Sermon - AudioMatt 11 - Reading
Matt 11 - Audio
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Matthew 11
v. 3-5 – John is probably questioning Jesus because the coming Messiah was understood to bring blessing on those who repented and judgment on those who did not. Jesus’ ministry is in line with the prophetic promises of Isaiah that Jesus recalls…the blind shall see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead rise, and the good news preached to the poor.
v. 6 – Matthew probably recorded John’s struggle with doubt, not to condemn John, but to encourage future disciples whose faith would be tested by hardships.
v. 11 – “greater than he” – Those in the kingdom of heaven have the greater privilege because they have actually entered the kingdom (in its new covenant reality) and become participants in the new covenant through the blood of Jesus.
v. 14 – Before John’s birth, he was designated as the one who would minister in the “spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), fulfilling Malachi’s prophecy.
v. 16-17 – The people are like selfish and stubborn children always insisting on their own way. The people reject the gospel because John and Jesus do not conform to their expectations and do what they want.
v. 20-24 – Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum were cities where Jesus did most of his miracles and the people still rejected his mission and remained unrepentant. Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities and were known for their Baal worship and materialism. Sodom was the epitome of “sin city”. Jesus says that even Sodom would have repented if it had witnessed his miracles and the reality of the kingdom.
v. 25 – “these things” refers to the messages of the kingdom.
1 comments:
some more thoughts on this passage
11.2: John has disciples therefore like Jesus he is a rabbi.
11.3ff: John expects a Messiah who will bring judgment, Jesus is a Messiah who brings healing and hope. Jesus lets John know he is different than John expected, but still the Messiah. John may also have some concern here since he is facing death. Will Jesus exercise his power and set John free from prison? Notice, that while in Luke 4 Jesus talks about setting prisoners free, he does not do so in his response to John. Jesus is telling John that he will not get out of prison.
11.7: “Reed swayed by the wind” a prophet who lets the way the wind is blowing impact his message. John was not such a prophet and so he ends up in jail.
11.12 ”From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” To understand this passage one needs to find the Old Testament background The bottom line of this all is that the kingdom is breaking into the world, and we are to follow the king and bring his kingdom into the world in ever greater ways.
11.17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ No matter what we do, you are not happy, John comes as an ascetic type guy that people are not happy, Jesus comes more freely entering into life and people are not happy—no matter what God does, or who he sends people find some reason to reject them, even if the reason is exactly the opposite of what their first complaint was.
11.20-24: What makes these interesting words is the cities are among the most devout cities in Israel. Plus 5 of Jesus’ disciples come from Bethsaida. What did his disciples think when he said these things?
11.28: Come to me… The yoke in this passage refers to the teaching of Jesus. Jesus’ rest that comes to us comes by having teaching that brings us life.
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