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MATTHEW 11:5 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Matt 11:4Matt 11:6
“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.”
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. Jesus' answer to John is a catalog of Isaiah's restoration promises: Isaiah 35:5–6 (blind see, deaf hear, lame walk) and Isaiah 61:1 (good news to the poor). The catalog communicates that John should interpret what is happening through the lens of Isaiah's vision of the messianic age. Jesus is not the conquering king John's disciples may have expected but the fulfiller of the full range of the prophet's restoration promises.

Church Fathers on Matthew 11:5

The Evangelist had shewn above how by Christ’s miracles and teaching, both His disciples and the multitudes had been instructed; he now shews how this instruction had reached even to John’s disciples, so that they seemed to have some jealousy towards Christ; 'John, when he had heard in his bonds the works of Christ, sent two of his disciples to say unto him, Art thou he that should come, or look we for another?

Gloss (Glossa Ordinaria) · medieval compilation · non occ.

We must enquire how John, who is a prophet and more than a prophet, who made known the Lord when He came to be baptized, saying, 'Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sine of the world!—why, when he was afterwards cast into prison, he should send his disciples to ask, 'Art thou he that should come, or look we for another?'

Gregory the Great · 6th century · Hom in Ev. vi. 1

19: Some understand it thus; That it was a great thing that John should be so far a prophet, as to acknowledge Christ, and to preach remission of sin; but that like a pious prophet; he could not think that He whom he had believed to be He that should come, was to suffer death; he doubted therefore though not in faith, yet in love. So Peter also doubted, saying, 'This be far from thee, Lord; this shall not be unto thee.' [Matt 16:22]

Ambrose · 4th century · Ambros., in Luc 7
Read all 19 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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Matthew 11:5 — Community Reflections | HolyStudy