Matthew 10:16-11:6

Summary

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Catholic Bible Study – Augustine Institute

Episode: Matthew 10:16-11:6

Date: November 19, 2025
Hosts: Dr. Tim Gray (A), Dr. Michael Barber (B)

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Overview

In this episode, Dr. Tim Gray and Dr. Michael Barber continue their in-depth Bible study series on the Gospel of Matthew, focusing on Matthew 10:16–11:6. The episode explores Jesus’ teachings on persecution, discipleship, true loyalty, and the coming kingdom, while connecting these themes to Old Testament prophecies and practical Christian living. The hosts provide historical and theological insights, personal stories, and pastoral applications for modern Catholics.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Mission and Its Risks (Matthew 10:16–25)

• Jesus warns the disciples:
  • “Behold, I’m sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (B, [00:44])
  • Both prudence and innocence are necessary in Christian witness—lacking either can do harm.
• Aquinas’s Interpretation:
  • Don’t use reliance on the Holy Spirit as an excuse not to prepare. Instead, trust in divine help when unexpectedly challenged, but always be ready to give an answer for the faith (B, [01:42]).
• Expect persecution; Jesus suffered, so will his followers. Modern hardships in the West are less severe than historical Christian persecutions elsewhere ([03:49]).

Earthly vs. Ultimate Trials (Matthew 10:26–33)

• Jesus reassures:
  • “Have no fear of them.” Earthly threats are minor compared to the ultimate judgment before God (A, [05:25]).
  • The trial that truly matters is before the Father in heaven, not human courts ([05:23]).
• Loyalty to Jesus before men determines how He will acknowledge us before the Father ([05:23]).

Jewish Eschatological Backdrop—Daniel and Micah ([06:30]–[10:47])

• Suffering before the kingdom comes aligns with Jewish expectations from Daniel 7 and Micah 7.
• Jesus’ “sword” (not peace) message indicates division will arise before final redemption.
  • Old Testament background: Micah 7:6 describes familial conflict as a precursor to deliverance ([10:38]).

The Cost of Discipleship—Personal Story ([11:08])

• Dr. Barber shares how Jesus’ words (“whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me”) became personal when choosing a grad school far from his close-knit family ([11:08]).
• The Gospel demands radical commitment—even at the cost of family ties:
  • “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it...” – (B, [13:08]).

The Nature of the Kingdom & Patriotism ([13:36]–[16:55])

• The U.S. is not the kingdom of God; Christians should expect decline and trouble, trusting that Christ’s true kingdom comes only with His return ([16:19]).
• Jesus’ kingdom is “not of this world.” Barabbas and political revolution are contrasted with Jesus’ path ([16:55]).

Welcoming God’s Messengers and the Power of Small Kindnesses ([17:00]–[20:13])

• Receiving apostles and disciples is tantamount to receiving Christ Himself.
  • “Whoever receives you, receives me...” (A, [17:00])
• Even a simple act like giving “a cup of water” to a disciple is deeply valued (B, [17:38]).
• Encouragement to support and thank faithful priests, especially amidst scandals and discouragement ([19:16]).

Transition to Narrative and Parables (Matthew 11:1; [20:19]–[21:21])

• With Jesus finishing his instruction, Matthew moves from speech (discourse) to action (narrative).
• Raises the question: Why does Jesus start using parables? The answer develops as the Gospel unfolds ([21:21]).

The Question of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:2–6; [22:20]–[27:54])

• John, imprisoned, sends disciples to ask if Jesus is the Messiah.
• Two explanations:
  • John’s faith is not weak, but seeking understanding—he trusts Jesus for clarification (A, [22:20]).
  • Aquinas: John’s concern is more for his own disciples and confirming Jesus’ credentials amid his own impending martyrdom (B, [23:30]).
• Jesus’ Reply:
  • Rather than a direct answer, Jesus references Isaiah 35 & 61 by listing Messianic signs:
    • “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news preached to them.” (B, [23:30])
    • This references Jewish expectations and serves as a “coded message” John would understand, but which would be ambiguous to Roman or Herodian authorities (A, [26:40]).
  • Jesus both affirms his mission and avoids direct confrontation with authorities:
    • “It’s almost like he’s wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (B, [27:54])

Takeaways and What’s Next ([28:09]–[28:43])

• Not all will believe, but Jesus remains steadfast in accomplishing his mission.
• Invitation to continue reading Matthew 11, focusing on Jesus’ relationship to the Father (B, [28:09]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Evangelization:
  • “You could be prudent, but if you’re not innocent... you’re not going to be effective in your witness to Christ. At the same time... if you act imprudently, you could do great damage and actually lead people into scandal.” — Dr. Barber ([00:44])
• On Persecution and Suffering:
  • “If you think that this is bad, cheer up, it’s worse than you think. It’s going to get even worse.” — Dr. Barber ([03:49])
• On Ultimate Loyalty:
  • “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” — Jesus, interpreted by Dr. Barber, tied to his personal choice ([11:08])
• On Kingdom & Patriotism:
  • “As great as [the U.S.] is... it is not the kingdom of God.” — Dr. Gray ([16:19])
• On Small Kindness:
  • “If you even give a little one a cup of water... you will by no means lose your reward.” — Dr. Barber ([17:38])
• On John the Baptist’s Doubt:
  • “It’s not so much a crisis of faith that eclipses John’s faith, but a crisis that leads him to question the one who can give him the answer.” — Dr. Gray ([22:20])

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Jesus’ warning: wise as serpents, innocent as doves — [00:44]
• Aquinas on preparing for evangelization — [01:42]
• Persecution, church and martyrdom today — [03:49]
• Fear of men vs. final trial before God — [05:23]
• Daniel & Jewish backdrop on tribulation — [06:30]
• Jesus brings not (yet) peace, but division (Micah 7) — [10:38]
• Personal story of costly discipleship — [11:08]
• True kingdom, not of this world — [16:19]
• Receiving apostles/disciples = receiving Jesus — [17:00]
• Encouragement to thank and support priests — [19:16]
• Narrative shift, parables foreshadowed — [21:21]
• John the Baptist's question & Jesus' coded Isaiah response — [22:20]
• Call to continue reading Matthew 11 — [28:09]

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Tone & Language

The tone is warm, collegial, and intellectually robust—blending depth, personal stories, and pastoral encouragement. Both hosts frequently reference Scripture, Church Fathers, and modern Catholic experience, making connections relevant and accessible for listeners at any level.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode challenges listeners to prepare for hardship, prioritize Christ above all, avoid confusing earthly nations with God’s kingdom, appreciate those who serve, and seek to understand even in doubt. It roots New Testament teachings in Old Testament prophecy, and models how to discern Jesus’ intentions through both faith and careful study. The dialogue closes with an invitation to keep pondering how Jesus reveals Himself as Messiah, even amid misunderstanding and suffering.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to form. Now, I'm Tim Gray, president of the Augustine Institute, and Joining me is Dr. Michael Barber, who's one of our professors of scripture here at the August Institute. And we're going to continue our ongoing Bible study on the Gospel of Matthew. And you can jump into this Bible study at any time, any point. We just ask you or invite you to grab your Bible and to join us. We're using the Augustan Bible, which you can get at Catholic Market, and we're going to continue on with our Bible study of the Gospel Matthew. And we're just taking it a nice easy pace and going fairly in depth because we have the leisure to do that on this show, which is fun for us. We don't have to rush through things so much. And so we are about halfway through chapter 10 of the. Of the Gospel of Matthew. And so, Michael, why don't you lead us off with where we left off?

[B]

Yeah. So we were talking about, you know, that passage that says, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. But I'd just like to back up a little bit because there's an important line I don't want to overlook. And that is Jesus says, behold, I'm sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. That's such an important passage. Right. Because a lot of times we want to go out and evangelize, but sometimes we can do that in a way that's not prudent. And Thomas Aquinas talks about the importance of being prudent. Here he goes. And of course, not just being prudent, but being innocent. So you could be prudent, but if you're not innocent, if you're not, if your heart isn't set on the Lord, if your heart is set on worldly things, you're not going to be effective in your witness to Christ. At the same time, you could be innocent as doves, but if you act imprudently, you could do great damage and actually lead people into scandal and lead people astray. So both things are very important there. Then Jesus goes on to say, beware of men, for they will deliver you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake. That's what happens to Jesus. Jesus is going to be the one who's delivered up to councils. He's the one who's flogged. He's the one who's dragged before a governor. So we see what happens with Jesus what we're going to enter into as well. And then Jesus says, when they deliver you over, do not be anxious about how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. And his. In his commentary on this, I love Thomas. He says, all right, now I'm going to summarize. All right, this is not exactly what he says, but this is the gist of it. He says, okay, so don't forget what Jesus said before about being wise as serpents and innocent as doves. You can't say, you know what? I'm not going to study. I'm not going to better my understanding of my faith, because when I need to give an answer, the Holy Spirit's just going to come to my aid. And, you know, it's really impious, isn't it, to study. And Thomas is very careful to treat this passage in depth. And he says, what Jesus is talking about here is when you haven't had the opportunity to properly prepare yourself, don't worry, the Holy Spirit will be with you. But don't use that as a reason not to prepare, to not be prepared. Because Peter tells us, as says later on in the New Testament, be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is within you. Right? So then Jesus goes on to talk about how there will be great persecution. And I want to talk about that in a little bit, but let's move on. Jesus goes on after this section to say, a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. So what they did to Jesus expect to be treated in the same way. A lot of people are surprised, and they say, oh, my goodness, look at all the persecution that's going on. People say, look what's happening in our country. In America, you know, churches have been burned down. There are people who have lost their job because they've, you know, held fast to the truth that's proclaimed by the Catholic Church, to the truth that's proclaimed in Scripture. And they say, look at this great persecution. And, you know, I think of my dear friend Father Andrew Yunin, who's a priest from Iraq. His family's from Iraq. And, you know, when I talk to him about the. The suffering and the persecution in America, you know, he looks at me very, very kindly and, you know, nods. But, yeah, you know, my family in Iraq, they were martyred last month, you know, by isis. I mean, what we see in our culture is nothing compared to what Christians have suffered throughout the ages. And we shouldn't be surprised by that. We shouldn't act as if it's something strange or something that is perplexing to us, that if you think that this is bad, cheer up, it's worse than you think. It's going to get even. It's going to get even worse, you.

[A]

Know, for Jesus giving a motivating speech to his inner circle, saying, okay, you're going to be dragged in front of councils, you're going to be flogged, and, you know, and you're going to be put on trial. But don't worry about what you're going to have to say when you're put on trial. The Holy Spirit will help you at that moment make a testimony, and some of you will die. And so Jesus is clear that, you know, this isn't going to end well on the earthly side of things for some people who follow Him. And yet that's not the final story. And so if we look at the next section, really from verse, I take my glasses off to read. Yeah, verse 28. To verse 33.

[B]

26. Sorry, 26.

[A]

33, yeah, yeah, okay. Verse 26, he says, so have no fear of them. Why? Because they can't even kill you, Jesus. Have no fear of them. And then he's going to say, you know, but don't forget the ultimate trial. Because when he comes to the end of it, he says, so everyone who acknowledges me before men in verse 32, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. And so we're going to be put on an earthly trial. And there's always a way to get out of the punishment of the earthly trial, and that is by not by denying Jesus and denying our faith. But that doesn't save us from the ultimate trial. Jesus is warning there is a final trial. And that's where, you know, it's so important for us to know this. And that trial will be put before our Father in heaven. And we would rather be punished by earthly leaders and redeemed and saved by our Father in heaven. And that's the trial that ultimately matters. Because time is passing by, it's short. Eternity lasts a really long time.

[B]

Right? And, you know, we might think, like you said, this is a pretty depressing speech. How could they maintain their focus? How could they maintain their commitment to Jesus after hearing these words? Oftentimes when we're perplexed by something in the New Testament, it's usually because we don't understand The Jewish backdrop of the New Testament. We don't understand the way the disciples are hearing Jesus words. So right above this, Jesus says, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of the sons of Israel and before the Son of Man comes. And then he goes on to say, I will acknowledge before my Father who's in heaven. But whoever you know, those who acknowledge me, but whoever denies me before me, I will deny before my Father who's in heaven. Well, Jesus is here speaking of himself as the Son of man in the book of Daniel, where we have that passage about the Son of Man coming before the ancient of days, riding on the clouds. That passage is in the background of this. What happens is the righteous suffer before the kingdom comes, before the kingdom is given to the saints. We read about this fourth beast, who's this terrible kingdom on earth, and how he devours the whole earth and he tries to trample it down, break it to pieces. And then we read that he speaks words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the Most High. So right there in Daniel 7, there's an understanding that before the kingdom of the Son of Man is given to the saints, there is a period of suffering of the saints. This is a major theme in Jewish hopes. In Jesus day, it was understood that before the coming of the last age, before the end times, the time of the Messiah, right? The end is known as the eschaton. And that's the Greek word for end, eschatos. We call this eschatology. There's a big 64,000 word for you impress your friends. Eschatology, it's the last things, right? And in Jewish eschatology, it was understood before the end times there would be a period of great suffering, great tribulation. It's known as the eschatological tribulation. It's really important in lots of Jewish texts. Right here in Daniel, for example, the righteous, the saints will be worn out by the wicked. Before this kingdom is given to the saints. We see this. Go on. Then in the next section in Matthew's Gospel, it says, do not think that I've come to bring peace to the earth. I've come not to bring peace, but a sword. Now wait a minute, I thought you're the Prince of peace. Isn't that what we call Jesus? How can you say Jesus, that you're the Prince of peace? But you're going to bring a sword? And then it gets worse. For I have come to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother. And a daughter in law against her mother in law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Jesus, don't you want families to come together? Don't you want families to be united? Aren't you the Prince of peace? Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Okay, what Jesus is doing here is he's drawing on imagery taken from a book in the Old Testament called Micah. Now, it's a small little prophet, often known as one of the minor prophets. But in the book of Micah, we read about this period that's coming before God delivers his people. See if this sounds familiar. This is from Micah chapter 7, verse 6. For the Son treats the father with contempt. The mother rises up against her daughter against her mother. The daughter in law against her mother in law. A man's enemies are the men of his own house. This is exactly what Jesus said. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against his mother.

[A]

So Jesus is basically saying the tribulation that Micah foretold that would come before the salvation and redemption of Israel. What I am ushering in right now.

[B]

That's right. And it's going to happen because not everyone is going to embrace his message. Some people are going to accept his identity, some people are going to repent, but not all will. And so that is going to create division. And at that point, you got to make a decision. Who do you love most? Okay, I got to tell a little story. Do you mind?

[A]

Yeah, go, go.

[B]

Go for it. When I was a younger man, I was trying to figure out where I needed to go for graduate school. And my family's in Southern California. We have deep roots in Southern California. I love my mom and dad. I think they're canonizable saints. And growing up, we lived less than a mile away from my mom's parents, less than a mile away from my dad's parents. My cousins grew up on the next street over. We grew up down the street from the church that my grandfather helped build. So we were very close. And I had lots of options for graduate school. One of the options was back east was in Ohio. And I know that's the Midwest, but if we were California, everything else is east, Right? And so I had a really hard time imagining going to a place with no palm trees, with no in n out hamburger, without the Dodgers, but most importantly, far away from my family. And I really wrestled with this. There were a number of other programs I applied to, and I got in, and I didn't know where I was going to land exactly. My former professors wanted me to apply to the school I graduated from and some of their friends schools. And I remember really wrestling with this. And the time came for me to make a decision. It was the day I had to make the phone call or else I'd lose my spot. And I went to Mass. I'll never forget. I was a little bit late. Got into the pew just in time to hear the Gospel. And Jesus spoke these words in the Gospel, whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And I remember thinking, okay, Jesus, you don't have to be so subtle. I got it right. And I was convicted right there. That loving the Lord and hearing our calling means putting Christ above all else. That's going to sometimes be very difficult. Thankfully, my family supported it and understood it. But that doesn't always happen, and that can create divisions. So Jesus says, whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. That's what the Gospel is all about, giving it all up.

[A]

Amen, Michael. And I know you had to travel out of California later in your life. That was just a preparation for when the Lord was calling you to come.

[B]

That must be temporary, to call you.

[A]

To the Augustine Institute in Denver. Not as far east.

[B]

Not as far east.

[A]

I'm glad you were able to make that sacrifice again and come and join us here. Well, you know, Michael, you brought up a great point about Daniel 7, and it gives a framework for us to understand that, you know, as Daniel prophesies the coming of God's kingdom ultimately and its victory over the nations, that there's going to be a time of tribulation for God's people before the inauguration of God's ultimate kingdom. And you're saying that Jesus in his first coming, saying, I'm not coming to bring peace yet, but there's going to be conflict and war, and there's going to be tribulation, and it won't be until Jesus second coming, when he comes victorious, when he's going to end all evil and cast down all wickedness and all the powers and principalities of this world, and he's going to take up his reign directly, and then there will be peace. And we see that in the Book of Revelation, which is a story for another book. Maybe we'll do a Bible study on the Book of Revelation someday, because I know you're very passionate about it. And we can look forward to Jesus Second Coming bringing that ultimate kingdom. But he's warning here to his disciples, don't think that I am the Messiah, but don't think that the kingdom is ready to reign yet. There's going to be a time of tribulation first, and that will be important. And I think as I reflect on this, I also think that it's hard for Christians today to think about being persecuted. And I think it's because the American project, you know, the United States was founded based on religious liberty. You know, pilgrims who came and suffered religious oppression. And a lot of the founding in the United States was about religious liberty. And those people who established the United States and had incredible freedom, a lot of people early on, and then it continued to grow as a kind of myth that the United States was the kingdom of God on earth. It was the beacon of freedom, it was the kingdom of God. And the United States is the greatest country, I think, ever. And I think it's been immensely blessed by God. And it has an incredible tradition that we should be proud of. There's sin in our history, but there's also glory in our history. And you have to take that together always. And it's always tempting not to. But the United States, as great as it is, as much as I love it, it is not the kingdom of God. And so, you know, we are waiting for that kingdom. And so if our country is in decline, and if our country falls, which it eventually will, Christians can't be decided despairing over it because Christ has warned us that the kingdom that he promises is not coming till his second coming. And so we can't mistake the United States for all its grandeur and freedom and wonderfulness and beauty, we can't mistake it for the kingdom of God. And that's part of what Jesus warning is about here, too.

[B]

That's right. And in fact, we have to remember what Jesus says in another gospel, and that is, my kingdom is not of this world. We're going to go on to see in the story of the Gospel of Matthew that the crowd is actually given a choice between two people, both named Jesus, right? Jesus of Nazareth and another Jesus, also known as Barabbas. Bar, son of Abba, the Father. They choose the wrong Son of the Father. And we'll talk about this more. But Barabbas is a person who wants to bring about political revolution. He thinks that we can establish the kingdom of God on earth.

[A]

Can you move to the last section here of chapter 10?

[B]

I love it. Let's do it.

[A]

And rewards.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And, you know, so Jesus says, whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. And I love this line, and I'll just read the next one too, because it follows from that the one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. And the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. This goes back to what we talked about at the very beginning, Michael, that they are apostles. And apostle means someone who is sent. And whoever receives an apostle receives him who sent him. And that's exactly what Jesus is clearly defining for us right now, which is really powerful.

[B]

And it's so important that we recognize too that the way that you recognize the disciple is what your reward is based on, basically here, right? So Jesus is united to his disciples. So much so that if you even give a little one a cup of water, that's one of the least of his disciples, right? You will by no means lose your reward. So how are we orienting ourselves to recognize those who are working in the Lord's name? Are we receiving their work? Do we appreciate their work? Do we support, I think, for example, of our priests, right? I think about, yes, we have clergy scandals, and we know all about that, but we also have many, many good priests. My uncle's a very holy priest, and I know he toils in, you know, a small, little impoverished parish in Southern California working on behalf of the people, hearing confessions for hours and hours, doing great work. Are we supporting those people? I mean, I want to just thank everybody who supports the Augustine Institute. And by the way, you know, you mentioned I made a great sacrifice by coming to the AI. Well, okay, yes, it's true. I love my family. I love Southern California. I love my mom and my dad, My sisters love all that. Of course, at the same time, you can never outgive the Lord. And you know, coming here and being a part of the Augusta Institute has been such a great reward in getting to do these kinds of Bible studies so well.

[A]

It's been a blessing for all of us, too.

[B]

Such a blessing.

[A]

And I think you bring out a great point that it's perfect point that Jesus ends this chapter with. And that is, you know, whoever you receive and how you receive them, you're really receiving me. And I like your point, Michael. We've got to receive our clergy as if we're receiving Christ with real love and care. And, you know, for a lot of our good clergy, Right now, they've suffered and they're so demoralized by the bad shepherds who make them look bad. And if you haven't experienced gratitude to a good priest, do that today. Do that this week. Make it a point to do a letter, to do an email, to do something to just express and thank and pray for your priests and let them know that you're praying for them. It will mean so much of them and all of you on formed, you have formed because your pastor is paying for formed and subscribing to it. So thank them for formed. Thank them for all that they do. And, you know, that's so important to highlight.

[B]

No question about it. So we go on and let's move into chapter 11.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

Okay, so we read when Jesus finished instructing his 12 disciples. And this is a formula you find after the Sermon on the Mount. It's a formula you find here after Matthew, chapter 10, after these major speeches, Matthew gives us a kind of signal. Okay, now we're moving to a narrative. Right? So we're moving into the next major section of Matthew's gospel. So this would be book three. Right. So we have at the end of book two, if you want to call it that. Right. Matthew. Okay, real quick, Matthew 3 and 4, we have Jesus's baptism and his temptations. Matthew 5, 6, and 7. We get a speech after that narrative. Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 8 and 9, 10 miracle stories. Matthew 10, a speech. So now we move into the next major part of Matthew's gospel, another narrative. And this is going to be important for explaining what happens in Matthew 13. Matthew 13 is going to be a long speech of parables. Up until now, we really haven't seen parables.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So why does Jesus begin to speak in parables? Okay, that's an important question that we want to come back to, but I want to put that in your mind. Okay, well, why hasn't no parables in the Sermon on the Mount? No parable kingdom of God can be compared to. Doesn't talk like that. So what changes? Matthew wants us to understand what changes in Matthew 11. We begin to see this. Right? So when Jesus finished instructing his 12, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. And when John the Baptist was heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples, and he sent word to them that they should ask him, are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? Now, what gives, Dr. Gray? Come on. John the Baptist baptized Jesus. I'm not worthy to untie your sandals. And now he doesn't believe in Jesus anymore. What's going on here?

[A]

I love what John Paul II says about this. He says, you know, this illustrates faith seeking, understanding. John knows that he is of God and he's hearing about the deeds of Jesus. He's doing healings, he's doing exorcisms, but he's not claiming to be the Christ and he's not taking over, you know. And so I think what John is wondering, well, maybe, maybe I was wrong. Maybe you are another prophet and a greater prophet. And maybe John, in his humility, thinks maybe Jesus is the one who's going to be the precursor because John has now been arrested. And maybe John didn't finish the job or didn't do the job completely and God's raised up somebody else to be the real precursor. So I think it's coming out of John's humility. But John knows that Jesus has a line to God. He knows he's of God. And so faith seeking, understanding. Jesus will tell him. So he says, are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another? He goes to Jesus for the answer, which is really beautiful. So it's not so much a crisis of faith that eclipses John's faith, but it's a crisis that leads him to question the one who can give him the answer. And that's so important.

[B]

That's really beautiful. I hadn't really heard that before. So you'll have to show me where John Paul II says, I'd love to read more on that. That's fascinating. Thomas Aquinas, his explanation of this is that what's going on here is that John is concerned that his disciples won't believe in Jesus. Why? Okay, so this is a great passage. Jesus says, go and tell John what you hear and see. All right, ready? The blind receive their sight, 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. Now, what Jesus just did is he combined two passages in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61. And one of the really cool discoveries in the Dead Sea Scrolls is a scroll called 4Q521 or 4Q apocalypse or revelation of the Messiah. And here you have a document written by ancient Jews who are looking forward to the day the Messiah comes. And in this document, which is written before Jesus ministry, most likely, or at least not by people who are disciples of Jesus. What do they do? They lay out the job description of the Messiah, what is the Messiah going to do? And if you read that, they do something rather remarkable, they also bring together Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61. What is the Messiah going to do? The blind will receive their sight. The lame will walk. Lepers aren't cleansed. That's not there because nobody could imagine lepers being cleansed. Only God can cleanse a leper. The deaf hear, the dead are raised. The poor have good news, preach to them. But there's one more element in there from Isaiah 61. It was a big part of the Messiah's job, especially the anointed 1 in Isaiah 61. What is he going to do? Preach to the prisoners. But where's John? He's in prison. So John might be very concerned that his disciples are going to assume Jesus can't be the Messiah because he let John die. John is still in prison. Come on, Jesus, if you're the Messiah, you are the one who set captives free. Jesus does all of the works of the Messiah, but John's not getting out of prison. He is going to stay there and he is going to be martyred. And Jesus is also going to be killed. He is going to set prisoners free. Not from dungeons, physical dungeons, but he is going to set those who have been oppressed by demons free. So there might be a complementary way of what John Paul II saying. I am not saying contradicts Aquinas at all, but I think they both can come together. John is sending his disciples to see the works of Jesus because miracles are a way of establishing Jesus credibility so that when John dies, they will know that the Messiah did come and that he's the Christ.

[A]

Yeah, I think that's. I totally agree with that. I think that's so important. And Jesus gives a coded message, in a sense, you know, are you the Messiah? Are you he who is coming to come or not? And you would think that's a yes or no question. And Jesus gives a coded message, go tell John what you see and hear. You know, the deaf hear the lame walk. You know, the lepers are cleansed and the poor have the good news preach to them. And he's given a coded message for those who have ears to hear. They'll know, oh, that's Isaiah 35, which talks about the new Exodus and the new creation that will happen in the desert. And it's Isaiah 61, which talks about all these healings. And so you have these two great prophetic images from the prophet Isaiah that Jesus has just given a coded message. And Jesus knows, John knows the Scriptures of Israel. Well, John knows the book of Isaiah really well. And so Jesus knows John will understand this coded message. And yet if that gets relayed to Herod or to the Romans, well, you know, he didn't say he was the Messiah. He said he was going to heal people who were sick, you know, so there's no political danger there. So Jesus is able to stay under the political radar and yet give a legitimate answer to John's question that he is the devil.

[B]

It's almost like he's wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

[A]

There we go, right there. Put into practice and modeled for us. Yeah. So, you know, we only have two minutes left. Michael, anything you want to summarize or what they should prepare for for chapter 11, right.

[B]

I would say really important to Keep reading Matthew 11. Look in particular at what Jesus says about his relationship to the father in chapter 11. But the big thing we want to take away from what we've seen so far. Jesus sends the disciples out. Not all are going to believe in him. Even John the Baptist is going to send disciples with questions, are you the Messiah? And yet Jesus persists and we're going to discover he accomplishes his mission even in the face of such skepticism and doubt.

[A]

Well, I look forward to our next Bible study. These are always so much fun and I hope that you're enjoying them. And I want to give a special thanks to everybody who's written us some wonderful thank you notes. And so we're just super grateful that so many of you are benefiting from being a member of Formed and watching our shows and our Bible study. It means a lot to our staff when we get these encouraging letters. So I'm grateful for everyone who's responded, grateful for everybody who's responded so far to our August appeal. You know, our matching gift for the mission circle. You know, our goal is really ambitious. We want to add 4,000 people, if we can, to the mission circle in the month of August. That will help us for the rest of our fiscal year and support our ministry here. We're building a new studio here and we're trying to get some staff to help us. So any support you can give us will be much appreciated. And also don't forget your priests. As Michael said at the end of chapter 10, you know, whoever goes forward as sent in Jesus name, we want to receive them in Jesus name and we want to thank them. And so make sure you thank your pastor especially for your form subscription. Let's give a shout out and thanks to our pastors and May the Lord bless and keep you. Take care.