Matthew Chapter 11

¹ And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

• After Jesus sent out his disciples he also departed to continue his ministry preaching and teaching in all the cities.

² Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

• John the Baptist…. the baby that began celebrating Jesus inside his mother womb (Luke 1:44)…. the one who baptized Jesus and saw the Holy Spirit come down upon Jesus like a dove and heard the words of God himself, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:14-17.

³ And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

• While we are in comfort…while we have full stomachs, cloths on, a comfortable bed to sleep in, the encouragement of others and our lives ahead of us…we can’t even begin to understand the toll that not having those things has on us mentally, physically and spiritually. John, who wore rough clothing and ate locust and honey… rejecting comforts as a way of life, was in prison for preaching the truth. In spite of everything he had seen of Jesus himself, he questioned, so he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the one they were looking for. I wonder (meaning what I’m about to say isn’t a fact, it’s just me wondering and nothing more) Anyway…. I wonder if John hoped that Jesus would get him released from prison and when that didn’t happen, his heart began to struggle with doubt because things weren’t going how he thought they would.(end of me wondering)
  I know a lot of people who are counting on a rapture before the tribulation, and they say things like “Would Jesus beat up his bride before the wedding” as reassurance that they won’t have to go through the tribulation. They even reframe the tribulation as all being the wrath of God, not just the part where the vials of wrath are poured out. The bible gives us precedence to go by…we are told that tribulation is a tool used to bring on spiritual maturity and growth…. literally all but two of the disciples of Jesus were executed for the Gospel. The history of the church tells us of extreme persecution of Christians, but for whatever reason, there are some who feel they will be spared, so they ignore biblical precedence and embrace false doctrine to stay comfortable. John was not doing that here… this man was THE VERY ELECT type… his entire life was dedicated to God…and here he is sending out disciples…seeking comfort in knowing Jesus is the one they were waiting for…. John was prepared for this…and still he was struggling. How will someone who views all tribulation as a punishment do when God allows them to go through it to grow them up and develop them in spiritual maturity? Will they be as strong as John to seek Jesus for strength and answers ? Or will they be so upset they walk away disillusioned because what they thought was going to happen… didn’t? Being prepared for something spiritually that doesn’t happen can kick the props right out from under you. The Jews were looking for a King that would sit on the throne of David and rule… but instead they received a King that would come here and die for his people first, then when the fullness of time comes, he returns to establish his eternal Kingdom. Because when Jesus came here to die, it didn’t happen they way they expected it to… they missed out on Jesus though they will get their eyes opened in the end.
  That part about taking up our cross and following Jesus was not just a poetic musing…it was an arrow pointing to the straight and narrow gate. While some of us will only have to die to the fleshly desires, some of us will have to die as testimonies for Jesus…. like John the Baptist did.
  Creating a narrative that gets you out of this kind of commitment is another way to embrace a different Gospel. Matthew 16:24-26 ²⁴ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.²⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.²⁶ For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
  

⁴ Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:

⁵ The blind receive their sight, 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.

⁶ And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

⁷ And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

• Jesus asked the multitudes what they went out to see concerning John… was he a weak man who would bend with public opinion?

⁸ But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.

• Was he dressed in fine clothing like he belonged in a Kings house? (note: Jesus is the King… and John would be Royalty in an earthly hierarchy…but here he is serving King Jesus dressed in camels hair clothing held by a leather belt..and King Jesus himself is dress like everyone else. Both come serving others and both are put to death for preaching the truth.)

⁹ But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

• John was more than a typical prophet, he was the one chosen to prepare the way of Jesus.

¹⁰ For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

• Mark 1:4-11 ⁴ John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.⁵ And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.⁶ And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;⁷ And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.⁸ I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.⁹ And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.¹⁰ And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:¹¹ And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

¹¹ Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

• John died before Jesus, so he died under the Law before grace was established through Jesus… so John while he was a great man of God and had lived a life of absolute commitment to God, never lived under grace. Grace is greater than the Law because the Law could not save us. Romans 8:3-4 ³ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:⁴ That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

¹² And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

• From the time John the Baptist began preaching and preparing the way for Jesus there has been strong opposition. John was in prison and was about to be beheaded for preaching the truth to Herod… which was the climate of the times towards the preaching of John.

¹³ For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

• John the Baptist signified a time of transition from the Law (Old Testament) to Grace (New Testament). This was an ending and a beginning.

¹⁴ And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.

• John the Baptist was not actually Elijah, he came in the same spirit and power of Elijah. Both prophets called Israel to repentance, Elijah called them to repent of idolatry and John to prepare people to receive Jesus the Messiah. Both had the same power, authority, intensity, devotion and dedication towards God. Both lived apart from society and had a rugged appearance…Elijah wore a hair mantle and leather belt (2 Kings 1:8 ⁸ And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite)and John wore camels hair and a leather belt. Both men confronted Kings and leaders over their sin, Elijah confronted Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings) and John the Baptist confronted Herod Antipas over his unlawful marriage to his brother Philips wife (Mark 6:18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife).

¹⁵ He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

• Listen deeper than just with your ears, listen in your spirit man to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying through these words.

¹⁶ But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,

¹⁷ And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.

• No matter how the message of John and Jesus is delivered to the people, they find a reason to reject it.

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

¹⁹ The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

• They disqualified everything John taught by saying he had a devil and everything Jesus taught by saying he was a glutton and wine drinking friend of publicans and sinners…. but they didn’t consider the wisdom of their words which would have given them all wisdom. This made me think of times when I was having a disagreement with another person who would then say, “Stop yelling at me, I can’t talk to you when you’re yelling at me.” , but I wasn’t even yelling, I was being precise with my words and clearly articulating my position. Their claim that I was yelling and the refusal to listen was their way of shutting down my voice so they could remain unaccountable for their actions. I think this is a common tactic used by guilty people who don’t want to stop what they are doing and don’t want the shame of conviction hindering them in their sinfulness…. instead of responding to the message, they shoot the messenger.

²⁰ Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

²¹ Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, 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 unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

• Tyre and Sidon were known for pride, arrogance, idolatry, violence, and corrupt business practices.

²³ And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

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.

²⁵ At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

• They are set in their ways so profoundly they can’t even entertain the idea of being wrong… so anything that doesn’t line up with their current wisdom is rejected without consideration. Babes observe and learn… their first notion is not to reject, but to observe.
  The Dunning Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias where people with low ability in a specific area tend to overestimate their competence, while experts often underestimate theirs because tasks seem easy to them, but hard for others. I mention this because people who think they know everything and have no need to learn anything else end up being ignorant and incompetent and those who actually have the knowledge tend to feel humbled and unsure enough to use caution. One group doesn’t know what they don’t know and are unaware of their ignorance…. and the other group knows there are things they don’t know and overly aware of their ignorance. I see this in myself and others. Years ago when I was younger in the Lord, because he had given me this gift of retention of his Word I thought I was wise… but in truth, I was extremely ignorant… so much so I had to “wisen up” to even be able to see how profoundly ignorant I was. I could quote scripture, but walking in the truth of those verses wasn’t part of it. Knowledge is knowing the verse… wisdom is applying it to my life and walking in it. I had knowledge… but no wisdom.

²⁶ Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

²⁷ All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

• God opens our eyes to the light… we are all like Paul on the road to Damascus…. scales blinding our eyes until God removes them and we can see who Jesus is.

²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

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.

³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

• The Grace that came to us because of Jesus dying for our sins, fullfilling the Law for all of us once and for all provided us with rest.