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Matthew 11:16-30 Key Verse: 11:29 TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU ¡°Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.¡± In this passage Jesus criticised the generation of his time for their spiritual indifference and stubbornness. But he did not give up on them but told the truth again. Jesus declared again he is the only way to God. Also, he told them to take his yoke so that they may take a true rest. I pray through today's message, we may come to Jesus more closely and take a rest in him. I pray we may invite people of our time more passionately to find a true rest in Jesus, our Lord. I. Woe to you! Look at verse 16, 17 "To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: / "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' In verse, 16, 17 Jesus uses a comparison to describe the generation of his time. There were children sitting in the marketplace. They are asking their friends to play with them. At first the children played the flute. Maybe they wanted to play bride and bridegroom. However, their friends did not dance to the flute. They did not even listen to the sound. Then the children sang a slow, sad song in order to play funeral. But this time too, their friends did not show any response. They did not even pretend to mourn to the sad melody. In verses, 18, 19, Jesus explains the meaning of his comparison. John the Baptist told people to repent their sins. Jesus also taught the same lesson. But the people ignored both of them. John the Baptist lived in the desert. He did not drink wine or eat delicious food. Then, people regarded him as a crazy desert man. Jesus was quite different from John the Baptist. Jesus taught people in the villages. Jesus ate with people and really enjoyed fellowship with them. Then, they criticized Jesus for being a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. They were just like the friends in the parable who did not show any interest in any requests of the children. Their hearts were so stubborn like hard rocks. They were so insensible to the truth of God. Now Jesus began to denounce the generation. Look at verses 21-24. ¡°Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.¡± Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum were the cities in Galilee where Jesus did many miracles. Jesus¡¯ miracles revealed the power of God and the love of God. So Jesus expected they would accept him as the Savior from God. However, they did not show any interest. They did not listen to Jesus' words. They just criticized or even attacked him. Jesus compared these cities to Tyre, Sidon and Sodom. Tyre and Sidon were denounced for their wickedness by Israel¡¯s prophets (Isa 23; Jeremiah 25:22; 47:4; Ezekiel 26-28). Sodom was terribly destroyed with fire and brimstone from heaven. But Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum were more wicked than these Gentile cities. They would be punished on the day of judgement. Tyre, Sidon and Sodom would be more bearable on the last day. Indifference and stubbornness is also common on the campus these days. It is more and more difficult to find out the one who has spiritual desire to know God and to study the Bible. We declared the message of repentance like John the Baptist. We taught the lessons of Jesus on the forgiving love of God. However, they commonly regard these words as unprofitable, so unimportant matter. "I am busy. I don't want to waste time." This is the most frequent response we met from this generation. Then, what should we do? Do we have to let them alone? Do we have to give up our mission to teach the Bible? Now think over what Jesus did for the stubborn generation of his time. II. This was your good pleasure. Jesus was not disappointed with the situation. But first of all, Jesus turned to God and praised him. To Jesus, their indifference and stubbornness was not strange or discouraging. It matched God's principle. Look at verses 25-26. ¡°At that time Jesus said, ¡®I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.¡¯¡± The truth of salvation is revealed to modest people like children. They willingly and simply accept forgiving love of God. On the other hand, the truth is hidden to arrogant people who thinks they are wise and learned. So it was not strange that the Jewish people rejected Jesus and his words. They thought they were wise and learned because they knew Moses' law. They sticked to their own way so tightly that they could not open their eyes to the new lesson of Jesus. Now, in verse 27, Jesus confirms he is the only way to God. God committed all things to Jesus for salvation work. So only when Jesus reveals God, can they know God and receive God's saving grace. Usually, when we want to meet an important person, we must find a contact who can introduce us. When we want to know God, Jesus is our contact person. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, ¡°For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.¡± All the other things in the world cannot lead us to God. Jesus alone can bring us to God. III. Take my yoke upon you. After praising and confessing to God, Jesus invited the people to God again. They were arrogant and stubborn, but he did not give up on them. Look at verse 28. ¡°Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.¡± The generation of Jesus' time depended on Moses' laws to take a rest from their sins. But the laws just gave them just sense of guilt and fear of death. These days many people numb themselves by chemicals or alcohol to reduce fear and anxiety. However all of these are just temporary measures. In this world, there is no way medicine to save the weary and burdened souls. Jesus opens his hearts and throws his arms wide to embrace anyone who comes to him. Jesus promises that the weary and the burdened will find rest in him. It is this Jesus that can root up our sin problems. Only when we come to Jesus, we can find a true rest from our sins. Levi was the weary and the burdened with his selfish desire. As a tax collector, he made a lot of money, but his soul was tormented with guilt and fear. Jesus accepted this weary and burdened Levi as his disciple. Jesus drove fear out of his heart. He took away his shame. In this great love of Jesus, Levi became St. Matthew, who testified the true rest in Jesus boldly and passionately. In verses 29 and 30, Jesus explains in other words what it is to come to him and to take a rest in him. Look at verses 29-30. ¡°Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.¡± In ancient times, farmers used a yoke to plow the fields. They joined two oxen together with the yoke (1Ki 19:19). However, the two joined oxen was not the same in their size and power. The farmers usually joined a strong, mature ox to a younger, inexperienced one. So, the two oxen did not share the same weight. The larger, stronger one bore most part, while the smaller one took very little. The younger one had only to learn how to work. Gradually, the younger one became mature to plow the field and to train other oxen. When Jesus told us to take his yoke, it means Jesus and we take the yoke together like the two joined oxen. Jesus is like the larger ox, while we are like the small, inexperienced one. As the larger ox, Jesus bears almost all the burden for us. Jesus bears our sins. He takes away our fear and guilt. He goes ahead of us and leads us to the safe place. What we have to do is just follow him. We have only to learn Jesus by asking his will and obeying his words. With Jesus, we don't have much to plow the fields. Truly, our burden is light and our yoke is easy. The generation of Jesus' time took the yoke of Moses' law. They tried to achieve holiness of God on their own effort. How difficult and how burdensome their life was! But when we are connected with Jesus, we do not have to struggle to bear our burden of sins. When we work with Jesus, we have only to gain from Jesus the spiritual power to live a holy life. In Jesus, life is not a hard labor. It is a kind of enjoyable rest. These days, many people take the yoke of money and success. They believe it will save them. They believe it will give them a rest. They desperately struggle to reach the goal. But we do know what a terrible pressure their burden is. There is no rest in their life. It is not so surprising that they suffer from depression, voidness, or even impulse to commit suicide. This year I hope we, as disciples of Jesus, will take Jesus' yoke more actively and find more rest in him. I hope we will learn Jesus more and more by taking his yoke. This year, I hope we, as shepherds for the students, will actively introduce students to the easy yoke of Jesus. The students may not show interest in our flute and drum. However, we should not give them up just as Jesus did not give up the generation of his time. We have to keep telling the truth to the end. Jesus¡¯ invitation to his yoke is the most precious, the most important one since it gives us salvation and true rest. I pray the true rest in Jesus' yoke may fill our life this year. I pray that this year our Bible students may enjoy the wonderful rest in the yoke of Jesus, our Lord. Prayer Most gracious Father, thank you for today's words. Father, please help us to come to Jesus and take his yoke. Please grant us the grace to learn Jesus and have a true rest in Jesus' yoke. Father, there are so many people who are suffering from heavy burden of life by taking wrong yoke. Please help them to know Jesus' yoke. Please send us to them so that we may introduce Jesus and his yoke. Please bless English worship service so that the heart of all attendees may be full of the true rest in Jesus. |