Matthew 11:7 (KJV)

Passage

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?

Nearby Context

Matthew 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Matthew 11:6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Matthew 11:7 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?

Matthew 11:8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.

Matthew 11:9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "departed", "jesus", "began", "multitudes", "concerning", "john", "went", and "wilderness". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "departed" and "jesus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And blessed is he whosoever shall not..." into verse 8's "But what went ye out for to...", so "departed" and "jesus" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "departed" and "jesus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.