Matthew 11:20-30

Matthew 11:20-24 Judgment for those who do not respond

To understand this passage, you need to know where these cities are.

Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were cities in Galilee (the province where Jesus grew up, in the northern part of Israel).  Recall that when Jesus began his public ministry after John the Baptist was arrested, he moved to Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:13).  The other two towns were within 5 miles of Capernaum.  These were places where Jews lived and Jesus preached.

Tyre and Sidon were north of Israel.  They were pagan or Gentile cities on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the province of Syria.

Jesus rebukes Capernaum using a quote in Isaiah 14:13-15 about being exalted or brought down that is a prophecy against the king of Babylon.  (Similarly, Ezekiel 26:20 says that Tyre will be brought down to the Pit – i.e., the place of the dead.)

Barclay tells us that the Greek word for “woe” in “Woe to you,” which is sometimes translated as “Alas,” “expresses sorrowful pity [at] least as much as it does anger” (The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2, p. 13, emphasis in the original).  Liddell and Scott similarly describe the word as an exclamation of pain and anger (A Greek-English Lexicon, entry for οὐαί).  Why might Jesus be feeling sadness or pain for them?

How might things go better on Judgment Day for pagans in Tyre and Sidon, and the people in Sodom (the proverbial Old Testament example of evil), than for the Jews that Jesus is talking to here?

Do you think that some non-believers might find a better reception on their day of judgment (i.e., when they die) than some people who are part of the faith/church?  Explain.

Matthew 11:25-30 Rest for those willing to accept Jesus’s yoke

Matthew now eases up on the heavy tone.  There are two parts to this little passage: a discussion of who receives wisdom and an invitation to come to Jesus and find rest in his yoke.

Verses 25-27

Who receives an understanding of God’s message and who does not?

Jesus calls attention to the “infants” (NRSV) or “childlike” (NABRE) in contrast with the supposedly wise and educated people.  Many commentators interpret the “infants” as referring to the simple, uneducated people who were embracing Jesus (including his disciples) even as the scholarly scribes and those who followed them were not (Harrington, p. 50; (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Matthew 11:25-27 fn., p. 26).

If “infants” means the simple, uneducated people, what is Jesus saying about them in comparison to the scribes and others who think they are wise?

Why do you think this upside-down result happens, that the scholarly are unable to grasp what the simple people understand?

Jesus is not condemning intellectual exploration.  If we thought he was, we wouldn’t be participating in this Bible Study.  How can we use the scholarly and intellectual gifts God has given us and still make sure we are on the right side of this simple vs. wise divide?

Barclay suggests, “We must be careful to see clearly what Jesus meant here.  He is very far from condemning intellectual power; what he is condemning is intellectual pride” (The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2, p. 15).  False wisdom thinks it knows better than God.  Simple wisdom submits itself under the tutorship of God.

Jesus praises God that the childlike are the ones who “get it.”  They are the ones who receive the revelation from God and accept it.  Does it seem like Jesus almost enjoys the idea that the wise and intelligent are less able to “get it” than the childlike?  If so, why might that be?  How does it fit with God’s general approach to humanity?

How can we be more like the “infants” and not be found lacking like the “wise and intelligent”?

In verse 26, Jesus says to the Father: “such was your gracious will” (NRSV).  Do you think it was God’s gracious will that the simple received Jesus’s revelation, that the “wise” did not, or both?

Verse 27 sounds like many things Jesus says in the Gospel of John: Jesus’s relationship with God is as the relationship of Father and Son.  How does he describe that relationship?

Verse 27 suggests that if it weren’t for Jesus, we couldn’t know God; we can know the Father only because Jesus chooses to reveal the Father to us.  This means our knowing God is a privilege, not a right.  What does this say to you?

How is verse 27 important in your life?

The fact that Jesus “knows” the Father suggests a real intimacy (he doesn’t just know about the Father).  Jesus us draws us into that intimacy.  How fully do you think Jesus wants us to know the Father?

Who falls within the category of the “anyone” to whom Jesus chooses to reveal the Father?  Is this an exclusive little club?  If not, what is the implication of this point?

Do you show appropriate appreciation for Jesus’s decision to allow you to know the Father?  How do you show that appreciation?

Are there things you can do to invite more people to, through Jesus, know the Father?

Verses 28-30

In verses 28-30, Jesus offers us a tremendous invitation.

What does the fact that Jesus says to you, “Come,” mean for you in your life?

Jesus recognizes that many are weary and carry heavy burdens.  How is it important that he knows that?

What do you think it means when he says, “I will give you rest”?  What do you think “rest” means, in practical and spiritual terms?

What is a yoke?

What does a yoke symbolize?

A yoke symbolizes submission – a willingness to submit to the direction of the one who places the yoke on us.  In this meaning, it also symbolizing being given guidance and direction.  But a yoke also means an opportunity for service.

Animals were yoked when it was time to work.  How can taking on a yoke provide “rest”?

We are not animals, and the yoke is not literal.  This is some kind of metaphor.  What do you think it means?

The rabbis saw the Torah –  the Law of God – as a yoke.  Jesus, in effect, replaces the Torah-giver (i.e., God) with himself: God gave the Torah as their yoke; now Jesus is giving them his teachings and his guidance as our yoke.

How does Jesus describe his yoke?

What do you think it means when Jesus says his yoke is “easy”?

Barclay says “easy” means “well-fitting,” so it doesn’t chafe (The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2, p. 19).  Perhaps that means we don’t feel constrained or bound when we take Jesus’s yoke.  How can that be?

In what ways is Jesus’s burden “light”?  Many people resist faith in Jesus because they think Christianity involves a heavy load of rules to follow.  How is Jesus’s burden “light”?

How can Jesus’s well-fitting yoke produce rest for our souls?  We know physical rest.  What is “soul” rest – rest for our souls?

Describe a time when you made a conscious decision to accept Jesus’s yoke/direction even though it wasn’t what you really wanted to do.  How did that go?  Was the yoke as difficult as you expected?

What do you need to do at this point in your life to accept and lean into Jesus’s yoke more fully or effectively?

Take a step back and consider this:

We noted above that a yoke is a symbol of submission.  Some people find it harder than others to accept direction from another person.  Some people just want to be their own boss.  In the same way, some people find it easier than other people to accept direction from God.  The people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum found it difficult to accept Jesus’s leadership.  The scribes and their followers found it difficult to accept Jesus’s authority.  The religious leadership couldn’t imagine itself taking direction from him.

How good are you at taking direction from God and submitting to his guidance?

What are the circumstances or times where it is easier or harder for you to let go of your own plans and do what God is calling you to do?  Why are those times easier or harder?

A master doesn’t explain to a service animal why the animal is being asked to do what is required.  But Jesus does in many cases (not always, but often) tell us the “why.”  He has revealed to us his plan to transform us into his image, to shine his light to others, to address the needs of the least among us, to love even difficult people so that they too can come to love him, to share his good news with others, etc.  How does knowing the big picture goals of the Lord help as we try to embrace his yoke in our lives?