Matthew 11
BBCMatthew 11:1
VII. INCREASING OPPOSITION AND REJECTION (Chaps. 11, 12) A. John the Baptist Imprisoned (11:1-19) 11:1 Having sent the twelve on the special temporary mission to the house of Israel, Jesus departed from there to teach and to preach in the cities of Galilee where the disciples had previously lived. 11:2, 3 By now John had been imprisoned by Herod. Discouraged and lonely, he began to wonder. If Jesus were truly the Messiah, why did He allow His forerunner to languish in prison? Like many great men of God, John suffered a temporary lapse of faith. So he sent two of his disciples to ask if Jesus really was the One the prophets had promised, or if they should still be looking for the Anointed One. 11:4, 5 Jesus answered by reminding John that He was performing the miracles predicted of the Messiah: The blind see (Isa_35:5); the lame walk (Isa_35:6); lepers are cleansed (Isa_53:4, cf. Mat_8:16-17); the deaf hear (Isa_35:5); the dead are raised up (not prophesied of the Messiah; it was greater than the predicted miracles). Jesus also reminded John that the gospel was being preached to the poor in fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy in Isa_61:1. Ordinary religious leaders often concentrate their attention on the wealthy and aristocratic. The Messiah brought good news to the poor. 11:6 Then the Savior added, And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me. On other lips this would be the boast of a supreme egotist. On Jesus’ lips, it is the valid expression of His personal perfection. Instead of appearing as a colorful military general, the Messiah had come as a humble Carpenter. His gentleness, lowliness, and humiliation were out of character with the prevailing image of the militant Messiah. Men who were guided by fleshly desires might doubt His claim to kingship. But God’s blessing would rest on those who, by spiritual insight, recognized Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Messiah. Verse 6 should not be interpreted as a rebuke to John the Baptist. Everyone’s faith needs to be confirmed and strengthened at times. It is one thing to have a temporary lapse of faith and quite another to be permanently stumbled as to the true identity of the Lord Jesus. No single chapter is the story of a man’s life. Taking John’s life in its totality, we find a record of faithfulness and perseverance. 11:7, 8 As soon as John’s disciples departed with Jesus’ words of reassurance, the Lord turned to the multitudes with words of glowing praise for the Baptist. This same crowd had flocked to the desert when John was preaching there. Why? To see some weak, vacillating reed of a man, shaken by every passing wind of human opinion? Certainly not! John was a fearless preacher, an embodied conscience, who would rather suffer than be silent, and rather die than lie. Had they gone out to see a well-dressed palace courtier, luxuriating in comfort? Certainly not! John was a simple man of God whose austere life was a rebuke to the enormous worldliness of the people. 11:9 Had they gone out to see a prophet? Well, John was a prophetin fact, the greatest of the prophets. The Lord did not imply here that he was greater as to his personal character, eloquence, or persuasiveness; he was greater because of his position as forerunner of the Messiah-King. 11:10 This is made clear in verse 10; John was the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy (Mal_3:1)the messenger who would precede the Lord and prepare the people for His coming. Other men had prophesied the Coming of Christ, but John was the one chosen to announce His actual arrival. It has been well said, John opened the way for Christ and then he got out of the way for Christ.11:11 The statement that he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he proves that Jesus was speaking of John’s privilege, not his character. A person who is least in the kingdom of heaven does not necessarily have a better character than John, but he does have greater privilege. To be a citizen of the kingdom is greater than to announce its arrival. John’s privilege was great in preparing the way for the Lord, but he did not live to enjoy the blessings of the kingdom. 11:12 From the opening of John’s ministry to his present imprisonment the kingdom of heaven had suffered violence. The Pharisees and scribes had vigorously opposed it. Herod the king had done his part to buffet the kingdom by seizing its herald. … And the violent take it by force. This statement is capable of two interpretations. First, the foes of the kingdom did their best to take the kingdom in order to destroy it. Their rejection of John foreshadowed the rejection of the King Himself and thus of the kingdom. But it may also mean that those who were ready for the King’s advent responded vigorously to the announcement and strained every muscle to enter. This is the meaning in Luk_16:16 : The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and every one is pressing into it. Here the kingdom is pictured as a besieged city, with all classes of men hammering at it from the outside, trying to get in. A certain spiritual violence is necessary. Whichever meaning one adopts, the thought is that John’s preaching touched off a violent reaction, with widespread and deep effects. 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. The entire volume from Genesis to Malachi predicted the coming of the Messiah. When John stepped out on the stage of history, his unique role was not just prophecy; it was announcing the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning Christ’s First Advent. 11:14 Malachi had predicted that before Messiah’s appearance, Elijah would come as a forerunner (Mal_4:5-6). If the people had been willing to receive Jesus as Messiah, John would have filled the role of Elijah. John was not Elijah reincarnatedhe disclaimed being Elijah in Joh_1:21. But he went before Christ in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luk_1:17). 11:15 Not all appreciated John the Baptist or understood the deep significance of his ministry. Therefore the Lord added, He who has ears to hear, let him hear! In other words, pay heed. Don’t miss the significance of what you are hearing. If John fulfilled the prophecy concerning Elijah, then Jesus was the promised Messiah! In thus accrediting John the Baptist, Jesus was reaffirming His claim to be the Christ of God. To accept one would lead to acceptance of the other. 11:16, 17 But the generation to whom Jesus was speaking was not interested in accepting either. The Jews who were privileged to see the Advent of their Messiah-King had no relish for Him or His forerunner. They were a conundrum. Jesus compared them to peevish children sitting in the marketplaces who refused to be satisfied with any overtures. If their friends wanted to pipe so they could dance, they refused. If their friends wanted to play-act a funeral, they refused to lament. 11:18, 19 John came as an ascetic, and the Jews accused him of being demon-possessed. The Son of Man, on the other hand, ate and drank in a normal manner. If John’s asceticism made them uncomfortable, then surely they would be pleased with Jesus’ more ordinary eating habits. But no! They called Him a glutton, a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners. Of course, Jesus never ate or drank to excess; their charge was a total fabrication. It is true that He was a friend of tax-collectors and sinners, but not in the way they meant. He befriended sinners in order to save them from their sins, but He never shared or approved their sins. But wisdom is justified by her children. The Lord Jesus, of course, is Wisdom personified (1Co_1:30). Though unbelieving men might slander Him, He is vindicated in His works and in the lives of His followers. Though the mass of the Jews might refuse to acknowledge Him as Messiah-King, His claims were completely verified by His miracles and by the spiritual transformation of His devoted disciples.
Matthew 11:20
B. Woes on the Unrepentant Cities of Galilee (11:20-24) 11:20 Great privilege brings great responsibility. No cities were ever more privileged than Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. The incarnate Son of God had walked their dusty lanes, taught their favored people, and performed most of His mighty works within their walls. In the face of this overwhelming evidence, they had stubbornly refused to repent. Little wonder, then, that the Lord should pronounce the most solemn doom upon them. 11:21 He began with Chorazin and Bethsaida. These cities had heard the gracious entreaties of their Savior-God, yet willfully turned Him away. His mind reverted to the cities of Tyre and Sidon which had fallen under the judgment of God because of their idolatry and wickedness. If they had been privileged to see the miracles of Jesus, they would have humbled themselves in deepest repentance. In the day of judgment, therefore, Tyre and Sidon would fare better than Chorazin and Bethsaida. 11:22 The words it will be more tolerable in the day of judgment indicate that there will be degrees of punishment in hell, just as there will be degrees of reward in heaven (1Co_3:12-15). The single sin that consigns men to hell is refusal to submit to Jesus Christ (Joh_3:36 b). But the depth of suffering in hell is conditional on the privileges spurned and the sins indulged. 11:23, 24 Few cities had been as favored as Capernaum. It became Jesus’ home town after His rejection at Nazareth (Mat_9:1, cf. Mar_2:1-12), and some of His most extraordinary miraclesirrefutable evidences of His Messiah shipwere performed there. Had vile Sodom, the capital of homosexuality, been so privileged, it would have repented and been spared. But Capernaum’s privilege was greater. Its people should have repented and gladly acknowledged the Lord.
But Capernaum missed its day of opportunity. Sodom’s sin of perversion was great. But no sin is greater than Capernaum’s rejection of the holy Son of God. Therefore, Sodom will not be punished as severely as Capernaum in the day of judgment. Lifted up to heaven in privilege, Capernaum will be brought down to Hades in judgment. If this is true of Capernaum, how much truer of places where Bibles abound, where the gospel is broadcast, and where few, if any, are without excuse. In the days of our Lord, there were four prominent cities in Galilee: Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Tiberias. He pronounced woes against the first three but not Tiberias. What has been the result? The destruction of Chorazin and Bethsaida is so complete that their exact sites are unknown. The location of Capernaum is not positive. Tiberias still stands. This remarkable fulfillment of prophecy is one more evidence of the Savior’s omniscience and the Bible’s inspiration.
Matthew 11:25
C. The Savior’s Reaction to Rejection (11:25-30) 11:25, 26 The three cities of Galilee had neither eyes to see nor heart to love the Christ of God. He knew their attitude was but a foretaste of rejection on a wider scale. How did He react to their impenitence? Not with bitterness, cynicism, or vindictiveness. Rather He lifted His voice in thanks to God that nothing could frustrate His sovereign purposes. I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.We should avoid two possible misunderstandings. First, Jesus was not expressing pleasure in the inevitable judgment of the Galilean cities. Secondly, He did not imply that God had high-handedly withheld the light from the wise and prudent. The cities had every chance to welcome the Lord Jesus. They deliberately refused to submit to Him. When they refused the light, God withheld the light from them. But God’s plans will not fail. If the intelligentsia will not believe, then God will reveal Him to humble hearts. He fills the hungry with good things and sends the rich away empty (Luk_1:53). Those who consider themselves too wise and understanding to need Christ become afflicted with judicial blindness. But those who admit their lack of wisdom receive a revelation of Him in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col_2:3). Jesus thanked the Father for ordaining that if some would not have Him, others would. In the face of titanic unbelief He found consolation in the overruling plan and purpose of God. 11:27 All things had been delivered to Christ by His Father. This would be a presumptuous claim from anyone else, but from the Lord Jesus it is a simple statement of truth. At that moment, with opposition mounting, it did not appear that He was in control; nonetheless it was true. The program of His life was moving irresistibly toward eventual glorious triumph. No one knows the Son except the Father. There is incomprehensible mystery about the Person of Christ.
The union of deity and humanity in one Person raises problems that boggle the human mind. For instance, there is the problem of death. God cannot die. Yet Jesus is God and Jesus died. And yet His divine and human natures are inseparable. So although we can know Him and love Him and trust Him, there is a sense in which only the Father can truly understand Him. But the high myst’ries of Thy Name The creature’s grasp transcend; The Father only (glorious claim!) The Son can comprehend. Worthy, O Lamb of God, art Thou, That every knee to Thee should bow! Josiah Conder Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and he to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. The Father, too, is inscrutable. Ultimately, only God is great enough to understand God. Man cannot know Him by his own strength or intellect. But the Lord Jesus can and does reveal the Father to those whom He chooses. Whoever comes to know the Son comes to know the Father also (Joh_14:7). Yet, after saying all this, we must confess that in seeking to explain verse 27, we are dealing with truths too high for us. We see in a mirror dimly. Not even in eternity will our finite minds be able to fully appreciate the greatness of God or understand the mystery of the Incarnation. When we read that the Father is revealed only to those whom the Son chooses, we might be tempted to think of an arbitrary selection of a favored few. The following verse guards against such an interpretation. The Lord Jesus issues a universal invitation to all who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him for rest.
In other words, the ones to whom He chooses to reveal the Father are those who trust Him as Lord and Savior. As we examine this invitation of infinite tenderness, let us remember that it was issued after the blatant rejection of Jesus by the favored cities of Galilee. Man’s hate and obstinacy could not extinguish His love and grace. A. J. McClain said: Although the nation of Israel is moving toward the ordeal of divine judgment, the King in His final word throws open wide the door of personal salvation. And thus He proves that He is a God of grace, even on the threshold of judgment. 11:28 Come. To come means to believe (Act_16:31); to receive (Joh_1:12); to eat (Joh_6:35); to drink (Joh_7:37); to look (Isa_45:22); to confess (1Jo_4:2); to hear (Joh_5:24-25); to enter a door (Joh_10:9); to open a door (Rev_3:20); to touch the hem of His garment (Mat_9:20-21); and to accept the gift of eternal life through Christ our Lord (Rom_6:23). to Me. The object of faith is not a church, a creed, or a clergyman, but the living Christ. Salvation is in a Person. Those who have Jesus are as saved as God can make them. all you who labor and are heavy laden. In order to truly come to Jesus, a person must admit that he is burdened with the weight of sin. Only those who acknowledge they are lost can be saved. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is preceded by repentance toward God. and I will give you rest. Notice that rest here is a gift; it is unearned and unmerited. This is the rest of salvation that comes from realizing that Christ finished the work of redemption on Calvary’s cross. It is the rest of conscience that follows the realization that the penalty of one’s sins has been paid once for all and that God will not demand payment twice. 11:29 In verses 29 and 30, the invitation changes from salvation to service. Take My yoke upon you. This means to enter into submission to His will, to turn over control of one’s life to Him (Rom_12:1-2). and learn from Me. As we acknowledge His lordship in every area of our lives, He trains us in His ways. for I am gentle and lowly in heart. In contrast to the Pharisees who were harsh and proud, the true Teacher is meek and lowly. Those who take His yoke will learn to take the lowest place. and you will find rest for your souls. Here it is not the rest of conscience but the rest of heart that is found by taking the lowest place before God and man. It is also the rest that one experiences in the service of Christ when he stops trying to be great. 11:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Again there is a striking contrast with the Pharisees. Jesus said of them, For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers (Mat_23:4). Jesus’ yoke is easy; it does not chafe. Someone has suggested that if Jesus had had a sign outside His carpenter’s shop, it would have read, My yokes fit well.His burden is light. This does not mean that there are no problems, trials, labor, or heartaches in the Christian life. But it does mean that we do not have to bear them alone. We are yoked with One who gives sufficient grace for every time of need. To serve Him is not bondage but perfect freedom. J. H. Jowett says: The fatal mistake for the believer is to seek to bear life’s load in a single collar. God never intended a man to carry his burden alone. Christ therefore deals only in yokes! A yoke is a neck harness for two, and the Lord himself pleads to be One of the two. He wants to share the labor of any galling task. The secret of peace and victory in the Christian life is found in putting off the taxing collar of self and accepting the Master’s relaxing yoke.