Matthew 11:10
Saturday, 28 June 2025
For this is he of whom it is written:
‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’
Matthew 11:10
“For this, he is about whom it has been written, ‘Behold, I, I send My messenger before Your face, who, he will prepare Your way before you’” (CG).
In the previous verse, Jesus told the people that they had gone out into the wilderness to see more than a prophet. Now, He continues that thought, saying, “For this, he is about whom it has been written.”
As noted in the previous commentary, this means that a specific prophecy was written about John. Thus, in this instance, he is the subject and fulfillment of the prophecy. The Lord, seeing the ministry of John as a precursor to the coming of Christ, spoke of him.
But He did not only do it through Isaiah as noted in the previous verse. He also spoke of John through the words of Malachi, saying, “Behold, I, I send My messenger.”
The words come from Malachi 3:1, where the Lord speaks first of John as a messenger and then Jesus as the Messenger of the covenant –
“‘Behold Me – Sending My messenger,
And turned way to My faces
And instantly comes unto His temple,
The Lord, whom you seek,
And Messenger the covenant,
Whom you – delighted.
Behold! Coming!’
Said Yehovah Sabaoth.” Malachi 3:1 (CG)
John is the messenger sent by the Lord. His ministry was to be “before Your face.”
In other words, another is being referred to by the Lord. It was understood from the prophecy that this would be Israel’s Messiah. By taking these words and combining them with the other prophecy about John from Isaiah, a logical deduction can be made –
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.’” Isaiah 40:3
From these words, the One John was to prepare the way for, was the Lord, Yehovah. Malachi says, “before Your face” concerning the Messiah. Thus, unless one denies a literal reading of the text, it can be deduced that the “Your” is referring to Yehovah. That continues to be seen in the words, “who, he will prepare Your way before you.”
The same word, panah, that is used in Isaiah 40:3 is used in Malachi 3:1. It signifies to turn. In this particular sense, the turning is a form of preparation. Taking both verses and understanding the reference, meaning that of John the Baptist and his work of preparing the way for another, it is understood that he is the herald of the Messiah, who is Yehovah incarnate.
This was the greatness of the ministry of John, and it is one of the reasons why Jesus says that he is more than a prophet. His role in the stream of redemptive history is unparalleled in comparison to any other prophet.
Life application: If you are on the sidelines in your thinking concerning Jesus’ deity, you should probably question your salvation. You may have believed in Jesus, but which Jesus were you presented with?
The Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the incarnation of Christ. The Jesus they proclaim is not the Jesus of the Bible. The same is true with Mormonism. These heresies, along with other teachings concerning Jesus’ deny the truth that Jesus is God incarnate.
However, Scripture clearly presents Him as such. In fact, from an honest reading of competently translated Scriptures, one will come to no other conclusion than the Bible reveals that God would personally intervene in the stream of human existence and restore humanity to Himself.
This may not be fully understood by the reader, but it is a truth that should not be denied. Not fully understanding something does not necessarily equate to unbelief. Paul not only speaks of “another gospel” in Galatians 1:7, but he also refers to both another gospel and “another Jesus” in 2 Corinthians 11:4.
Belief in a false gospel will result in a false security based on a false salvation experience. The gospel conveys the truth that God incarnate, Jesus Christ, accomplished all that is necessary for salvation. Believe this and be saved.
O God, we believe that You united with humanity to restore us to Yourself. We may not understand all that means, but we accept it by faith. You have done it! Thank You, O God, for the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord to redeem us and give us eternal life in You. Amen.
