Matthew 11:16-30 New King James Version (NKJV)
16 “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, 17 and saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.’ 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 winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”
Woe to the Impenitent Cities
20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”
Jesus Gives True Rest
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the oneto whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
I confess during this pandemic, and during this social uprising that I grow tired of talking. I’m just tired, tired of people calling this disease a hoax while people I know die, go in to comas, get placed on ventilators. Tired of people acting like racism doesn’t exist, care more about a beach being closed than people’s access to civil rights. They care more about statues for people who I am just tired. You give people your experience with an issue, they say that people need to look at both sides, or they say that what happened was a one off, an isolated experience. You give them facts, studies, statistics they say the numbers are fake. It becomes a draining work, the people I’m talking to never seem satisfied, and it has me using my energy in places that I don’t need to use them, and it feels wasted.
I find it interesting that this is the passage for the lectionary this week. The text in Matthew falls right after what scholars call the second major discourse. Before the passage read some disciples of John, while John is in prison by the way, have come to Jesus asking him, “are you the one or should we search for another?” Is Jesus the savior, or do we need to keep looking? Seriously? John baptized Jesus, God opened the skies when John did it, not only that but the Spirit came down like a dove on Jesus, God spoke and said this is my son in whom I am well pleased… but the people still had some questions. Not people who heard about it, but people who were actually there. Like kids playing games and in the middle of the game, the somebody changing the rules of the game so that they can have a better chance of winning. John and Jesus had the same goal they just went about it differently. John talked about judgement and and condemnation, John was talking in Matthew 3 when he said.
Matthew 3:12 New King James Version (NKJV)
12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Separating the wheat and chaff and burning up the chaff.
Jesus talked about liberation and restoration Jesus responded to the question by saying
Matthew 11:4-5 New King James Version (NKJV)
4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Jesus hears the people talking and asking questions, and turns to talk to everyone and starts where we picked up in the reading. Talking about this generation not wanting whatever was put in front of them to bring them to God. While people look at this passage and think it is Jesus vs. John, it is really God vs. society. This generation is finding a problem with everything put in front to them.
I think about a conversation that sports analysts Will Cain and Bomani Jones were having about Nascar driver Bubba Wallace. For those who may not know Bubba Wallace is the only African American driver in the Cup races for Nascar. His driving crew found a noose in the garage he was supposed to use for a race in Talladega. Nascar got the FBI involved to investigate a possible hate crime. After the investigation of both Nascar and the FBI they found that the noose had been in the garage since late 2019, but that was the only garage that had a noose. Nascar searched over 1000 garages at all the race properties and found only 11 garages had knots tied, and only one had a noose tied. The FBI determined that no hate crime had been committed. Nascar fans already mad that their beloved confederate flag had been removed from properties wanted to call this a hoax. Will Cain said that false claims empowers racist Bomani said no racism empowers racists. They had a long conversation where Will Cain did not really back off his point arguing that any mistake Nascar made hurts the movement. Here is my problem, if I have to pitch a perfect game, dot every ‘I’, cross every ’t’, for you to even acknowledge racism, you don’t want to acknowledge it in the first place.
John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
This approach, to duck the conversation, or point out how wrong someone is in their approach, is what Dr. King was talking about when he said the greatest opponent to civil rights was not the KKK or White Councilor but the so called “moderates.” People find a way to not be all the way in.
The cities that Jesus mentioned Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, Jesus performed miracles there, they were supposed to be the “good” cities, the cities that had their acts together, they saw the miracles God performed. Those cities had people who intellectually understood and believed in the miracles Jesus did, but did not repent. Repent in the Bible is a psychological term, literally to change your mind, change the way you think. Have some actions that prove you don’t feel the same way. People in those cities intellectually processed what Jesus did, but did not change their lives behind it. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but I won’t live my life like it. I believe that people shouldn’t go hungry but I’m not trying to go down to the food bank and volunteer. I believe domestic violence is wrong but I’m not supporting a battered women’s shelter. I understand homelessness is a plight we have to fight as a community but I don’t want them coming by my church. I’m not racist believe that racism is wrong but I won’t actively support people or organizations who speak on it. All talk, no action and I’m tired of it.
In the silence, some other people fill the space, that is why a Priest in Carmel Indiana can fix his mouth to say that the Black Lives Matter movement are "maggots and parasites”
Because the so called silent majority is looking for someone to be perfect before they even consider hearing the argument we get others making these kinds of comments.
John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
During a week of patriotic celebration, how can we fail to reflect on the ways in which our own generation understands—and fails to understand—the reasons for dancing and the reasons for weeping. We are so often and so easily lulled by the other songs and voices of our culture. Not only do we miss the moments that matter; we regularly dance when we ought to mourn for a world whose burden is heavy and for a people who need rest.
Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16) (Feasting on the Word: Year A volume) . Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.
Although Jesus says cities like Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, had opportunities, saw miracles and did not repent, cities like Tyre and Sidon will be better off in the day of judgement. Because although they are labeled bad cities because they can turn around and still be considered good.
To turn a phrase God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called. Jesus speaks on helping the lowly, the innocent, the children, those who do not have their act all the way together.
Karl Barth insisted that righteousness always requires favoring the “threatened innocent, the oppressed poor, widow, orphans and aliens…. God always stands unconditionally and passionately on this side and on this side alone: against the lofty and on behalf of the lowly; against those who already enjoy right and privilege and on behalf of those who are denied and deprived of it”
Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16) (Feasting on the Word: Year A volume) . Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.
Jesus Yoke is easy and burden light, Jesus is inviting us to work in him for life giving work for the kingdom. His yoke is easy and burden light, not because it is absent a struggle, but because there are no man-made unnecessary burdens put on you. No one moving the goalposts, changing the rules, not accepting you even though you keep changing things to make them feel better. Jesus work in discipleship is to elevate us all.
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