Now the disciples of John told him all about these things. Then John, having heard in the prison the works of Christ, called to him two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, saying, "Art Thou He that cometh, or are we to expect another?" Now when the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist hath sent us to Thee, saying, 'Art Thou He that cometh, or are we to expect another?'" In that hour, He healed many of diseases and scourges and evil spirits; and to many blind, He gave sight. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Go, tell John what ye have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor hear the gospel preached; and blessed is he who shall not be offended at Me."

Now when the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those that wear soft raiment, thatare clothed gorgeously and live in luxury, are in the palaces of kings. But what went ye out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say to you, and much more than a prophet. This is he about whom it is written:

"'Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face Who shall prepare Thy way before Thee."

"Verily, I say to you, among those born of woman, there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; but he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, is greater than he. But from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is taken as by violence, and violent ones are eagerly seizing upon it; for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who was to come. He that hath ears, let him hear.

"But to what, then, shall I liken the men of this generation, and to what are they like? They are like little children sitting in a marketplace and calling to their playmates, one to another, saying, 'We piped to you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not weep nor beat your breast."

"For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and ye say, 'He hath a demon." The Son of man hath come eating and drinking, and ye say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners." And wisdom is justified by all her children."

And all the people and the tax-collectors hearing it, justified God, having been baptized by John's baptism. But the Pharisees and the scribes rejected the counsel of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.