Clear Up Your Thinking Audio
Let me just fill you in on what’s gone before in Matthew’s gospel. Jesus has spent an extended time teaching on a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee, what we refer to as the Sermon on the Mount. He’s gone from there into the nearest city, Capernaum. He’s performed a number of miracles of healing there as well as in other places around the Lake and people have flocked to hear him. Then we come to the calling of the 12 disciples and then sending them out to tell people about the coming of the kingdom of God, with a warning about the opposition and persecution they might face. Then at the start of this chapter John the Baptist sends his own disciples to check on this Jesus he’s just heard about so Jesus begins to talk about John, He calls John the greatest of the prophets, Elijah who was prophesied to come, yet, he says, he’s no greater than the least member of God’s new kingdom. Remember that because we’ll come back to it later.
That brings us to today’s passage. Here he challenges his hearers, and us, to be clear in our thinking.
It seems from what he says that despite the acclaim that came with John’s appearing, the excitement has worn off. Perhaps his message was too harsh; a warning of judgement to come unless people repented. Likewise for Jesus. The initial enthusiasm, the crowds that flocked to hear him on the mountainside, has started to fade away. Even at that stage people may have been hoping for an uprising against Rome and it hasn’t happened, Jesus has chosen his dozen disciples and the rest have faded away, gone back to their everyday lives.
So Jesus offers this new warning. He seems to be quoting a nursery rhyme doesn’t he? “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.” John was the wailing bit. His message was a warning of impending doom that should have had them in mourning. But what was their response: they poked fun at him. “He has a demon!” “He’s just a fanatic”. Then Jesus comes and what does he do? He associates with the lowest of the low, the tax collectors, the collaborators with the Roman invaders, the drunkards and loose women of the messy parts of the town. He’s not a real Rabbi; you see him out drinking and eating all over the place. Rabbis are supposed to be serious, regularly fasting, not out having fun. His music might be cheery dance music but few people felt like joining in.
Do you see his response to this imagined criticism? He says: “Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” How do you decide whether Jesus is the real thing? These people were judging him according to their presuppositions about what makes a spiritual leader. How do we decide that? He says look at what he does, what he says, how he behaves. In John’s gospel we’re pointed to the signs that Jesus performs. His miracles are signs that point us to the truth. Who else was there who could heal people of their illnesses, raise someone from death to life, bring sight to someone born blind? Only Jesus.
Have you heard the expression “Gentle Jesus meek and mild”? It was the start of a prayer people used to teach to young children. But it’s now often used as a description of the sort of Jesus that everyone feels comfortable with. The kind and loving friend. But as we see here, it isn’t a sufficient description, is it? Jesus comes into the world as the Son of God. He comes to his own people but they don’t recognise him. Worse, they dismiss him. He doesn’t fit their image of what a good Jewish rabbi would be.
These should be people who responded to John because he came as one of their own prophets. Having heard him they should have been looking for the promised Messiah. After all John had come pronouncing the Messiah’s imminent arrival. And, of course, they should have recognised the power of God in the miracles that Jesus was performing. But they didn’t.
So Jesus goes on to reproach these cities in which he’s performed most of his miracles. He says, “How can you be so blind to what’s right in front of you. If those cities in ancient times that were destroyed because of God’s anger against them had seen these things being done in their midst, the people there would have repented and those cities would still be standing.” The people of Capernaum thought of themselves as being in a great city but that wasn’t how God saw them. At the moment they’re lower in God’s view than Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities destroyed in Abraham’s day because their wickedness had gone beyond bearing.
This is not an easy passage to think about is it? I imagine people in Jesus’ day were much like you or me; happily getting on with their life; hearing the gossip and gladly taking part in conversations about this new teacher who was passing through the area, healing people, teaching some strange stuff about the kingdom of God; but not wanting to get too involved in it, in case it affected their lifestyle, their income, their comfort. The trouble was they didn’t understand that this strange stuff that Jesus was teaching had a life and death importance to it. They didn’t take seriously God’s revelation to his people through their scriptures, through the writings of their prophets.
Jesus once said: “Those to whom much has been given will be held responsible for much.” That was true of the Jewish people of Jesus day but dare I say, it’s also true of us who live in this so-called Christian country. You know, I used to be the vicar of a Church that had a Chinese congregation. Heather was one of my curates in fact. And we’d have people coming to our church because they’d come to a Christian country so they wanted to know what Christianity was all about. And they were eager to learn, with lots of them deciding to follow Jesus.
But sadly, when I think about the state of Australia today, I wonder whether it should still be called that. I have to say I don’t see much in our public life that fits with the sort of behaviour that Jesus would be happy with. The dominant characteristic of our world today it seems to me is self-centredness, a sense of entitlement, that leads to people expressing their various grievances when they don’t get what they think they deserve.
I also see a growing disparity between the rich and powerful and the poor and helpless. You must see it here in Port Melbourne with people being moved out of public housing that they’ve been living in for 40 years so a private developer can build high rise apartments for mostly well-off people. Then there’s the outcry of late over the change in the treatment of investment properties. That’s a classic case isn’t it? The five or ten percent of people who’ll be affected by these changes have created a huge outcry that’s muffled the relief of those who are struggling to put together a deposit on their first home.
Jesus’ saying about wisdom being proved by its deeds isn’t just a reference to Jesus’ deeds. It’s also a warning to his listeners; a warning to us. How will you demonstrate wisdom in your life? Your response to Jesus will be a good indicator. The way you act and speak will demonstrate it. Where you have the opportunity, your speaking into the public spaces will show it.
Well, how are you feeling so far? Encouraged or a bit depressed? It’d be easy to look around our world and wonder whether there was any hope for it wouldn’t it?
But Jesus isn’t going to leave us feeling like that. He prays a prayer of thanks to the Father. Far from being depressed by the unfaithfulness of the cities he’s been passing through, he remains positive because he understands the grace of God. Look what he prays: “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; 26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27All 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.”
There’s something amazing about this gospel of Jesus Christ, something that the people of Jesus’ day hadn’t reckoned with. Do you see it? They were disappointed in Jesus because he seemed like just some ordinary person, wandering around with this odd assortment of followers, fishermen and radicals and even one tax collector. Like people today, they wanted their gurus to be well educated, intelligent, thinking people who could quote the scriptures and solve their problems for them. But no, God has revealed this amazing gospel to children, to simple people. You don’t need education to understand the gospel. You just need God to reveal it to you. You just need to have child’s willingness and openness to learn new things. This is why he said earlier that John is no greater then the least in God’s kingdom. Anyone from the least among us can discover the truth about God that previously only God’s chosen prophets knew.
If you’re someone who’s still wondering about what this Christianity stuff is about, ask Jesus to reveal it to you. God has given us his word, written down for you. Get hold of a copy and start reading it. Start with the gospels. That’s where Jesus is at the centre but then go on to other parts. I know Heather will take you through the whole bible eventually but you don’t have to wait for that. And read that last bit carefully: “No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Who ever thought they’d be able to say they “Know” God the Father? Yet that’s what Jesus promises us.
Finally listen to the invitation that Jesus gives us: 28"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
That’s a message for today isn’t it? So many of us are weary and carrying heavy burdens. How often do you hear someone saying: “I’m just tired.” “I just need a break.” That’s almost as characteristic of our age as self-centredness isn’t it?
Well Jesus offers us rest. He offers to share our burdens. He uses the analogy of an ox cart where he takes one side of the yoke across his neck and supplies the power that we lack. And those who are joined with him discover that he’s gentle and humble in heart.
Sometimes we feel like the burdens we carry are too much to talk about. Perhaps we’re embarrassed about our weaknesses or our failures. Sometimes we think that the people we could share them with have better things to do with their time. But no, Jesus is a humble friend who’s happy to give you his time, to listen to your cries for help. He’ll deal with you gently. He’ll help you to rest from those burdens. He may do this by providing you with a Christian friend who’ll express Jesus’ humility and gentleness in the way they work with you.
Again this is one of the amazing things about the gospel. Jesus calls us individually but that call is to join with all those others who have responded to his call so that together we can support and be supported.
So how are we to respond to this word from God? Will we be like those people at the start of the passage who could only find fault with Jesus? Or will we be among the wise ones who take up his offer of getting to know him and his Heavenly Father. Will we accept his offer of comfort and support. And having received that will we look for ways that we can offer that back to others we know who are also weary and weighed down?
