St. Matthew

Chapter 11

The beginning section of chapter 11 addresses John the Baptist. He answers the question of John’s disciples, are you the one? Jesus answer in encoded with Messianic expectation, “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” These are all the ingredients of the Messianic age that is to come. Jesus through this prophetic code revealed in Isaiah lets John and all the disciples know that he is the one, the Messiah who was promised, and that the Messianic age has begun.

The character of John the Baptist himself is one of the signs to the validity of Jesus’ claim. The prophet Malachi announced that the Elijah would return and announce the coming of the Messiah. Matthew quotes Isaiah in identifying John as the messenger in the wilder announcing the way home. Jesus compares John the Baptist to Elijah as John has in fact fulfilled Elijah’s role. John announced the coming of Jesus the Messiah and the entrance of the new age. People did not listen. Matthew is very critical of “the generation” who did not listen. He quotes an old saying, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.” The quote talks about the unexpectedness of this Messiah. He was not what the people expected or wanted. Jesus did not fit the bill and they responded in like by not accepting or believing in him. In truth, they accused Jesus of being in league with the devil.

Such refusal has grave consequences. He reproaches Chorazin and Bethsaida. These are both Jewish communities in the region of Galilee. In the face of the signs and deeds of great power, they did not repent of their rejection. The invective says that even the gentile communities of Tyre and Sidon, who were not part of the covenant would have repented had they seen such signs. They had no good reason to believe in the first place will have it easier than those of the Old Covenant because they had all the signs and they still hardened themselves against the evidence. Even Sodom would have repented at such signs. Even a city of such great sin would have turned and escaped its destruction. Sodom will be better off than those places that should have known better and rejected the Messiah.

Herein lies the great mystery of God, that wise and the intelligent missed the obvious, while “infants” received him openly and gladly. This theme is repeated many times. The weak find strength and the strong find weakness. To find your life you must loose it, and to loose your life for the sake of Jesus you find it eternally. Jesus has been given all things.

Verses 28-30 present the opportunity to share a life with Jesus. Jesus offers his disciples, all those who follow him a yoke that will not weigh them down. As a yoke joins to animals and makes a team out of them, so now Jesus invites us into his yoke where he shares with his disciples the load of life. This is a yoke far easier to bear than the old yoke of the law because Jesus bears this yoke with us.

The Rev. Dr. Kipp W. Zimmermann

Tuesday, May 16, 2006