Matthew 11 begins by noting that Jesus prepared and instructed His disciples to minister in His name in preparation for His death and resurrection. John the Baptist, who was jailed, sent word inquiring whether Jesus was really the Messiah. From John’s vantage point in jail, Jesus did not appear to be prevailing as the conquering King, nor was His Kingdom reigning and ruling as John had hoped it would. John’s doubts grew. Jesus responded to John’s line of questioning with a report of miraculous happenings: he had been healing the blind, the lame, the lepers, and the deaf, and had raised the dead. Jesus reminded John that He indeed was who John thought He was.
Jesus then said that John the Baptist was the greatest man of his time, because john had introduced the Savior to the world. The Israelites heard and knew of the prophecies about this Savior, and they heard and saw the miracles that he performed, yet it was not enough to lead them to believe that Jesus was in fact the One.
The chapter continues with more rejection of Jesus. The Israelites were not ready to repent, and Jesus did not fulfill their expectations for a Messiah. Jesus offered them a different way to relate to God that did not include their religious leaders.
Instead, Jesus offers himself to all of us. We all have the option to believe, just like the Israelites did, and to receive the Savior and enter the Kingdom of heaven.