Mat 11

Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom were ancient cities with a long-standing reputation for wickedness (Genesis 18-19; Ezekiel 27-28). Each was destroyed by God for its evil. The people of Bethsaida, Korazin, and Capernaum saw Jesus first hand, and yet they stubbornly refused to repent of their sins and believe in Him. Jesus said that if some of the wickedest cities in the world had seen Him, they would have repented. Because Bethsaida, Korazin, and Capernaum saw Jesus and didn't believe, they would suffer even greater punishment than would the wicked cities that didn't see Jesus. Similarly, nations and cities with churches on every corner and Bibles in every home will have no excuse on judgment day if they do not repent and believe.

A person may be heaven laden by (1) sin, (2) excessive demands of religious leaders (23.4; Acts 15.10), (3) oppression and persecution, or (4) weariness in search of God. Jesus frees people from all four of these heavy ladens.

v.20 The time for performing mighty works and preaching the gospel will not last forever. It will be followed by reprimand.

vv.21-22 In the day of judgment many will suffer terribly. The extent of one’s suffering and the degree of punishment will vary. The greater the opportunity today, the heavier the punishment to come.

vv.23-24 Whatever may be the correct interpretation, it is clear that up to our very day there has been no sign of God’s work in Capernaum.

...summary Matthew chapters 1 to 12 (see pp. 116-117): the thread of teaching after chapter 13 is not as distinct as in the first twelve...the teachings which follow from chapter 13 onward are directed towards the church rather than the Jews.

v.25 The Lord reveals to us that those who obtain the truth of the kingdom of heaven are the babes. The wise and the understanding are not really wise and understanding: they simply stand in contrast to the babes. Here is to be found an important principle: if people do not understand the Bible they read, it is not because of their lack of brains but because of too much brains. Our mind is spiritually ineffective in this task due to the hardness of our heart. We fail to study the word of God well due to the absence of a childlike attitude.

v.26 Who are these babes? They are the remnant whom the Lord has gathered. Though the whole of mankind has rejected the Lord, there is still a small remnant who follow Him in obedience. This is enough, for this is the good pleasure of the Father. Margaret E. Barber once said: Even though I desire to go to China to save souls, I am quite willing to be shut in for 20 years if the Lord so wills. To be a perfect servant depends not on the result of his work but on doing the will of God.

v.27 “All things” here refer to people, for the Lord said on another occasion that “no man can come unto me except it be given unto him of the Father” (John 6.65). Hence everyone who is saved is given to Christ by God. All who come to Christ are moved by God: “All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6.37). Although people do not know Him and even misunderstand Him instead, He nevertheless is satisfied because His Father knows.

The life of Christ may be divided into three periods: (1) from the manger to Jordan River, (2) from Jordan to the Mount of Transfiguration, and (3) from the Mount to Jerusalem.

By reading Hebrews 10.7 we can see that the aspiration of the Lord’s life is to do God’s will—namely, to die. The uniqueness of Christ with the Father lies in the fact that Christ has only One who knows Him, and that One is the Father. Love is undivided and most intimate, otherwise it cannot be reckoned as love. No one can come to the Father except those to whom the Son has revealed the Father. And no one can reveal the Father except He who knows the Father, even the Son.

v.28 The Lord does not say “ye who sin”; what, then, is the meaning of “ye who labor and are heavy laden”? Here, the lost sheep of the house of Israel are especially in view. They can find no satisfaction from the world. “I will give you rest”—Rest is one aspect of salvation. The laboring spoken of here comes from sin: for example, the Buddhists prostrate themselves every few steps while on a pilgrimage, the Jews fast twice a week, and the Hindus sleep on beds studded with nails. These are all labors as a result of sin. To “come” is our responsibility, the rest is done by Christ. We do not need to bear our own sins.

v.29 “Find rest unto your souls”—This means finding rest for our rebellious mind. The first “rest” is a receiving of rest from sin; this second “rest” is a finding of rest from a heart that is disobedient to God—it is a rest from self.

v.30 When there is obedience, the “yoke is easy”; what makes it hard is when there is no submission in the heart.

Mat 11:20	Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not.
Mat 11:21	Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Mat 11:22	But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
Mat 11:23	And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt go down unto Hades: for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in thee, it would have remained until this day.
Mat 11:24	But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Mat 11:25	At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes:
Mat 11:26	yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight.
Mat 11:27	All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal [him.]
Mat 11:28	Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29	Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30	For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.