No. 06. “Don’t Miss Out – Jesus IS the Way!”
July 6, 2008 Bothwell & Clachan
Matthew’s Memories of Jesus - No. 06. “Don’t Miss Out – Jesus IS the Way!”
Scripture: Matthew 11:16-19, Matthew 11:25-30
July 6, 2008
Introduction
Do you like puzzles? Do you working out problems or facing challenges? Can you sort out issues that are confusing? This morning, I want to point out some challenging puzzles and issues related to today’s Bible reading from Matthew 11:16-19; 25-30. But as an introduction please consider the following illustration.
Things That Could Confuse Us
The human mind is a wonderfully complex organ. Our brains can actually process a group of words, even if they are spelled totally incorrectly. For example, see if you can read the following:
The hmuan mnid is a wndoreullfy cpoemlx oargn. You see? It deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod aearpr, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is that the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the human mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig isn't it?
At times our lives, and the world around us, doesn't seem to make any sense. There are even times when everything seems to be a total mess. But when we take a step back and remember that God is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last…we can rest assured that one day it will all become perfectly clear.
Jon Courson, who has written a popular Application Commentary, reminds us that: God is so immense. The Milky Way galaxy is approximately 100,000 light years across. Traveling at the speed of light, 186,000 miles per second, it would take 100 million years just to get across the length of the Milky Way galaxy.
And yet the Bible says our Lord spans the universe between His thumb and His little finger (Isaiah 40:12)! Big! Enormous! How do we know such a vast God? Oh, great is the mystery of godliness, Paul said, that God would become a Man, revealing Himself in Jesus (1 Timothy 3:16).
Courson concludes: Our Christian faith is truly ingenious. I mean, this huge, vast God became a Man that we might know Him. But our sin stood in the way of a relationship with Him, so that same God died on a Cross at Easter to provide payment for our sin. Then He rose again to live inside of us by His Spirit. It’s perfect! There’s not a flaw in it![1]
The Complex Contrast of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Yet even when we look at Jesus, himself, we also see great complexity. First of all, the Lord Jesus whom we exalt at Christmas is not just a baby in a manger. He is not a character in a children’s story. He is far more.
The first time he came, he came disguised in the form of a helpless child. The next time he comes, and we believe it will be soon, he will come in power, and it will be abundantly and immediately clear to the entire world just who he really is.
The first time he came, a star marked his arrival. The next time he comes, the whole heavens will roll up like a scroll, and all the stars will fall out of the sky, and he himself will light it.
The first time he came, wise men and shepherds brought him gifts. The next time he comes, he will bring gifts, rewards for his own.
The first time he came, there was no room for him. The next time he comes, the whole world will not be able to contain His glory.
The first time he came, only a few attended his arrival—some shepherds and some wise men. The next time he comes, every eye shall see him.
The first time he came as a baby. Soon he will come as our Sovereign King and Lord. [2]
So How Do We Know Him?
There is also complexity involved in the way that we come to know who Jesus is. There are some who say that according to the Bible, God has it all worked out as to who will follow him. They use the terms “election” or “predestination” to describe this belief. Others stress the verses in the Bible that seem to say that we must make a choice to follow Jesus as our Lord. Supporters of this position use the term “free will.” And no, I did not say, “Free Willy!”
Entire denominations have formed around this “free will versus election-predestination” debate. There is no agreement among Baptists. And just like arguments over a favorite sports rivalry, sometimes the discussions can become heated between these two groups. Thirty-five years ago while at Bible College I remember two fellows almost getting into a fist fight over this issue during a discussion at coffee break.
Dr. Harry Ironside once told of a man who gave his testimony, telling how God had sought him and found him. How God had loved him, called him, saved him, delivered him, cleansed him, and healed him. It was a tremendous testimony to the glory of God.
After the meeting, one rather legalistic brother took him aside and said, “You know, I appreciate all that you said about what God did for you, but you didn’t mention anything about your part in it. Salvation is really part us and part God, and you should have mentioned something about your part.”
“Oh,” the man said, “I apologize. I’m sorry. I really should have mentioned that. My part was running away, and God’s part was running after me until he found me.”[3]
Confusing Parts of the Bible
So why bother about all of these possibly confusing issues? After all, wasn’t it a former American humorist Mark Twain who once said, “It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it's the parts that I do understand.[4] So who really cares about any of these debates? And no, we are not going to try to solve this so-called “free-will” issue this morning. Even the Bible translators realize that the Bible commentator’s have a problem with these verses.[5] I just want us to realize that this very famous section of Matthew that talks of Jesus’ “yoke” being easy (Matthew 11:28) which were read earlier have become a part of this debate. And again, no, we are also not talking about egg yokes “over easy” this morning, either!
Matthew 11:16-18: John versus Jesus
Jesus recognized how confusing his message could be. He was very upset by the response of differing groups. In this same chapter he complains that when the Prophet, John the Baptist, had come to prepare the way for Jesus, people had said that John’s message was too serious, too demanding. Then when Jesus came and did miracles at weddings and met with so-called “sinners,” the other people complained that he, Jesus, was not serious enough. In Matthew 11:17-19 of The Message, Jesus makes up or quotes a proverb when he says: 'We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.' He says to them:
John came fasting and they called him crazy. I came feasting and they called me a lush, a friend of the riff-raff. Opinion polls don't count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating." It appears that back then, like today, some people are just impossible to please.
Matthew 11:27: Jesus as God
There is also at least one other problem area in our verses this morning. This is one of the places in the Bible where Jesus claims that he is God. Not just a “son” of God, but God, “The Son.” In Matthew 11:27 we read: Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. "The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father-and-Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.
And no, we are also not going to try to unravel the mystery of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, this morning, either.
Matthew 11:20-24: So Where Should We Begin?
Now if you have been here over the past few Sundays you might remember that Jesus had been preparing the Disciples for their great “Mission Trip.” He was going to send them off in one direction while he went someplace else (Matthew 11:1). Now it appears from looking at possible parallel passages from Luke that these verses read today take place after that mission trip has ended. In the other Gospel, it reports that the Disciples had a very successful trip. They had gone out and preached and healed and raised people from the dead. Unfortunately, and very surprisingly, Jesus’ trip may not have gone so well. He refers here to cities that had heard his message and seen his miracles yet still refused to believe (Matthew 20:21-24).
Matthew 11:25-26: The Father and The Son
So we are faced with yet another question: Why the difference; why do some listen and respond while others turn away? These verses seem to infer that God even has that under control. In Matthew 11:25-26 of The Message, we read: 25Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. 26 Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."
Cause or Effect: Generally, when we here in North America or even those in Western Europe look at problems or issues, we like to sort out what we refer to as the “cause and effect.” If I do “this” what will happen? If “that” is done, what is the result? Or what will take place if this is done first? All of this is a part of our so-called “scientific” mindset. It is the way we have been taught to think and reason.
But the folks in Jesus day looked at life much differently. In their culture, they believed that God was involved in everything; period. After a choice was made they would then reason that it obviously must have been God’s will to make that choice for, after all, wasn’t God in control of everything? You see this back in the Old Testament as Moses and Pharaoh battle over the Israelite’s struggle for freedom from slavery. At different stages In the Book of Genesis it says that Pharaoh would get angry and harden his heart against God and the Israelite people. A plague would then follow. But later the Bible says that it was God who had hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Well then, which was right? We twenty-first century folks would say that you can’t have it both ways, can you? But the Hebrew people were looking at the results. God, after all, is in control. So if Pharaoh misbehaves it must have been in God’s will.
It is part of this same type of debate that Jesus enters into with the crowds that are following him after all of these Mission Trips. Why did some believe while others merely turned away?
Matthew 11:28-29: Jesus’ Invitation
Yet curiously, enough, even as Jesus seems to say that he is the only one who can help people to know who the Heavenly Father is, he then goes ahead and seems to give a blanket invitation for all of his hearers to respond to his message? So what’s that about, Jesus? We North American enquiring minds want to know. Are people already chosen or not? I said earlier that we would not be trying to unravel this mystery this morning, and I meant it. But the good news is that Jesus doesn’t try to unravel it either. He just makes his apparently conflicting remarks and then goes on evangelizing the crowds to see who might respond.
He sounds quite a bit like a modern day evangelist. “Please put up your hand for prayer. Even better yet, come down front where we can pray for you and give you some helpful literature. Be sure you are a part of God’s family before you leave here today.”
Jesus says: 28"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. 29Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you (Matthew 11:28-29, The Message).
And yes, most of the familiar translations use the word “yoke.” The yoke was that wooden collar that ran across the shoulders of a pair of oxen and enabled them jointly to pull enormous weights.
The Burden Bearing Christ
There is a wonderful legend concerning the quiet years of Jesus; that is, the years prior to his visible ministry. The legend claims that “Jesus the Carpenter” was one of the master yoke-makers in the Nazareth area. People came from all over for a yoke, hand carved and crafted by Jesus, the son of Joseph.
When customers arrived with their team of oxen Jesus would spend considerable time measuring the team, checking their height and width, measuring the space between them, and the size of their shoulders. Within a week, the team would be brought back and he would carefully place the newly made yoke over the shoulders, watching for rough places, smoothing out the edges and giving a perfect custom fit for this particular team of oxen.
That's the yoke Jesus invites us to take. Now please do not be misled by the word "easy," for its original meaning…speaks directly of these tailor-made yokes: they were "well-fitting." EASE into the well-fitting yoke Jesus invites us to take, the yoke that brings rest to weary souls. It is one that is made exactly right for our lives and hearts… And our yoke-partner is none other than Jesus himself. [6]
Conclusion
And so the carpenter of Nazareth, who had made many a yoke, says in effect, ‘My yokes fit well. They do not rub your neck and shoulders. Come to me. Get yoked up to me...And you will find a deep peace and satisfaction that you could never find elsewhere. I have come FOR you. Now You Come TO me.’ You notice that he does NOT say, “You must GO to God.” [7] No, he says, “COME to Me.” He is God.
Jesus doesn’t ask if we believe that God has already chosen us. I guess he figures that if we have been chosen the proof will be in our positive response.
But isn’t that where we really are today? How can we know in whose hearts the Spirit of God may be working? All we can do is respond first and then ask if other people would also like to hear more of Jesus. And if they, like Shaylynn, do respond, then later on we can ask if they, like her, also want to go deeper into their walk of faith with Jesus through following his example of Baptism.
Just “Don’t miss out” — After all, “Jesus IS the Way.”
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[1]Jon Courson, Jon Courson's Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 80.
[2]Michael P. Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching: Over 1500 Sermon Illustrations Arranged by Topic and Indexed Exhaustively, Revised edition of: The expositor's illustration file (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989).
[3]Michael P. Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching: Over 1500 Sermon Illustrations Arranged by Topic and Indexed Exhaustively, Revised edition of: The expositor's illustration file (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989).
[4] Mark Twain, 1835-1910
[5]Barclay Moon Newman and Philip C. Stine, A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew, Originally Published: A Translator's Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew, c.1988., UBS helps for translators; UBS handbook series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1992), 342.
[6] Illustrations for Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30, eSermons.com.
[7]Michael Green, The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., U.S.A.: Inter-Varsity Press, 2000, c1988), 140.