Verses 2 to 6 relate to John the Baptist's enquiry about Jesus, relayed by his messengers. Verses 7 to 19 recount Jesus' assessment of John's ministry.
Verses 2–3
2Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?[3]
Having set out in verse 1 "to teach and to preach in their cities", verses 20-24 give an account of Jesus' condemnation of the cities of Galilee for their refusal to repent. Jesus worked most of his miracles or "deeds of power" in these cities.[4]
True rest
Verse 25
At that time, Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.[5]
German Protestant theologian Karl Theodor Keim called this text a "pearl of the sayings of Jesus".[6]Pope Francis has noted with support that Pope Benedict XVI "often pointed out that the theologian must remain attentive to the faith lived by the humble and the small, to whom it pleased the Father to reveal that which He had hidden from the learned and the wise”.[7]
Verse 27
All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.[8]
"Come unto me" (Greek: δεῦτε πρός με, deute pros me): also in Matthew 4:19, where the Greek: δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου, deute opiso mou, is often translated as "follow me".[11] In verse 28 there is less thought of the process of coming than in the very similar invitation in John 7:37.[12]
^e.g. King James Version, Revised Standard Version
^Joseph S. Exell; Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones (Editors). The Pulpit Commentary. 23 volumes. First publication: 1890. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.