilling His promises (Matthew 11:4–6).

As John's disciples leave, Jesus turns to the crowd and reminds them of how strong and unmovable John was during his ministry to Israel. Jesus declares that not only was John a prophet, but he was the very one that Isaiah prophesied would come to prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1). Among all human beings born up to that point, John is the greatest. Still, the lowest person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. The meaning here seems to be that John the Baptist more clearly understood God's plan than any prophet who came before. Jesus adds that, if His listeners can accept it, John is the spiritual fulfillment of the prophecy that Elijah would return (Matthew 11:7–11).

Jesus makes clear, though, that Israel mostly rejected the preaching of John the Baptist; Israel has also mostly rejected Jesus' message. Christ compares the Israelites of this generation to children complaining that their playmates won't participate in their games. No matter what they see, and no matter what God provides, they simply demand the opposite. Their real motive is to resist, not to submit. Instead of hearing John the Baptist and truly repenting, the people decided he had a demon because of his strange and restrictive lifestyle. Instead of hearing Jesus and repenting, this generation decided that Jesus was a glutton and a drunk because He did not lead a restrictive lifestyle. Jesus uses a proverb to show that both He and John will be proven right in the end (Matthew 11:12–19).

Next, Jesus pronounces judgment on the cities where the people did not repent, despite seeing Him perform great and powerful miracles. If the same miracles had been performed in the wicked Gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon, those idol-worshippers would have repented in great humility. The Jewish cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida will find God's judgment less bearable than those pagan cities. The same is true of Jesus' own adopted hometown of Capernaum. Even wicked Sodom, which God utterly destroyed (Genesis 19:24–25), will have a more tolerable judgment than Capernaum. This suggests the people of Sodom are still subject to judgment, despite the end of their earthly lives. It also hints that somehow, there are levels of punishment or judgment for our earthly sins (Matthew 11:20–24).

Jesus thanks His Father, God, for hiding the truth from those who are wise and understanding, according to the world. His implication is that those who arrogantly assume their own wisdom will miss the truth—because they aren't really looking for it. Instead, God will reveal truth to those the world dismissed as "children." Jesus declares that He and God the Father know each other completely and that He can reveal the Father to anyone He chooses. He invites those listening who are weary and weighed down—in the sense of the Pharisees' extra rules and requirements—to take on His yoke and find rest for their souls (Matthew 11:25–30).

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