Repent & Rest

Introduction

I

There is one major truth that the book of Jonah wants to teach and that is the fact that God is compassionate. This book teaches this truth much to the chagrin of its protagonist. Jonah was called to preach to a people he did not want to see repent. He wanted to see that enemy city’s destruction.

Jonah, many of you know the story, ends up on a boat in the opposite direction and then in a fish. Then he’s vomited on the shore of the city. By the time he makes it a third of the way through the city with his lackluster message, the entire city repents.

Ironically, in our passage we will see almost the opposite. The Lord himself performed many miracles and taught for months in one particular city who refused to repent. Unlike the Ninevites, they are confident they can make it on their own.

N

We live in a day where the skeptic has won. No one is sure of truth. The truth is plainly in front of our eyes, but we ignore it yearning for something else. The confident strive to create and fashion ultimate meaning for themselves. The failure gives up and is constantly burdened by the weight of the unknown. We all strive for fulfillment. But will it ever be found?

T

Today, Jesus speaks about the consequences of rejecting plain truth. He also gives an invitation to rest from striving and burdens in that very truth.

R

We will be looking at Matthew 11:20-30

O

Christ’s intent, through penalty, through person, through plea.

Thrust:

Judgement & Man’s Responsibility

Jesus’s ministry and work was intended to illicit a specific response: repentance and devotion to him.

The intent behind any message we preach is to illicit particular response

The sin of apathy is worse than the sin of sodom.

Shift

God’s sovereignty & Grace

Knowledge of God is sovereignly placed in the hands of Jesus.

Judgement should be expected, what is shocking is grace (28-30)

Christ’s intent

Matthew 11:20–22 ESV

20 Then he began to denounce the cities where 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 done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

Revelation

Notice the plain fact in the text that Jesus is denouncing cities where his mighty works have been performed. Notice also the reason why he is denouncing these cities: because they did not repent. This tells us that Jesus had a particular goal in mind when performing miracles: not only to reveal who he is, but also to illicit a specific response: repentance. Yet these very cities where he has spent so much of his time do not repent, so he pronounces “woes” upon them.

“Woe” is a typical prophetic term that functions as the opposite of “blessing.” Essentially, Jesus is pronouncing a curse upon these cities for not responding. Chorazin and Bethsaida were cities close by to Jesus’s base of operations in Capernaum, so it makes sense that he would frequent those cities.

Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician cities that boardered the region of Galilee. They are often the subject of prophetic denunciation and represent arrogant opposition to God and his people. Yet, Jesus claims, even they would have repented if they saw his works.

The irony is that the people in Chorazin and Bethsaida who ought to be familiar with the Messianic predictions, like John the Baptist, ought to recognize the Messiah by his works. The pagans of Tyre and Sidon are often considered worse sinners by practice, but would have actually repented upon seeing Jesus’s works.

Relevance

If the intent of Jesus’s works was intended to get a particular response of repentance. This repentance was a specific turning away from sin and a turning to God through Christ.

I heard a liberal Lutheran pastor talk about Jesus’s call for us to make disciples. She mentioned that the Scripture plainly says we should call people to repentance but then said, “Okay, here’s where I’m going to make us uncomfrotable because we who are in progressive church circles don’t like the idea of running out of here and telling people to change because of Jesus. . . We who are more on the progressive side are so careful about not doing that, about not running into someone’s life and telling them to change. Sometimes telling people to change their hearts and lifes and minds is telling them you don’t have to hate yourself, God loves you. . . There are people who are perfectly happy in their faiths and don’t need to be converted to ours.”

Strange that people can call themselves followers of Jesus and purposefully refuse to do what Jesus told them to do.

If Jesus’s work was purposed to lead others to repent, shouldn’t that be our intent as well? What would it be otherwise? Just to get people into our camp? Our particular flavor of Christianity? Why? To get more fame or money? To get people to think more highly of us?

Jesus’s prophecy fulfilling work was focused on getting others to repent. If I have repented, then my work should be focused on getting others to repent. To turn away from sin and turn to Christ. My measure of success is not how many people look to me for guidance, but how deeply you yearn to turn to Christ.

But these cities did not respond with repentance. Let’s consider their response:

Through Penalty

Matthew 11:23–24 ESV

23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

In the previous passage, we meditated on Jesus’s intent. Here I want us to meditate on the cities’ response. Jesus turns now to Capernaum which has been his home base of operations. Jesus asks if they would be exalted to heaven. This is typical of those who exalt themselves. Isaiah 14:13 Isaiah says about the king of Babylon: “13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;”

Capernaum, we can infer, has pride and self-sufficiency preventing them from turning to Christ and repenting. But notice that they don’t kick Jesus out of the city. They don’t spit on him when he walks by. It’s not as though they are openly hostile to Jesus. Rather, they believe they have life figured out on their own and they are indifferent towards the wandering miracle worker.

But notice the judgement: They will be brought down to hades, which is representative of their destruction.

Then Jesus contrasts them with Sodom.

Sodom is known for being the example of the worse of worst of sinners. The whole town is corrupted. They chase after impure things, and gang together to get it no matter the cost. When they were blinded by the angels they still remained groping on the wall to chase their sinful desire.

Yet, Jesus says that if he had done these deeds in Sodom, the city full of sinners, that they would have repented. Do you here what he’s saying? He’s saying that Capernaum’s self-sufficiency and indifference towards Christs is worse than Sodom’s proverbial wickedness.

Relevance

If there were any major sin that typified modern America it would be the sin of Capernaum. Our land has more churches, more Bibles, more gospel witness than almost anywhere on earth. And yet, how many, how many in our very small community of Goshen, are self-sufficient and indifferent towards the gospel. They know about Jesus, but they just don’t care. There is so much evidence now in favor of Jesus, his life and work. There is so much evidence of the ongoing goodness the gospel provides. And yet several people here in our community still do not care.

Will they exalt themselves to heaven? No, they make their bed in hades. Their apathy towards Jesus will have worse consequences than the sins of Sodom.

Every miraculous work that Jesus did was an act of grace. Every time he taught was an act of grace. In fact, him being present there in the city was an act of grace. And yet every bit of it was refused by the city.

Imagine a man who commits a terrible crime—a murder. He does it believing he’s above the moral law, that some people are expendable if a greater good can be achieved. His name is Raskolnikov.

After the act, something begins to unravel in him. He walks the streets in torment, haunted not just by guilt—but by truth. He hears it in the Scriptures read to him by a poor woman named Sonya, who loves him and offers mercy. He sees it in her life, her self-sacrifice, her willingness to bear the burden of others. It cuts into him like a knife.

But he doesn’t break.

He talks, thinks, spirals. He argues with himself, justifies his actions, explains away the guilt. He is not defiant. He is not hostile. He is apathetic—paralyzed between truth and pride.

He’s standing at the door of grace, and he won’t go in.

It isn’t until the very end, when all else has collapsed, that he confesses. He falls down before Sonya and says, “It was I who killed her.” And even then, the healing takes time. His heart, hardened by delay, must learn how to feel again.

(From Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment)

Jesus says to Capernaum: “If the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained.” The people in Capernaum saw the miracles, heard the teaching, stood in the presence of God Himself—and walked away unmoved.

Like Raskolnikov, they weren’t ignorant. They weren’t overtly hostile. They were proud. And slow. And indifferent.

“Spiritual delay is not neutral—it is rejection in disguise.” The longer we postpone repentance, the harder our hearts become.

Capernaum delayed, and it cost them everything. Raskolnikov delayed, and barely escaped with his soul.

If you've been standing at the edge of conviction, waiting... If you've known what’s true, but stayed cold... Don't wait for the collapse. Don’t mistake delay for safety. Come now. The Son of God has done mighty works before your eyes. Respond, before the thunder of judgement strikes.

This is the invitation Jesus himself is about to give. And only he has authority to give it.

Through person

Matthew 11:25–27 ESV

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 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.

Revelation

These things would be shocking for any ordinary man to say. Yet Christ, being fully God and fully man, being the eternal Son of God, begotten, not made, can say these things. The Son was there with the Father and Spirit in eternity past before anything was ever made. Before time itself began to be, there was the holy Trinity.

Jesus starts this prayer by thanking and praising God the Father. He titles him Lord of Heaven and earth which gives him the right to do as he pleases. He has hidden Jesus’s mission and intent from the wise and revealed it to children.

“Wise” and “children” here have nothing to do with age or intelligence as much as they have to do with once position before God. One commentator writes, “

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 1) Because of the Revelation of the Father (11:25–26)

The contrast is between those who are self-sufficient and deem themselves wise and those who are dependent and love to be taught

The wise is the self-sufficient man (like Capernaum) who does not need to be explained the things of God because he already knows.

The child is the one who is dependent upon God and yearns to know more about him.

And we may wonder or get upset about the idea of God “hiding” something, but we have to get this from the perspective of what humanity deserves. Does humanity deserve revelation at all? No. Does humanity deserve God hiding Jesus’s mission and purpose? We can take that question a step further and say that humanity does deserve eternal punishment for sin and open rebellion against a holy God.

Why does God reveal to some and hide to others? The text says plainly that it is his gracious will in v. 26. Yet this in no way mitigates or does away with man’s responsibility. It is man’s responsibility to repent, to make himself like a child, to “come to Jesus” as we will see in the next passage.

Matthew 11:27 “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 make himself the very center of the work of revelation. He is the exclusive agent of the Father’s revelation. The statement could not be any plainer. Do you want to know God? Then you must know Jesus.

I saw a video this week of a woman at the graveside service of her mother. She announced to the crowd: Do you want to see momma again some day? This is how you can. And she began to proclaim the gospel. She told them they were sinners and needed to repent. She told them that Jesus made a way by dying in their place. He took on the sin and its consequences in his death so that they could have life. He rose from the dead so they could have life ever more.

This salvation is sovereignly placed in the hands of Jesus. But Christ’s sovereignty does not do away with human responsibility. And thus, he gives this famous invitation.

Through Plea

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

28 Come to me, all 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.”

revelation

Notice that the invitation is to come to Jesus. He is the only one who can save. He invites those who have been laboring under heavy burdens to be rid of sin. People see destruction in their wake and they load themselves down and work and work to avoid whatever destruction they foresee. Or, they give up and give in to the destruction, embracing the chaos it causes. Jesus gives a solution here. He promises rest.

We know what this rest is. No more striving to make God happy with us. In stead, we rest in Christ. All of our striving now is no longer to get, but out of joy in response to the wonderful things Christ has done for us.

Notice the two commands at the beginning of v. 29

“Take my yoke upon you” and “Learn from me” This is a call to exclusively come to Christ. No one else.

Dane Ortlund Gentle and Lowly

The point in saying that Jesus is lowly is that he is accessible. For all his resplendent glory and dazzling holiness, his supreme uniqueness and otherness, no one in human history has ever been more approachable than Jesus Christ. No prerequisites. No hoops to jump through. . .The minimum bar to be enfolded into the embrace of Jesus is simply: open yourself up to him. It is all he needs. Indeed, it is the only thing he works with. Verse 28 of our passage in Matthew 11 tells us explicitly who qualifies for fellow ship with Jesus: “all who labor and are heavy laden.” You don’t need to unburden or collect yourself and then come to Jesus. Your very burden is what qualifies you to come. No payment is required; he says, “I will give you rest.” His rest is gift, not transaction. Whether you are actively working hard to crowbar your life into smoothness (“labor”) or passively finding yourself weighed down by something outside your control (“heavy laden”), Jesus Christ’s desire that you find rest, that you come in out of the storm, outstrips even your own.

Dane Ortlund gives a hypothetical converstation between out conscious and Christ in light of this passage:

“No, wait” – we say cautiously approaching Jesus – “you don’t understand. I’ve really messed up, in all kinds of ways.”

I know, [Jesus] responds.

“You know most of it, sure. Certainly more than what others see. But there’s perversity down inside me that is hidden from everyone.”

I know it all.

“Well – the thing is, it isn’t just my past. It’s my present too.”

I understand.

“But I don’t know if I can break free of this any time soon.”

That’s the only kind of person I’m here to help.

“The burden is heavy – and heavier all the time.”

Then let me carry it.

“It’s too much to bear.”

Not for me.

“You don’t get it. My offenses aren’t directed towards others. They’re against you.”

Then I am the one most suited to forgive them.

“But the more of the ugliness in me you discover, the sooner you’ll get fed up with me.”

Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

My brothers and sisters: what is it that you are laboring for? What are you in intense striving to control? What weighs you down? What consumes your thoughts no matter how many times you try to get rid of it?

That very labor, thay very burden, qualifies you for this invitation. Hear our savior, gentle and lowly, say “Come to me,” “I will give you rest.”

Application

Where do you find ultimate worth, meaning, and value?

Whose yoke are you wearing?

Are you wearing the yoke of success and productivity?

Are you wearing the yoke legacy and reputation?

Harold had been a successful school principal for 38 years. He was firm, respected, and fair. The kind of man who made things run smoothly, who coached young teachers and took pride in helping students become better people. When he retired, the school hosted a big banquet. They named the library after him. His former students sent letters of thanks. His picture went on the wall.

Harold smiled, but inside, he was terrified.

He didn’t say it out loud, but he feared something: if he wasn’t shaping lives, solving problems, or earning praise—did he still matter?

So Harold started a new project: building a trophy case in his garage. Not literal trophies, but scrapbooks, awards, letters, news clippings—anything that proved his life had been valuable. His wife noticed. “You’ve earned rest, Harold,” she said one day, gently. “You don’t have to keep proving anything.”

But Harold couldn’t stop. “If I let go,” he said, “what will be left of me?”

Years passed. Harold grew frail. One day, his pastor came to visit. He saw the display and said softly, “This is beautiful, Harold. But I wonder… are you still trying to carry your own yoke?”

Harold looked down. “I think I forgot how to lay it down.”

After meditating on this passage . . .

Harold closed his eyes. For the first time in a long time, he stopped striving. And he whispered, “Jesus… let me be remembered by You.”

Maybe though, this is not you.

Maybe you have been burdened by work for so long, you strive to do nothing. Is that the rest to which Christ calls us? Leisurely activity?

In one of John Piper’s most famous sermons he gives an illustration that alsmost everyone remembers. I think that irony is that the illustration that most people remembered was the contrast between two pairs of people. The first pair were two eighty-somethings — Ruby Eliason and Laura Edwards, a nurse and a doctor — who had spent their lives serving the poor in Africa in the name of Jesus. One of them had been single all her life. One of them was married but a widow by then. In their eighties, they were still serving. They’re driving a car, and their car’s brakes give out. They fly over a cliff in Cameroon and both of them go into heaven and meet Jesus in their eighties after a lifetime of serving the poor.

Then the other couple was whatever their names were. You mentioned them. I can’t remember their names. These fifty-somethings who took their early retirement, moved to Punta Gorda, Florida — which means, by the way, “Fat Point” — and they devoted themselves to collecting shells and playing softball and riding their thirty-foot yacht.

I asked those thirty thousand young people, “Okay, was the death of these two servants of Christ entering heaven in their eighties through a car crash a tragedy? Was that a waste?” They shouted out, “No!”

“What is a tragedy? I’ll tell you what a tragedy is. Two healthy fifty-somethings wasting their lives collecting shells. That’s a tragedy.” That’s a sentence that everybody remembers — shell collecting. “Look, Jesus, here’s my shell collection that I gathered for you in the last twenty years of my God-given life not to be wasted on your account.”

Shell collecting is still striving:

Striving for a life that looks “good” by worldly standards.

Striving for significance through lifestyle, leisure, and freedom.

Striving to savor life apart from Christ.

What kind of rest will truly satisfy?

Whose yoke am I wearing right now? Am I chasing comfort, approval, or personal fulfillment more than Christ?

What kind of rest do I believe will finally satisfy me? Is it the beach house, the freedom from stress, the hobbies, the "someday" retirement—or is it Jesus Himself?

Have I confused a break from work with rest for my soul? The former may give relief—but only the latter gives peace.