Matthew 11:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Saviour offers further evidence by stating that if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who must come. As Scripture declares, I will send you Elijah the Tishbite, who will turn the heart of the father to the son (Malachi IV, 5, 6). Therefore, if you are attentive, you will recognize that he is also Elijah, for Scripture notes, I will send my messenger before your face (ibid., III, 1). The Saviour’s declaration that he wishes for us to receive serves to illustrate that He does not force anyone. I do not compel you, He states. Through these words, He prompts them to reflect earnestly and reveals that John is Elijah and Elijah is John: both embraced the same role as forerunners. Thus, He did not merely assert, This is Elijah, but rather, If you are willing to accept it, this is Elijah; that is, if you discern the unfolding events attentively.

The Lord invites us to be receptive, which means to evaluate with righteousness and without envy. This describes the individual whom the prophet Malachi referred to as the impending Elijah. Both the Forerunner and Elijah share a similar purpose: one heralded the first Advent, while the other will announce the second. To illustrate that this is a parable revealing that John embodies Elijah, and to emphasize the need for contemplation to grasp this truth, He proclaims, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matt. 11:15).

The phrase, "If ye would know, he is Elijah," presents a profound mystery that requires careful interpretation, as further dialogue from the Lord indicates: "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." If the meaning were straightforward, there would be no need for preparation to comprehend it. Thus, John is referred to as Elijah not in the manner of certain heretics and irrational philosophers who claim a doctrine of soul transmigration, but rather as emphasized in another Gospel account (Luke 1:17; Matt. 17:12), indicating that he will arrive in the spirit and strength of Elijah—that is, he will be endowed with a similar measure of the Holy Spirit. The severity and temperance displayed in the lives of both Elijah and John mirror one another.

The Jewish people anticipate the arrival of Christ to occur following the coming of Elijah who will herald His return. This expectation is rooted in the prophecy of Malachi, which states, “And behold, I will send you Elijah the Thessite... who shall turn the heart of the father to the son” (Mal. 4:5, 6). While it is true that Elijah will announce the second coming of Christ, John the Baptist paved the way for His first coming.

What does the Lord mean when He refers to John saying, ‘And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come’? It is known that John faced execution at the hands of Herod. How can he be considered Elijah again? The response is that the Lord, in His divine manifestation, sent John ahead of Him in the spirit and power of Elijah. John is aptly referred to as Elijah, reflecting the equality of grace and a similar mission. He serves as both the conclusion of the Law and the introduction of the Good News, acting as a guide for a way of life that transcends the Law, much like Elijah, who is destined to precede God's second coming in the flesh. This event marks the conclusion of our current existence and the commencement of a new future. In a similar manner to John, Elijah also faces death for the sake of truth, at the hands of a rationally understood Herod.

He refers to John as Elijah, equating him with Elijah in spirit and strength. The statement, being somewhat ambiguous, was intentionally left to the discernment of those capable of grasping its meaning. Furthermore, the angel Gabriel proclaimed about him, "And he shall precede before him in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk. 1:17), indicating that he is indeed Elijah, albeit in a different form.

I understand that what I say may seem improbable to you, but if you examine the occurrences with care, and if you are willing to accept the truth—if you think rationally and without bias—you will recognize that John is indeed the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning Elijah. However, he is not the resurrected Elijah from ancient times who is to appear before My Second Glorious Coming at the Final Judgment. Instead, John came in the spirit and power of that ancient prophet.

In describing John as the final prophet, Jesus acknowledged a widely held Jewish belief that Elijah would return prior to the arrival of the Messiah. Malachi prophesied, "I will send Elijah the prophet to you before the coming of the day of the Lord, great and terrible" (Malachi 4:5). This prophecy clearly pertains to the momentous day when God's final judgement upon humanity will occur, which is associated with the Second Coming of Christ. Malachi foretold of John as a messenger who would prepare the path for the Lord; this messenger would not be Elijah himself but would come in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). This revelation was given to John's father, the priest Zacharias, by the archangel Gabriel.

After the departure of John's disciples, the Savior turned to the crowd and offered John the highest commendation possible for a man. "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet," Christ continued, "the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." This means that, despite John's significant stature as a prophet of the Old Testament, any individual who directly listens to Christ and genuinely embraces faith in Him possesses a greater claim to enter the new kingdom than even this esteemed prophet, who was akin to a new Elijah announcing the arrival of that kingdom. "Let anyone who has ears to hear heed this!" the Savior concluded his profound remarks about John.

The phrase "If you are willing to accept" indicates that Christ's message was so distinct from the established beliefs of the Jews that it could provoke skepticism regarding His words. This was especially true given that John's imprisonment did not align with the Jewish understanding of what Jesus intended to convey about him. The reference to "He is Elijah" pertains to the great prophet who ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). The prophet Malachi prophesied that Elijah would be sent before the Messiah to prepare His way (Malachi 4:5, 6). This did not imply that the historical Elijah would return, but rather a figure analogous to him, or as described in the Gospel of Luke, someone who would come "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17).