The Testimony Given to John the Baptist

John the Baptist and the Pharisees, James Tissot (1836-1902), Brooklyn Museum

The testimony given by Jesus to the Baptist is reported in Matthew 11:1-27. Jesus answers a question transmitted to him by his emissaries. The narrative forms a thematic unit (pericope) centered on the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah, human reactions to his mission (from John the Baptist to the unbelieving cities), and divine sovereignty in the revelation. However, traditional exegesis does not conceive it as a single unified pericope but as a sequence of interconnected sections that gradually lead to faith. The biblical text itself shows marked transitions, suggesting a compilation of speeches and events rather than a continuous narrative. This Matthew account is comparable to the parallel accounts in Luke 7:18-35 and Luke 10:13-15.

For Maria Valtorta (EMV 266), it is instead a coherent sequence of the same event: the arrival of the Disciples of the Baptist who come to question him. Matthew is the only witness disciple, having injured himself and unable to go evangelize like the others (cf. Matthew 11:1).

The questioning of exegesis

The unity of the narrative in question

Contemporary exegesis considers that it is not a single narrative unit (pericope) but a set of several units, probably derived from diverse traditions, which Matthew assembled within the narrative framework of chapter 11. It is somewhat like a thematic dossier built around a central idea: the reaction of men to the person of Jesus: openness or refusal.

The text is usually divided as follows:

1. Matthew 11:1 – Narrative transition (conclusion of the missionary discourse).
2. Matthew 11:2–6 – The question of John the Baptist.
3. Matthew 11:7–15 – Praise of John and reflection on the coming of the Kingdom.
4. Matthew 11:16–19 – Parable of the children in the marketplace: the refusal of this generation.
5. Matthew 11:20–24 – Curses Against the unbelieving cities (Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum).
6. Matthew 11:25–27 – The exultation ("I praise you, Father...").

These units show different styles, themes, and audiences, suggesting they did not originally form a single block.

Violence and the Kingdom

Matthew 11:12 is one of the most difficult verses in the Gospel because its Greek translation (due to its verb biazetai) can lead to two grammatically possible but very different meanings:

• "The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and violent men seize it."
• "The Kingdom of Heaven forces its way violently, and vigorous men seize it."

Three currents of exegesis arise:

1. A negative interpretation, very present in modern exegesis: since the appearance of John the Baptist, the coming of the Kingdom triggers violent hostility from his opponents. John is indeed in prison, Jesus announces to the Apostles sent on a mission the persecutions they will face.
2. A positive, patristic, and spiritual interpretation, still defended today: the Kingdom demands vigorous commitment, total decision. The disciple must renounce, struggle, persevere to conquer it. It is linked to the decisive effort found elsewhere.
3. A mixed interpretation, the most adopted today: the Kingdom advances with power (forces its passage) and at the same time, “violent” men try to seize it. The context oscillates indeed between acceptance and refusal (11:7–24). The Kingdom divides, shakes, compels one to take a stand.

In Maria Valtorta

Contextualization

Jesus takes advantage of the great summer heat, less conducive to long journeys, to send his Disciples, two by two, to evangelize the surroundings — "the lost sheep of Israel". They gather in Capernaum every weekend for the Sabbath. The second week, Matthew could not leave because he had injured his foot. Thus, he is the only apostle to witness what happens when emissaries of the Baptist, imprisoned in the fortress of Machaerus, arrive.

The arrival of the Disciples of the Baptist

Jesus is surrounded by a swarm of requests of all kinds. The healing of the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue, which occurred two months earlier, is on everyone's mind. Jesus "turns to the poor and the sick — and in many cases, they are both — and listens kindly to their complaints, gives monetary help, advises with words, heals by the laying on of hands and by the word. Matthew, beside him, distributes the money."

He is occupied by the case of a widow: her carpenter husband leaves a family of seven in misery; he had not finished his orders and squandered the savings on drink. Jesus promises to come finish the unfinished work, which shocks no one because most rabbis also had a profession. It is then that three Disciples of the Baptist arrive, only one of whom has already met Jesus: Manaen, the foster brother of Herod Antipas, which attracts a crowd of onlookers.

The question of John the Baptist

The Baptist, arrested following a betrayal, has been imprisoned in Machaerus since Passover. He tried to encourage his Disciples to become those of Jesus. Some have already done so, but others think doing so would betray their master. He thus urges them to question Jesus directly: "Go find him and say to him, in my name: Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?" Jesus answers by referencing Isaiah whose prophecy he fulfills. He demonstrates its reality by the healings and benefits he has just performed. "Tell this to John. And tell him that I bless him with all my love." — "Thank you, Master," respond the envoys. "Bless us also before we depart." But Jesus keeps them until evening to spare them the stifling heat of this August month. This time is used for a long teaching of which Maria Valtorta says nothing.

The praise of John and the coming of the Kingdom

The two Disciples leave at the end of the day. Manaen stays. "Many people from Capernaum have gathered to see this departure, because the news of the arrival of John’s Disciples and Jesus’ reply to them spread throughout the country and, I believe, also to neighboring countries. I see people from Bethsaida and Chorazin, who presented themselves to John's envoys asking about him and sending their greetings."

They discuss a striking miracle that finally convinced the Disciples. The account of the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus and her testimony finish convincing them: "I do not remember what death is. But I remember that an angel called me, making me pass through a light that grew increasingly bright at the end of which was Jesus. And as I saw him then, with my spirit returning to me, I no longer see him now. You and I now see the Man, but my spirit saw the God enclosed in the Man." This prompts a discussion in the crowd about John’s merits compared to those of Jesus. Several lament that he is strict to the point of seeming harsh.

Jesus then intervenes with a long praise which he concludes thus: "Among those born of Woman, there has never risen one greater than John the Baptist." Yet the least in the Kingdom of Heaven will be greater than he is as a man. For someone of the Kingdom of Heaven is son of God and not son of Woman. Therefore, all strive to become citizens of the Kingdom."

The force to conquer the Kingdom of Heaven

The idea that the Baptist will be surpassed by the least in the Kingdom leads some to question: Will the Baptist be in the Kingdom and how will he be there? Jesus then describes the Violence of the efforts (like those practiced by the Baptist) that one must exert on oneself to conquer the Kingdom.

"He, in his spirit, is already of the Kingdom and will be there after death as one of the brightest suns of the eternal Jerusalem. And this because of the Grace, which in him is without defect, and because of his own will. For he has been and is violent even with himself, for a holy end... From the Baptist onward, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who know how to conquer it by force opposed to Evil, and it is the violent who conquer it."

He justifies this determination by the proclamation he inaugurates and that the Baptist announced:

"For now it is known what must be done and all is given for this conquest. It is no longer the time when only the Law and the Prophets spoke. They spoke until John. Now it is the Word of God that speaks and it does not hide an iota of what must be known for this conquest. If you believe in Me, then you must see John as Elijah who is to come. Let him who has ears to hear, hear."

The imprecation Against this generation and the unrepentant cities

It is the distance between this announcement for the Kingdom and the reception from men that motivates the imprecation Against this generation:

"It is like those described by children sitting in the marketplace, calling to their companions: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’."

And Jesus extends his comparison: "Truly I tell you, only the very little ones recognize the truth because there is no malice in them." Jairus next calls to mind that his daughter was able to see what the surrounding cities failed to discover. The inhabitants protest. Jesus then formulates his imprecation Against Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum because "the gift of God must never be despised nor used to do evil," but he adds: "However, since God is just, for those of Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin who have believed and sanctify themselves by obeying my word, great mercy will be shown. For it is not just that the righteous should be included in the ruin of sinners."

The exultation

In the approaching evening, Jesus cites children in his surroundings who "are without malice [and] already see God." Their pure faith "works in them, united to heavenly wisdom and to the desire for charity that adults do not possess."

It is then the exultation which Jesus extends beyond the three verses of Matthew's Gospel:

"I thank you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, for hiding these things from the wise and learned and revealing them to little ones. It is thus, Father, because this is how it pleased you to do it. All has been entrusted to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. And I have revealed it to the little ones, to the humble, to the pure, for God communicates himself to them, and the truth falls like a seed on free soil, and upon it the Father rains his lights so that it takes root and produces a plant. Truly, the Father prepares these spirits of those who are little in Age or in their will so that they may know the truth and I may have the joy of their faith."

The contribution of Maria Valtorta’s account

Modern exegesis sees Matthew 11 as an assembly of distinct pericopes, gathered around the theme of the human response to Jesus (acceptance or refusal). The text is often perceived as a "thematic dossier" rather than a coherent narrative unit.

Maria Valtorta’s account, on the contrary, restores a fundamental narrative unity by contextualizing the events in a defined frame of time and space (summer, Capernaum, Presence of injured Matthew, arrival of emissaries of John the Baptist). She humanizes the characters and situations. The text is no longer an assembly, but a living story where each element mutually illuminates the others. The question of John, Jesus' praise, the parable of the children, the curses Against the cities, and the final exultation form a coherent whole centered on the response of faith and the spiritual Violence necessary to enter the Kingdom.

John’s question is not the expression of doubt on his part, but an act of humility and faith, and Jesus’ response is an invitation to see the truth in his works and in love. The notion of "Violence" is rehabilitated as a spiritual virtue, a force of the soul necessary to overcome obstacles and fully adhere to the Kingdom. The exultation is not only a prayer but a pedagogy of faith: God reveals himself to those who are available, and this revelation is a source of joy for Christ himself.

Analysis of the historical, cultural, and literary context of Biblical texts to better understand what they meant at the time they were written and how they can be interpreted today.

People who analyze the historical, cultural, and literary context of Biblical texts to better understand what they meant at the time they were written and how they can be interpreted today.