The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Parallel translations
- WEB the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
- KJV The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
- BSB The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
- NASB those who are blind receive sight and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
- NLT the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus lists His healings and gospel preaching, echoing Isaiah's portrait of the Messiah. These works confirm that the promised age has dawned in Him.
Overview
Jesus' summary deliberately echoes Isaiah 35:5-6 and 61:1, prophecies of God's saving reign. The healing of the blind, lame, deaf, and lepers, the raising of the dead, and good news to the poor signal that the Messiah has come. The climactic note that 'the poor have good news preached to them' shows the kingdom's heart of grace.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 36
- Isa 35:4–6Tell those who have a fearful heart, “Be strong. Don’t be afraid. Behold, your God will come with vengeance, God’s retribution. He will come and save you.
- Isa 61:1–3The Lord Yahweh’s Spirit is on me; because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to those who are bound;
- Isa 42:6–7“I, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and make you a covenant for the people, as a light for the nations;
- Luke 4:18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,
- Isa 29:18In that day, the deaf will hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind will see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
- Luke 7:21–22In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits; and to many who were blind he gave sight.
- John 14:11–12Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
- Jas 2:5Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?
- Matt 15:30–31Great multitudes came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them,
- Matt 21:14The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.
- Acts 14:8–10At Lystra a certain man sat, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked.
- John 11:43–44When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
- Acts 3:2–8A certain man who was lame from his mother’s womb was being carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask gifts for the needy of those who entered into the temple.
- Ps 146:8Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind. Yahweh raises up those who are bowed down. Yahweh loves the righteous.
- John 10:25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me.
- John 5:36But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John, for the works which the Father gave me to accomplish, the very works that I do, testify about me, that the Father has sent me.
- Isa 43:8Bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears.
- John 10:38But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
- Acts 4:9–10if we are examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,
- Matt 9:30Their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, “See that no one knows about this.”
- Matt 9:24–25he said to them, “Make room, because the girl isn’t dead, but sleeping.” They were ridiculing him.
- 2 Kgs 5:14Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
- Ps 22:26The humble shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise Yahweh who seek after him. Let your hearts live forever.
- 2 Kgs 5:7When the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his clothes, and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me to heal a man of his leprosy? But please consider and see how he seeks a quarrel against me.”
- Luke 7:14–16He came near and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”
- Isa 66:2For my hand has made all these things, and so all these things came to be,” says Yahweh: “but to this man will I look, even to he who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word.
- Ps 72:12–13For he will deliver the needy when he cries; the poor, who has no helper.
- Mark 7:37They were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes even the deaf hear, and the mute speak!”
- Matt 8:1–4When he came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
- John 2:23Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he did.
- John 3:2The same came to him by night, and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”
- Mark 9:25When Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to him, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!”
- Matt 10:8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give.
- Matt 5:3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Zech 11:7So I fed the flock of slaughter, especially the oppressed of the flock. I took for myself two staffs. The one I called “Favor”, and the other I called “Union”, and I fed the flock.
- Acts 2:22“Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him among you, even as you yourselves know,
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 11:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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