What miracles in Matthew 11:4 demonstrate Jesus' fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy?

Setting the scene

John the Baptist, imprisoned and wrestling with doubts, sends disciples to ask Jesus if He truly is “the One who was to come.” Jesus answers, not with philosophical arguments, but with visible, undeniable works.

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What Jesus points to (Matthew 11:4–5)

“Go back and report to John what you hear and see:

• ‘The blind receive sight and the lame walk,

• the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear,

• the dead are raised,

• and the good news is preached to the poor.’ ”

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Miracles listed

• Blind receive sight

• Lame walk

• Lepers are cleansed

• Deaf hear

• Dead are raised

• Good news preached to the poor

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Prophetic foundations

• Blind see – Isaiah 35:5; 42:6–7

• Lame walk – Isaiah 35:6

• Lepers cleansed – Anticipated in Isaiah 53:4 and the Messianic healing motif of Leviticus 14

• Deaf hear – Isaiah 35:5

• Dead raised – Isaiah 26:19; foreshadowed in 1 Kings 17:17-24 and 2 Kings 4:32-37, but perfected by the Messiah

• Good news to the poor – Isaiah 61:1

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Why these signs prove fulfillment

• They match the exact order and content of Isaiah 35 and 61, two passages every first-century Jew recognized as Messianic.

• No prophet before Jesus fulfilled all of them together; each sign converges in Him.

• The miracles are physical, public, and verifiable—confirming that Old Testament prophecy is literal and trustworthy.

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Takeaway

By pointing John to these specific works, Jesus anchors His identity in Scripture itself. The miracles in Matthew 11:4-5 are not random acts of power; they are deliberate fulfillments of God’s ancient promises, declaring that the long-awaited Messiah has come and His kingdom is breaking in.