(part 1) What kind of king? What kind of kingdom? Read Matthew 11:1 - 14: 12

This is an amazing part of the Gospel. We really need to let the "Gospel commands" from the sermon of Matthew 5-7 sink in to us in a way that will very organically match up now with what Jesus is giving us as the definitive answer to: "what kind of king? what kind of kingdom?"
It will be very important toward the end of this section that you and I are able to answer with a "yes" as the other disciples do when Jesus asks them, "Have you understood all these things?"
"What kind of king?" and "What kind of kingdom?" are questions of much more than mere theoretical interest for John the Baptist. As we consider the movement from one window into John's life-and-death circumstances, to the next of these windows, they form the perfect book ends for all the material in these chapters. With both John's appeal and his plight our understanding of this King and His kingdom is reinforced.

Mat 11:2-6
Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Go 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 up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. "And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me."

Then we have material on a King who reigns in a new spirit and a motivation without defect. A Spirit and motivation of perfect loyalty to God. A Spirit and motivation fitted to the person wholly dependent on one Sufficiency. A king who reigns in his Kingdom under His father and over His subjects through the sheer obedience of faith. Wholly content with His Father, and with no guile for any creature, He reigns in His hidden kingdom, hidden in a mixed response to His life and teaching. Patiently, purposefully, and with the good pleasure found in the fellowship of God and man, He reigns all the way to the great judgment when the good creation will be wholly submitted to the good creator.

Mat 14:10-13a
[Herod] sent and had John beheaded in the prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus. Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself...;.

Read this section of Matthew again to understand and stand under this King and this Kingdom. Blessed is he who is not offended with Jesus.