Matthew 11

John the Baptist seems like quite a character with an unusual lifestyle. He was some sort of relative of Jesus but they didn't travel together. Evidently John didn't know Jesus very well because in this chapter he is moved to ask Jesus if He was in fact the Messiah. John has been announcing the imminent arrival of the Messiah, and then he apparently doesn't recognize Him when He comes. So he asks a direct question. "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

Based on the way Matthew's writing has gone so far, I would expect Jesus to reply with Old Testament prophecies proving that He is the Messiah. He could mention some prophecies already fulfilled such as being born in Bethlehem, born to a virgin , from the line of David, coming out of Egypt, living in Nazareth, etc. You want to know if I'm the Messiah? Check me out against the scriptures you know. Instead, he replies with a list of things He's done. Tell John the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the sick are well, and the dead live again.

Jesus doesn't give a biblical proof of Himself, He gives anecdotal evidence. This is what the world today doesn't understand. They want a proof of God. "Science can be proven, or at least tested. Can you do that with God?", they ask. I can not prove to you that God exists and acts in our lives, but I can show you what He's done. It's the classic analogy of the wind. You can't see it but you can see the effects of it. That's what Jesus did here. He didn't say, "I'm the Messiah because of ___", instead He said "I've done these things. Do YOU think I'm the Messiah?"