and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus states, "He is Elijah," but adds the crucial caveat, "if you are willing to accept it." This highlights that recognizing John the Baptist as the prophesied Elijah wasn't just about historical fact, but required a willingness to embrace a truth that defied the people's preconceived expectations.
and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is addressing the crowds who had witnessed John the Baptist's ministry and are now encountering Jesus' own. Following a message from John questioning Jesus' identity, Jesus praises John's significance, stating he is greater than a prophet and fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy of Elijah's return. Jesus then contrasts the people's fickle reception of John with their equally unresponsiveness to his own ministry, lamenting their lack of repentance despite the miracles they've seen.
When Jesus calls John the Baptist 'Elijah who is to come,' it sounds like a simple identification. But for the people listening, it was a bombshell!
The Old Testament prophet Malachi foretold that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah to prepare the way (Malachi 4:5-6).
Jewish Expectations
Many Jews expected Elijah to literally return in person, perhaps alongside other prophets.
Jesus' Interpretation
Jesus, however, revealed that John was Elijah not in physical identity, but in 'spirit and power' (Luke 1:17). John fulfilled Elijah's role as a fiery, bold messenger, confronting the religious elite and calling Israel to repentance before the Messiah's arrival.
Jesus didn't just state facts; He called people to a decision. Why the emphasis on 'if you are willing'?
Jesus' statement about John being Elijah wasn't just an announcement; it was an invitation to embrace a truth that might be uncomfortable.
Challenging Expectations
The people had a very specific idea of how the Messiah's arrival and His forerunner would look. John, living in the wilderness and confronting the powerful, didn't fit their comfortable picture.
The Will's Role
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Jesus knew that accepting John as Elijah meant accepting the radical message John preached – a call to repentance and a radical shift in thinking about God's kingdom. True understanding often requires more than just hearing; it requires a willingness of the heart to embrace what God is revealing, even if it disrupts our expectations.
Understand the original words
Ēlias · Hebrew/Greek Proper Noun
A major Old Testament prophet associated with zeal for God, reform, and specifically prophesied to return as a herald for the coming of the Day of the Lord. In the New Testament, he serves as the archetypal forerunner of the Messiah.
The Jewish people widely expected Elijah to return in person before the Messiah. Jesus' declaration that John the Baptist *is* Elijah was a significant reinterpretation, challenging their preconceived notions and highlighting that John fulfilled Elijah's role in 'spirit and power' rather than literal return.
c. 400 BC
Malachi's Prophecy
The prophet Malachi foretells the coming of a messenger, often understood as Elijah, who will prepare the way for the Lord's coming.
c. 20 BC - AD 27
John the Baptist's Ministry Begins
John the Baptist starts his public ministry in the wilderness of Judea, calling people to repentance and baptizing them.
c. AD 27-28
Jesus Begins His Public Ministry
Jesus is baptized by John and begins His own public ministry, gathering disciples and teaching throughout Galilee.
c. AD 28— this verse
Jesus Sends Messengers to John
John the Baptist, imprisoned by Herod, hears about Jesus' ministry and sends disciples to ask if Jesus is the expected Messiah.
c. AD 28
Jesus Affirms John's Identity
In response to John's question, Jesus points to His miraculous works as evidence of His identity and declares John to be the Elijah foretold by prophecy.
This passage directly prophesies the coming of Elijah before the 'great and dreadful day of the LORD' to reconcile families, which Jesus explicitly links to John the Baptist in Matthew 11:14.
Luke 1:17This verse describes John the Baptist as going 'before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah,' directly echoing the fulfillment Jesus points to in Matthew 11:14.
Matthew 17:10-13After Jesus' transfiguration, when asked about Elijah, Jesus states that Elijah has indeed already come, referring to John the Baptist, thus reinforcing the identification made in Matthew 11:14.
John 1:21When asked if he was Elijah, John the Baptist denies being Elijah, which makes Jesus' affirmation in Matthew 11:14 a reinterpretation of the prophecy, emphasizing a spiritual, not literal, fulfillment.
barnesMatthew 11:14: "And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come."
If ye will receive it - This is a mode of speaking implying that the doctrine which he was about to state was different from their common views; that he was about to state something which varied from the common expectation, and which therefore they might be disposed to reject. This is Elias ... - That is, "Elijah." Elias is the "Greek" mode of writing the Hebrew word "Elijah." An account of him is found in the fir…
calvinMatthew 11:7-15: "And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?"
- And as they were departing, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, What went you out into the wilderness to see? A reed, which is shaken by the wind? 8. But what went you out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? [8] Lo, they who wear soft clothing are in the houses of kings. 9. But what went you out to see?…
Jesus states, "He is Elijah," but adds the crucial caveat, "if you are willing to accept it." This highlights that recognizing John the Baptist as the prophesied Elijah wasn't just about historical fact, but required a willingness to embrace a truth that defied the people's preconceived expectations.
Jesus is addressing the crowds who had witnessed John the Baptist's ministry and are now encountering Jesus' own. Following a message from John questioning Jesus' identity, Jesus praises John's significance, stating he is greater than a prophet and fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy of Elijah's return. Jesus then contrasts the people's fickle reception of John with their equally unresponsiveness to his own ministry, lamenting their lack of repentance despite the miracles they've seen.
Jesus is addressing the crowds who had witnessed John the Baptist's ministry and are now encountering Jesus' own. Following a message from John questioning Jesus' identity, Jesus praises John's significance, stating he is greater than a prophet and fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy of Elijah's return. Jesus then contrasts the people's fickle reception of John with their equally unresponsiveness to his own ministry, lamenting their lack of repentance despite the miracles they've seen.
"and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come." — Jesus states, "He is Elijah," but adds the crucial caveat, "if you are willing to accept it." This highlights that recognizing John the Baptist as the prophesied Elijah wasn't just about historical f…
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Last reviewed October 2026