Blessed is he who does not doubt me! (Matthew 11:1-19)

[Stephan Choe]

April 25, 2026

Key Verse 6: “Blessed is the one who does not doubt me.”

We can roughly divide the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 1 to 28, as follows:

1:1–4:11: Jesus' initial ministry in Galilee

4:12–10:42: the central part of his Messianic ministry

11:1–16:20: the central part of his Messianic ministry in Galilee

16:21–20:34: Jesus' journey to Jerusalem

21:1–25:46: Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem

26:1–28:20: Jesus' crucifixion, death, and resurrection

From the first chapter to 4:11, Matthew writes about Jesus' genealogy, his birth, baptism, and temptation.

He then writes about Jesus' early ministry until the end of chapter 10: He delivers his Sermon on the Mount, heals the sick, calls twelve disciples, and foretells the coming persecution.

In 11:1–16:20, he recounts the central phase of Jesus' messianic ministry. He struggles to win Israel over to the faith but encounters the unbelief of the people, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees. This section concludes with Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Son of God and the Christ.

Chapter 11, therefore, marks the beginning of the central phase of his ministry. This section begins with John's inquiry about Jesus' messiahship.

John was in prison at that time and became somewhat uncertain about Jesus' messiahship. Therefore, he sent his disciples to Jesus and asked him whether he was the Christ or not.

It is not uncommon for a Christian to experience doubt about Christ's messiahship. How can we better overcome such doubt?

Today we want to learn about the way to overcome doubt about Jesus.

1. John the Baptist's Inquiry (1-6)

John the Baptist had baptized Jesus. At that time, he saw the Spirit descend and heard the voice of God: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” (3:16-17).

John was now in prison.

Why was he in prison?

At that time, Herod Antipas ruled as king over Galilee, where Jesus ministered. He was one of the sons of Herod the Great, who had been responsible for the Massacre of the Innocents in Bethlehem. Herod Antipas had seduced his half-brother's wife and married her. Therefore, John the Baptist had rebuked him and called him to repentance. As a result, Herod Antipas had thrown John into prison.

This imprisonment was very hard for John, for he had been a free man in the desert from childhood; The heavens had been his only roof. Now he was in prison. He probably became uncertain about his faith in Jesus. He likely also had doubts about Jesus' messiahship because of Jesus' works. For Jesus had preached that God would send unrighteous people to fiery hell through the Messiah and gather righteous people for blessing (Luke 3:9). He must have hoped that Jesus would free him from prison with his miraculous power. Wouldn't the Messiah punish God's enemies and not set him free?

John sent his disciples to Jesus and asked him, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" (3).

We are told of an unbelieving rabbi. When an old Jewish rabbi was once asked about Jesus, he went to the window, looked out, and ended the conversation with, "Nothing has changed."

Many think like this rabbi. The world's situation, with its famine, suffering, and wars, hasn't changed much. Doesn't the Redeemer have to come to change the world's situation?

But Jesus' work was different from what John or the Jewish rabbi had imagined. Jesus didn't work with a flashing sword, but practiced mercy and preached forgiveness and the Kingdom of Heaven.

We can also discover something positive in John's question: He didn't try to resolve his doubts in his own way, but turned directly to Jesus. When we turn directly to Jesus, we can best overcome our uncertainty and gain certainty of faith. We should tell Jesus about our plight and ask for his help. Jesus will surely help us.

Now let's reflect on Jesus' approach, how Jesus answered John.

An inductive way and a deductive way to believe in Jesus Christ

There are two ways for us to recognize Jesus as the Christ: an inductive way and a deductive way.

The inductive way means that one first gathers facts through observation and, based on these facts, concludes that Jesus must be the Christ.

In contrast, the deductive way means that one first accepts the truth that Jesus is the Christ, and then observes the facts and finds that the facts correspond with the truth.

Matthew 3:17 tells us that at Jesus' baptism, God proclaimed, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Here, God used a deductive way by proclaiming Jesus as the Christ from the outset.

Jesus himself, however, chose an inductive way to convince his disciples of his messiahship. For two or three years, he first demonstrated his powerful deeds and taught them God's word. His deeds and his word indicated that Jesus must be the Son of God and the Christ.

Only afterward did Jesus ask his disciples, "Who do you say I am?" (16:15).

Then Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” (16:16).

This is a deductive approach.

When John asked Jesus through his disciples whether he was the Christ or not, Jesus did not give him a direct answer to his question, but an indirect one,

“Go and tell John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me!” > (4-6).

All who experience and hear Jesus' works and words with open hearts can conclude that Jesus is the Christ and be saved.

It can also happen that we develop doubts about Jesus Christ in the course of our lives.

How can we better overcome such doubts? We should remember Jesus' words in verses 4-5. He said to John's disciples: "Go and tell John what you hear and see: <The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.>"

The Bible is there so that we may believe in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God based on his actions and his words. His works and his message in the Bible testify that Jesus is the Son of God and the Christ. However, the greatest works of Jesus Christ are his sacrificial death and his resurrection, as the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians. 15:3-4 says,

"I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

In times of wavering faith, we should remember Jesus' works and his word and firmly believe in Jesus Christ. We should ground our faith in his works and his word so that we can hold fast to the faith despite difficulties. This is how we can overcome all doubts about Jesus Christ and remain steadfast in our faith.

Every believer experiences fluctuations in faith, although these fluctuations may be small for some and large for others.

Pastor Yong-Ki Cho is world-renowned for having led the largest church in the world in Seoul, Korea. But he, too, experienced fluctuations in faith. When he began building a new megachurch building in Yeoeudo, Seoul, the economic crisis caused by the oil crisis hit. Many church members lost their jobs, so he couldn't pay the construction companies. Construction stopped, and the companies pressured him to pay. His two starving children said, "Dad, I'm hungry. Give me something to eat!" Pastor Cho then hit the children. His wife said to him, "Why are you hitting them when they say they're hungry?" She took the children to her mother's house and never returned.

Pastor Cho became completely despondent and wanted to take his own life. Then he suddenly heard the voice of God: "If you have the courage to die, live with that courage!" And God showed him the horrific scene of hell.

He stopped thinking about suicide, went to his wife's house at his mother-in-law's, and apologized. But his wife didn't accept his apology and said nothing. So he prayed aloud all night. The next day, his wife softened somewhat. So he was able to return home with his wife and children.

He prayed with the congregation for the church building project during the early morning prayer service in the church basement. One morning, an 80-year-old poor woman, who had neither husband nor children, came forward and said she wanted to sacrifice her only spoon and her metal stick for the church's construction. That was all she had. All the church members wept and offered their possessions in a sacrificial gesture. This enabled him to complete the church building in Yeoeudo, Seoul. Through this experience of faith, Pastor Cho was able to experience the living God. Therefore, he was able to preach the Gospel with conviction, and his church has become the largest church in the world.

Every Christian goes through difficult times. In difficult times, we can experience the power of the Gospel more intensely than in good times. We should accept difficulties as God's blessing and give Him the glory.

2. Jesus' Testimony about John the Baptist (7-19)

After John's disciples had returned, Jesus addressed the crowd and asked,

"What did you expect to see from John when you went out to him in the wilderness? Did you want to see a reed, swept back and forth by the wind? Or did you want to see a man dressed in fine clothes? People dressed like that are found in the palaces of kings. Or why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, John is a prophet, and more than that. John is the man of whom it is written: 'I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare the people for you' (Malachi 3:1)."

The Jews believed then, and still believe today, that before the arrival of the Messiah, Elijah would return to announce the Messiah's coming. That is why Jews still leave a place for Elijah when they celebrate Passover.

In verse 11, Jesus said that John was the greatest man among all men, for he baptized Christ and testified to him as Christ.

But he added: “Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John.”

What did Jesus mean by this?

First, Jesus meant that John did not yet know about Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.

We, on the other hand, already know about his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, and we rejoice in God's blessing. Therefore, we need not doubt like John did, for Jesus said in Matthew 13:17,

“Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see, and to hear what you hear but did not hear.”

Rather, we should thank God for this great blessing.

Second, Jesus meant that it is truly blessed to be a child of God in the kingdom of heaven.

The blessedness of a child of God in the Kingdom of Heaven is incomparable to the blessedness of John on this earth.

What does the blessedness of a child of God in the Kingdom of Heaven look like?

God's Word in Revelation 21:3-4 describes it:

"Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

We don't need to cling to any famous person, but to Jesus Christ and his Gospel.

Difficult times are a golden time to experience Christ.

John had a crisis of faith in prison. But he asked Jesus through his disciples. And Jesus gave him the comforting answer. And John could confidently walk the path of martyrdom.

Every believer can experience a crisis. Such a difficult time, however, is the best opportunity to experience Jesus Christ personally. In times of need, we should turn to Jesus Christ. Then we can experience the glory of God. Amen!