|
|
|
BACKGROUND INFORMATION Introduction {16} "But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, {17} 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.' {18} For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; {19} the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds." The phrase, "this generation", is common language for "unbelieving generation." Jesus is talking, not to the disciples, but to a crowd of people. He compares them to children, hardly a compliment. In Jesus’ analogy of children playing in the marketplace, one group wants to play a happy game, e.g. wedding, but the other group will not play. So the first group tries to get them to play funerals, but they reject that too. Jesus is talking about himself and John the Baptizer, the one who was there to prepare the way for Jesus. John’s message and his followers was like children imitating a funeral. His message of coming judgment was too threatening. The children playing a wedding game are like Jesus, who comes announcing the peaceable kingdom of love and forgiveness. Both are rejected for not being "spiritual" enough. But in the end the wisdom of God will prevail. {25} At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; {26} yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. Jesus is still speaking to the crowd when he appears to pray. Those who hear Jesus' message and respond are called "infants," for theirs is a childlike faith. What these "infants" have had revealed to them is the knowledge that Jesus' miracles are not just isolated acts of wonder, but are signs of the approaching kingdom of God. Only those with childlike faith, not those who boast great wisdom, are able to recognize these signs of the kingdom. {27} All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Jesus is not pictured as a religious genius who has discovered the divine mystery. He is the beloved Son who is on intimate terms with the Father. Even apart from human creation…even if we did not exist, the Father and Son have an intimate relationship. {28} "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. {29} 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. {30} For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." There were religious burdens imposed by scribes and Pharisees on Jews of that day. Jesus is speaking about these burdens when he offers this invitation to the people. Anyone who is put off by the pretensions of human religion…Come to Jesus. Let’s talk about yoke. A yoke is a wooden frame placed over the necks of two oxen to pull a plow or cart. Do not be misled by the word "easy," for its root word in Greek speaks directly of the tailor-made yokes: they were "well-fitting." The yoke Jesus invites us to take, the yoke that brings rest to weary souls, is one that is made exactly to our lives and hearts. The yoke he invites us to wear fits us well, does not rub us nor cause us to develop sore spirits and is designed for two. His yokes were always designed for two. And our yoke-partner is none other than Christ himself. To facilitate this "rest," this new concept of faithfulness to the Sabbath spirit, Jesus offers believers a new "yoke." Not only is the yoke "easy" and the burden "light," the baggage is knowledge which Jesus shares with the new believer ("learn from me"). This yoke is "his" because Jesus also wears it. Believers are called to join him, not just to be loaded down with a new law while he watches. Jesus offers new ways to understand, to think and (in the new yoke) to do. WHAT GOD MIGHT BE SAYING TO US TODAY Jesus is speaking to people with a small vision. When you look at the world do you tend to cast a narrow or a wide view? There are times in our lives when we look at life through a narrow tube. We see only a small part of God, others, and the world. This is what people were doing with John the Baptizer and Jesus. One of the characteristics of people with small visions is that they tend to be quick to make judgments. This is because the more we look at someone or something with a narrow field of view, the more comfortable we become with that picture. We bond with that vision. We like what we see. We don’t want it to change. One way we deal with those who would try to expand our vision is to place labels on them. Oh, that John the Baptizer has a demon! That Jesus of Nazareth is a glutton and a drunkard! Labels give us reasons not to deal with the possible change that threatens to enter our field of vision. What labels have you placed on someone because you wanted to hold on to your vision of life? I have a label maker here. It’s purpose is to create labels to stick on stuff we want to organize. A label helps us know where something is. A label tells us a tiny bit of information about the thing we want to find. Labels are not a bad thing to put on things. But labels can be bad when we place them on people. That’s because a label has limits. A label can’t tell all you can know about someone. It can only tell you a small part, and that small part is not always the most important part. Do people think of you in a way that is not a very important part of who you are? People can slap a label on us as a speedy driver simply because we got one ticket for going 10 miles over the speed limit 20 years ago! That label can stay with us for a long time, not because we like it, but because others will not let us forget it! Placing a label on someone is the same as calling them a name. And we all know that one of the hotbeds of name-calling is our schools. When I was a student at Lincoln Elementary School in Hamilton, Ohio, there was a boy who seemed to fit the classic image of a nerd. He wore long sleeved shirts buttoned all the way up to his neck. His shirt pocket was stuffed with ink pens. At one time I even remember him wearing broken glasses held together with adhesive tape. Even his name fit the image...Norman Neuberger III. Norman was always proud of those three Roman numerals at the end of his name. I wonder what kinds of scars all the kids at school burned into Norman's heart...the teasing and ridicule must have made him feel like dirt. God help us all when we reject people simply because they are different. We can put all kinds of energy into maintaining narrow visions. We invest lots of time and effort into placing labels on others and then looking for evidence to back up our labels. It gets tiring. Growing weary is the consequence of many experiences: We can be weary of waiting; We can be weary of studying and learning; We can be weary of fighting the enemy; We can be weary of criticism and persecution. There are lots of things in life that are fine in themselves, but our strength has its limits . . . and before long fatigue cuts our feet out from beneath us. The longer the weariness lingers, the more we face the danger of that weary condition clutching our inner self by the throat and strangling our hope and our motivation. But let's understand that God does not dispense strength and encouragement like a druggist fills your prescription. God doesn't promise to give us something to TAKE so we can handle our weary moments. God promises us God’s Self. That is all. And that is enough. Remember the yoke. Jesus has a custom-made yoke just for you. It’s a tool to help us pull the plow, to do the work of God’s kingdom, to be his disciple. There’s an old story about a little boy who was out helping his dad with the yard work. Dad asked him to pick up the rocks in a certain area of the yard. Later the dad looked over and saw him struggling to pull up a huge rock buried in the dirt. The little boy strained while Dad watched. Finally, the boy gave up and said, "I can't do it." Dad asked, "Did you use all of your strength?" The little boy looked hurt and said, "Yes, sir. I used every ounce of strength I have." The father smiled and said, "No you didn't. You didn't ask me to help." The father walked over and then the two of them pulled that big rock out of the dirt. Whatever burden you face today…whatever labels are being thrust upon you…whatever rock stands in your way… Remember that yokes are always designed for two. Remember that Jesus is beside us to walk with us through the rocky soil of life. He speaks these words to you and me, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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." Offering prayer |
The St. John Web Site needs your input! Click here to leave feedback Copyright © 1998-2004 Jon S. Dawson. Last modified: February 01, 2009
|
07.07.02 - BYOB (Matthew 11: 16-19. 25-30)
